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State superintendent outlines VDOE reorganization to focus on students, grants and academic innovation
Summary
State Superintendent Gullickson previewed an organizational redesign at the Virginia Department of Education that consolidates functions into four core areas — operations, academics and innovation, early learning & specialized populations, and external partnerships — and aims to simplify grant administration.
Virginia’s state superintendent outlined a reorganization of the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) meant to shift the agency from a compliance posture toward a student-centered, innovation-focused model and to simplify how school divisions access grants.
Superintendent Gullickson told the Board of Education the agency will regroup functions into four core areas: (1) Operations — a hub that will cover internal and external operations including HR, budget and technology; (2) Academics and Innovation — combining instructional supports, teaching and learning teams, educator workforce pipeline work, student pathways and an Office of Excellence and Best Practices; (3) Early Learning and Specialized Populations — merging early childhood, special education and specialized populations to improve coordination from birth through K–12; and (4) External Partnerships — government relations, communications and family engagement functions.
Gullickson said one immediate project is collapsing an “outdated” patchwork of roughly 21 separate grant systems into a single “one-stop” grants portal intended to simplify access for small and rural divisions, provide better statewide data on fund use and help the agency track return on investment. She named Christine Berto as the chief operating officer leading that work and said a public organization chart will be shared at an upcoming meeting when leadership assignments are complete.
Board members asked clarifying questions about implementation and welcomed the emphasis on aligning teaching-and-learning teams and educator preparation work under a single division. Gullickson said the change aims to put resources and expert staff “under one roof” so school leaders and teachers have a clearer set of contacts for technical assistance.
