Virginia DOE reorganizes school‑improvement offices, offers multi‑year grants and a centralized grant hub

Department of Education leaders presented a reorganization and a slate of grant proposals intended to align agency structure and funding with school improvement goals.

Superintendent Gullickson and department staff described a new Division of Student Outcomes and School Quality that groups assessment, accountability, school quality and instruction to provide coordinated, multi‑level support. The department said it will create regional student‑success specialists, a director of mathematics and a regional math network to expand coaching and instructional support.

On funding the department proposed moving to longer, competitive school‑improvement grants. Officials said current nine‑month grant cycles are too short to turn around schools; the department recommended four‑year cycles with 30‑, 60‑ and 90‑day monitoring checkpoints to ensure timely implementation. A department presenter summarized the goal: “This isn't just a formula. We're not just gonna give you the money. We want to ensure they identify evidence‑based strategies and demonstrate results.”

The department highlighted specific grant funds or proposals discussed in the meeting materials: a $10 million direct student services pot (posted for public comment), a $7 million extended‑school‑year grant (9 divisions had applied at the time of the meeting), a $1 million mathematics acceleration grant and a proposed $10 million mathematics innovation grant. Officials also cited $7 million in comprehensive literacy funds and roughly $4 million for teacher‑preparation and retention supports.

Staff described direct student services as flexible dollars that divisions may use for credit recovery, tutoring, AP/IB/dual‑enrollment exam fees, transportation for students to transfer schools when state‑identified, and other supports to remove financial barriers. The department said tutors paid with these funds must be “high quality,” and the agency will hold vendors accountable for results.

To reduce administrative burden and improve oversight, the department plans to build a single grant management hub and data crosswalk that will consolidate previously siloed application platforms and allow cross‑grant tracking. Chief operating officer Christina Bridal briefed the board on the plan and said it will create a “one‑stop” hub for divisions and help the agency monitor spending, identify carryover and spot risky patterns earlier.

Board members asked about field deployment. Member Monk asked whether regional specialists would be “out in the field”; the department replied the hires will be drawn from urban, rural and other localities and will base support on need as measured by data. Members also asked about prioritization for divisions with memoranda of understanding; the department said state‑designated schools will receive additional rubric points in competitive grant evaluation.

Staff said the agency will continue its monthly “lunch and learn” technical‑assistance series, provide webinars and try to minimize redundant reporting to the field. The department invited the board to review implementation details and said it will return to the board with updates.