The Senate passed seven bills Thursday, but two of them – one about offshore wind energy and one about tenant protections – received some resistance. Senate Bill 170, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, requires the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to work with the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection to look into the viability of generating offshore wind …
Financial literacy may become graduation requirement
Delaware students may soon be required to take a financial literacy class in order to graduate. House Bill 203, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, R-Millsboro, would require public schools to teach financial literacy, which is essentially how to make smart decisions about money. A unanimous vote in the House Education Committee Wednesday sent it to House ready list for debate …
Senator wants $9K tuition for trade students to continue
A bill that would prolong a program giving financial help to students pursuing a trade was heard in the Senate Banking, Business, Insurance and Technology Committee Wednesday. Senate Bill 154, sponsored by Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, repeals the sunset of the Focus on Alternative Skills Training Program. That program provides up to $9,000 in training for graduating high school students …
Learning collab executive director frontrunner sets priorities
The only finalist for the job of executive director of the Wilmington Learning Collaborative established her goals, described her stances on key education issues and answered some fun personality questions during a town hall Tuesday night. “The pace of change doesn’t always align with what we want to see immediately,” said Wilmington resident Laura Burgos. “I think we have an …
Allowing abortion workers to mask addresses OK’d by Senate
The Senate passed bills Tuesday pertaining to confidentiality for abortion providers, minority party representation on an emergency health committee and payouts for employment discrimination. Senate Bill 158, sponsored by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Arden, focuses on confidentiality rights for medical providers. The bill allows anyone who is a reproductive health care services provider or employee to apply for participation in …
100% graduation rate for UGrad foster children
Eighteen of Delaware’s foster youth were honored in a ceremony Monday night for persisting in the face of multiple problems to graduate from high school and college, often exhibiting excellent work in school. UGrad Education Program, which started in 2018, has served 400 foster children throughout the state. The program is provided by Kind to Kids Foundation, which was founded in …
Meet counselor Dana Carey, Del. behavioral pro of the year
Lake Forest School District’s Dana Carey, Delaware’s behavioral health professional of the year, almost turned down the job for which she won the state award. “Once I started teaching, I loved it so much, I actually passed up on a couple opportunities to take a school counseling job,” Carey said. “Even though that was my passion and what I really …
Former Del. Poet laureate JoAnn Balingit wins Fulbright
Delaware’s 16th poet laureate is headed to the Philippines to teach creative writing and conduct research. JoAnn Balingit, who was the First State’s top and official poet from 2008 to 2015, has been named a 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Scholar. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s international educational exchange program, supported by American agencies and partner countries around the world. …
Lake Forest’s Dana Carey named behavioral health pro 2023
Dana Carey – counselor at Lake Forest North Elementary School – is this year’s behavioral health pro of the year. “I would like to first thank my Lake Forest family,” she said. “Thank you so much for being here to support me and love me. School behavioral specialists are typically psychologists, counselors, social workers or nurses. They assist teachers by …
Guns in school zones, polling places bills pass House
Two laws restricting the presence of guns in school zones and election polling places passed the House and are headed to a Senate committee for debate. House Bill 201, sponsored by Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, aims to enable a police officer to act immediately when they see or suspect a person with a gun in …