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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
(Updated 5/8/08)

   
MEET THE COMMISSIONER
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Richard H. Cate, Commissioner, Vermont Department of EducationMeet Vermont Education Commissioner Richard H. Cate
Richard Cate became education commissioner on November 4, 2003. A native Vermonter, Richard graduated from Montpelier High School before attending University of Vermont, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. He later earned a master of public administration degree from Rockefeller College at the University at Albany.

Prior to becoming commissioner, Richard served as executive deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the New York State Department of Education, managing a budget of more than $19 billion and a staff of more than 3,100 employees. Previous to that, he served as that department’s chief financial officer.

Richard has extensive Vermont work experience in education, local government and the private sector. He was executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association for seven years and city manager of Barre City for five. He also served as a member of the Barre City Council and on the board of a private school. Richard’s private sector experience was in real estate development and management and in the granite industry. He served in the United States Army immediately after graduating from college.

   
 

Current Initiatives

  • The Future of Education in Vermont
    The State Board of Education and Commissioner Richard Cate recently articulated their vision for the future of education in Vermont. The Vision document is the starting point for several public conversations that began with the October 16 State Board meeting at which students and parents participated in roundtable discussions on the future of education.

  • Education Governance
    In May 2006 Commissioner Richard Cate released a white paper entitled "The Governance of Education in Vermont – 1777 to 2006." The paper, meant to stimulate a year-long discussion, outlines a plan for changing the governance model of the education system in Vermont. As part of this year-long discussion, the department hosted thirty facilitated meetings across the state.

  • Statewide School Year Calendar
    Act 31 of the 2007 General Assembly requires the development of a statewide student attendance calendar to be acted upon by the State Board of Education by January 30, 2008. The intent of the legislation was to direct the calendar committee, consisting of 15 members and chaired by the Commissioner of Education or his designee, to develop a uniform statewide school calendar to be adopted by the State Board of Education by January 30 of each year and announced no later than March 31 each year. NOTE: The public comment period ended March 31, 2008.
   
CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT
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General Phone Numbers
This link provides phone numbers for programs and services in the Department of Education listed alphabetically by topic area (e.g., licensing, special education technical assistance, GED, etc.).

  • Staff Directory
    Use this link to view the current list of staff members, including e-mail address links (underlined names), phone numbers (with voice mail messaging), and team affiliation.

Directions/Hours of Operation
For information about our location, office hours and mailing address, view our "contact us" Web page.

   
CALENDAR OF DEPARTMENT-SPONSORED EVENTS (Updated 5/8/08)
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The department's calendar of events is designed to be used as a planning tool by department staff, State Board members and educators in the field. The calendar lists department-sponsored events, which, unless noted otherwise, are intended to benefit service providers, educators and administrators. View the calendar of department-sponsored events.

   
VERMONT TEACHER OF THE YEAR & OTHER EDUCATOR/PROGRAM RECOGNITION AWARDS
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Each year a teacher from Vermont’s education community is recognized as the Vermont Teacher of the Year. The Teacher of the Year is chosen through a thorough application and selection process. As the recipient of this award, the teacher travels statewide visiting schools and working with other educators. This program is sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets and the Vermont Department of Education. The Vermont Teacher of the Year also becomes a candidate for the National Teacher of the Year award sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers. View additional information about Vermont's Teacher of the Year and other recognition awards. NOTE: View the archived nomination and application information for the 2009 Teacher of the Year. The nomination/application process ended March 17, 2008.

This page also contains other educator awards as well as awards given in recognition of exceptional programs and activities taking place in Vermont's schools.

   
MISSION & VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT
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  Mission
The State Board of Education and the Department of Education provide leadership and support to help all Vermont students achieve excellence.

Vision
The State Board of Education and the Department of Education shall sustain a vision of high skills, creative thinking and love of knowledge, and learning for every student while ensuring student achievement in a safe and healthy learning environment.

Vermont State Board of Education and Vermont Department of Education Strategic Plan for 2006-2007
Clicking this link will open a PDF document. Adobe Reader is required. To download a FREE version of Adobe Reader, click on the yellow Get Acrobat Reader icon toward the bottom of page.

Originally released in June 2004, the Strategic Plan is designed to guide the work of the Board and the department. The focus of the plan is expressed in the goals that follow, which are based on the respective Board and department roles and responsibilities: 1) support high-quality, innovative instruction to improve student achievement; 2) provide and promote high-quality educational leadership; 3) promote safe and positive learning environments; 4) build department capacity to best support external needs; and 5) practice and promote effective use of all resources. In June 2006, the Board designated new strategies to focus on in the coming year.
   
 
  • Strategic Plan Implementation Grid (June 2007)Clicking this link will open a PDF document. Adobe Reader is required. To download a FREE version of Adobe Reader, click on the yellow Get Acrobat Reader icon toward the bottom of page.
    With the completion of the Strategic Plan, the Department of Education Leadership Team has reviewed with their teams the strategies in the plan. This grid provides an overview of how the department intends to implement these strategies.
   
  Vermont State Board of Education FY 2009 Budget Recommendations & Annual Report: "The Future is Now "
Produced annually, the State Board of Education's Budget Recommendations and Annual Report provides an overview of the Department of Education's programs and teams along with an overview of the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The department works with the State Board to ensure that the book is a useful resource not only to the Vermont Legislature as it reviews state agency budget proposals, but to members of the education community and general public as well.
   
ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT/CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT
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Vermont Department of Education Organizational Chart for 2008The department is currently organized into a Finance & Administration division and five Education Program divisions. Each division is further divided into teams providing specific programs and services.

  • General Phone Numbers
    Find phone numbers for programs and services in the Department of Education listed alphabetically by topic area (e.g., licensing, special education technical assistance, GED, etc.).

NOTE: Click on the graphic to view a larger version of the chart and directions for downloading a copy of the chart.

   
VERMONT EDUCATION IN THE NEWS (Updated 5/8/08)
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The communications staff at the department manages both media relations and public information for the range of constituencies interested in and served by the department. As part of its public information services, use the following links to view:

   
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
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  For information about programs and services offered by the Vermont Department of Education, please check out the Programs and Services main page.
   
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFPs)
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  All requests for contract bids (requests for proposals) issued by the department for amounts over $15,000 are posted to one of two central state Web sites:
   
   

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NOTE: The phone number listed below is for nondiscrimination policy questions ONLY.
For questions NOT related to nondiscrimination policies,
use the department's general phone numbers Web page.

The Vermont Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, marital status, sex, disability, age, gender identity or sexual orientation in its programs or activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies ONLY:

Barbara Crippen, Civil Rights Coordinator
Vermont Department of Education
120 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
(802) 828-5937 (P)
(802) 828-3140 (F)
barbara.crippen@state.vt.us

   

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