Great Oaks has already met a handful of the state conditions and is on track to meet the rest.

Great Oaks on track to meet all 16 conditions to stay open

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The State Board of Education Thursday night announced promising progress on conditions placed on a charter school that has been facing a potential closure for two years. In November, Great Oaks Charter School was given one last chance by the state to meet the 16 conditions to keep its doors open. RELATED: Great Oaks Charter likely to get one last …

Don Patton resigned from the Wilmington Learning Collaborative Monday.

Don Patton steps away from WLC, group seeks another extension 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

One of the champions of improving education in Delaware is resigning from the Wilmington Learning Collaborative’s governing council. Don Patton, who started both positions in 2022, says he needs to focus on his elected position as president of the Christina School District Board. Also Tuesday night, Laura Burgos, executive director of the collaborative, had some pointed  words about the state …

Freire Charter now has a home facility to host sporting events.

Freire celebrates new athletic facility, home-court advantage

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

It felt like a carnival on 14th Street as Wilmington’s Freire Charter School unveiled its $5.3 million athletic center to the public Wednesday night. Students lined up at the popcorn and cotton candy stands as the school’s band, cheerleaders, basketball team and dancers thundered through the gym to applause from families, education leaders and government officials. Andrea Robinson, a senior …

Districts that have had successful referendums are now planning designs, construction bids, and how projects will be phased over the next few years.

Here’s what happens now in districts whose referendums passed

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Now that Colonial, Red Clay and Brandywine have had successful referendums, residents of those school districts may be wondering when they’ll have to pony up finances and when they’ll see new facilities. Delaware school districts that have had a successful referendum typically phase their spending over three years or more.  The concept of the referendum isn’t widespread nationally.  Delaware is …

Career advancement and leadership opportunities for teachers and other educators will be explored by the PECC in the next few months. (Photo by Who is Danny/Adobe Stock)

Teacher pay committee to focus now on career ladders 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The state committee responsible for making recommendations on the pay of educators now turns its focus to creating leadership and career advancement opportunities for teachers. Its last public meeting was in early January, when it presented its suggestions to the General Assembly.  The committee was formed by Senate Bill 100 to make salary suggestions on each educator employee group to …

DSU and the University of Belize signed their memorandum of understanding on March 11.

DSU widens global presence with University of Belize alliance

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

  Delaware State University has created a partnership it hopes will lead to future opportunities in Belize, a nation on the eastern coast of Central America. “It opens the door to collaborative activities,” said Carlos Holmes, DSU’s director of news services. “This could range from anything from joint events, joint presentations, joint research, joint studies, it could indeed involve possible …

learning community education buildilng

Schools await final $3.8M for downtown gym, learning center

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Three schools sharing the same building in downtown Wilmington are eagerly awaiting the hoped-for completion of an $18 million project to build a gym, theater and early learning center.  Kuumba Academy Charter School, Great Oaks Charter School  and High Road School of Delaware share the Community Education Building. Formerly a MBNA office building. the Community Ed building is meant to …

Caesar Rodney culinary team. From left to right: Melia Stamper, Shannon Powell, Ralph Figueroa, Carys Raber, Zoe Rowe, Grey Bendel.

Caesar Rodney HS: 5x state culinary competition winners

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The young cooks from Caesar Rodney School District are state champs once again. Caesar Rodney High School’s culinary team recently took home its fifth straight state title in the 11th Annual Delaware ProStart Student Invitational, which was hosted at the Chase Center in Wilmington.  The Delaware Restaurant Foundation hosts the statewide competition featuring 17 culinary and management teams who were …

Smyrna and Appoquinimink are the two school district's with unsuccessful referendums this academic year.

Smyrna School District referendum fails

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Smyrna School District’s capital and operating referendum to raise local revenue for it school’s has failed. It’s request to raise local funds was rejected at a vote of 820 “yes” and 1,129 “no” (57.9%). The other ballot option – which would authorize the district to issue bonds for capital projects like building a new intermediate school – also failed, with …

Delaware breaks its funding expenditures for schools into nine categories.

Here’s how Delaware slices its school funding pie

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

One might find it hard to believe that laundry, driver’s ed and athletic travel and equipment are considered “instructional costs” in Delaware public schools, but they are.  Instruction is one of nine categories of funding for the First State’s public schools.  It makes up 55.28% of the spending for the 23-24 school year, totaling $1,584,970,346, according to the Delaware State …