Vermont State Education Secretary Daniel French is moving on | Community News

MONTPELIER—Governor. Phil Scott announced this afternoon that the Secretary of State for Education is leaving his state post for a job in related advocacy work.

A statement from the governor said Vermont Agency of Education chief Dan French will step down next month for an executive position with the Council of Chief State School Officers. The group – made up of senior public education officials across the country – advocates “for students who participate in our public education system – regardless of background – [to] graduate prepared for college, careers and life.”

Assistant Secretary for Education Heather Bouchey will serve as acting secretary upon French’s departure.

Scott said French has been “a vital member of my team for over four years, leading the Agency through unimaginable challenges in the wake of the pandemic.”

“I have always been able to count on Dan to provide sound advice, putting the needs of students, parents and educators first. He has dedicated his life to public service, first in the U.S. military and then as an educator and public school administrator,” Scott said in the statement. “I am confident he will excel in his new role, bringing its experienced leadership to the national level. »

French, meanwhile, called his service an honorary state.

“It has been a privilege to serve as Secretary of Education for a Governor who is deeply committed to the future success of all of our students. I am extremely grateful to have served with such a hardworking team at [the Agency of Education]and for having the opportunity to work with educators in Vermont.

French served Vermont and its students as a high school social studies teacher and then K-12 principal. He served for more than a decade as superintendent at Canaan, and then subsequently for the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union, from 2007 to 2016. A past president of the Vermont Superintendents Association, French has also earned superintendent honors from the year in 2009.

French has been a leader during Vermont’s internationally recognized response to COVID-19, serving on the core leadership team of the Governor’s Pandemic Response Task Force. He has been Secretary of the Education Agency since 2018.