Biography
An educator since 1998, Kate McCann presently teaches Advanced Placement Statistics at U-32 Middle & High School in Montpelier. Kate is a National Board Certified Teacher in Mathematics, the 2017 Vermont State Teacher of the Year, a 2018-19 Albert Einstein Fellow, 2015 recipient of the Presidential award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, 2021 NEA Foundation Global Fellow and is a local leader in the Washington Central Educators Union.
In 2021 Kate was one of three teachers statewide to be selected as a member to the Legislative Pension Benefits, Design and Funding Task Force. Kate ran for State Representative in 2022 and served from January 2023 to present. She is currently seeking re-election.
When she is not teaching, Kate enjoys contributing to the small business she owns with her husband and spending time with her two daughters. She greatly enjoys kayaking and traveling with friends and family.
Candidate occupation
Public High School Statistics Teacher
Why are you running for office?
I am running for reelection to bring a strong voice to the statehouse to protect public dollars from going to private schools that do not afford the same protections regarding discrimination. I am passionate about protecting women’s rights and providing housing and healthcare for all.
Issues in brief
Do you believe Vermonters are better off now than they were 10 years ago?
Yes
Do you believe Vermont needs a new education funding formula?
Yes
Do you support imposing new taxes on the wealthiest Vermonters?
Yes
Do you support the establishment of overdose prevention centers?
Yes
Do you support a ban on flavored tobacco products?
Yes
Do you support increasing penalties for property crimes such as shoplifting?
No answer
Do you believe Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election?
Yes
Issues in depth
What would you do to help grow Vermont’s economy?
We need to continue to find ways to increase the housing stock. If we want workers/families to live and work here in Vermont we need to provide housing options, strong public schools, safe neighborhoods and affordable, reliable, accessible childcare.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
We need a more transparent system, one that Vermont voters can understand. We need to stop allowing public dollars to go to private schools. This siphoning off of public dollars is costing Vermont a fortune. We need to return those dollars back to our public school system.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
I am somewhere between doing enough or not enough. We are making great strides and I think if we continue that progress that our great little state will continue to be a leader. We are moving toward cleaner heat for all, we are working toward the infrastructure needed to move us toward cleaner automobiles, we are protecting our wildlife areas, and we are doing our part to make Vermont more resilient to the devastating effects of climate change.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to regulate gun ownership? Please explain.
I believe Vermont is not doing enough. We need a ban on assault weapons. We need to do more around safe storage, particularly in providing some help for those who may have trouble affording the proper gun storage equipment. We need to prohibit guns from school grounds like we have from hospitals and more recently polling places. There has been some talk about raising the age beyond 18 and I’m torn on that one since at age 18 one can vote and serve in the military. We need to repeal exemptions to background checks. And, we need to remove firearms from those under investigation of or convicted of domestic violence.
What would you do to help ease Vermont’s housing crisis?
We need to continue looking at local zoning laws, leveraging public-private partnerships, and making the long-term commitment to solving the problem. There are no quick fixes. Keeping environmental factors in mind, we need to eliminate growth boundaries where we can and other rural land-use restrictions that prevent home builders from meeting the demand for single-family homes.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
To end homelessness, a coordinated systems approach is needed. This approach requires using local and statewide data to inform decisions about how to most effectively allocate resources, services, and programs to best address the needs of those experiencing homelessness in Vermont. From there we need to provide short-term rental assistance and services with the goal to help people obtain housing quickly, increase self- sufficiency, and stay housed. Then we need to provide resources for individuals and families to access more permanent housing as well as programs designed to assist low-income people increase their income. Vermont might consider giving cash to low-income tenants for their rent payments to keep them housed and eliminate the stigma currently associated with designated low-income housing.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
Encourage innovation, including considering state-level mandates, auto-enrollment and/or reinsurance, to maximize the number of individuals covered and stabilize health insurance premiums. We need to address physician shortages. Grow the clinical workforce by expanding the number residency slots, expand medical school loan-forgiveness programs, remove barriers to physicians trained in other parts of the country and world, and continue to address affordable, accessible housing and childcare. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring are an essential, cost-effective and reliable means to expand capacity in our health system. Digital health solutions are cost-effective and the state needs to ensure physicians are provided a path to payment for these services. The legislature has recently done some work to increase efficiency of the existing workforce by reducing regulatory burdens like prior authorization. Regulatory burdens detract from patient care and increase costs. We should consider new physician-led payment models to achieve better outcomes at lower cost.
Financial disclosure
Candidates for state and legislative offices are required to submit a financial disclosure when filing to run. These disclosures include each source, but not the amount, of personal income of each candidate, and of their spouse or domestic partner, that singly or jointly totals more than $5,000 for the previous 12 months. The information provided is an opportunity for voters to learn about candidates’ potential conflicts of interest.
You can find McCann’s financial disclosure here.
Disclaimer
We emailed a questionnaire to every candidate with a valid email address. The responses provided by candidates are in their own words. VTDigger has not edited or fact-checked information provided.
If this is your candidacy and you’d like to fill out the questionnaire or report an error, please contact us at voterguide@vtdigger.org.
