Delaware students are heading back to school.

Back to school: teacher raises, mental health help, funding

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

As First State public schools reopen next week, most students won’t see much difference in the day-to-day workings of the classroom. But there’s a lot going on in the background. Many districts will be adopting new science and math curriculums designed to help counter the state’s dismal test scores – and continue the battle against COVID-19 learning loss. More mental …

Las Américas ASPIRA Academy will have its first senior class this year.

ASPIRA shows off new high school serving Latino students

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

After years of leasing a warehouse from a local church to operate a school, Las AmĂ©ricas ASPIRA Academy celebrated having its own home Wednesday. Margie LĂłpez Waite, chief executive officer of the school, said the completed high school building will help more students become multilingual, a highly-valued skill in today’s workforce. The high school, located at 750 Otts Chapel Road …

This year's General Assembly had about 60 pieces of legislation relating to education.

Ed leaders detail what they consider legislation highlights

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

With the 2023 General Assembly session ending in June, educational advocates are cheering the legislature’s action on early education, mental health support and transparency relating to school boards. One leader, though, would like to see bills that focus on letting parents know clearly and precisely what’s happening in the classroom, starting with easy to find proficiency ratings. About 60 bills …

Teacher absenteeism is affecting different districts in unique ways.

Teacher absenteeism calls for staff flexibility, strategies

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

A human resources director for the largest school district in Sussex County shocked a House Education Committee hearing in April when she told them about 300 of its 1,000 educators are off on any given school day. About 800 of those educators are teachers, and their absenteeism rains down problems for the district, said Celeste Bunting, director of human resources …

charter

Charters ignored, state to change leader certifications

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Despite months of outcry from the charter school community, the Delaware State Board of Education voted Thursday night to create a pathway for charter school leaders to be certified under the same requirements as district leaders. It’s a move that Kendall Massett, executive director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network, previously called offensive, degrading, ridiculous and infuriatingly insulting when Regulation …

Delaware schools have a wide array of summer programming.

Revamped summer school lets students get ahead, stay active

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Summer school once summoned images of unhappy students who had failed a class trudging off to classes to make them up while their friends played in pools. Not anymore. Schools now offer extensive summer programming for all ages meant to support the whole student academically, emotionally and socially while catching up or accelerating their learning to get ahead of the …

A judge said that the Secretary of Education must verify or deny charters' invoices.

Court says Holodick must rule on charter school payments 

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

A Delaware Superior Court judge has ruled that the state secretary of education must verify or deny invoices for special needs services for students sent from charter schools to districts. The opinion said there was not enough information for him to order the state to pay the $4 million for which the Delaware Charter Schools Network and 11 charters sued …

Several school districts removed the virtual option for board meetings. (Unsplash)

5 school districts drop virtual option for board meetings

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Five of Delaware’s 19 school districts no longer livestream their board meetings.  Caesar Rodney, Delmar, Laurel, Smyrna and Woodbridge school districts removed the virtual option this years as students and faculty return to an in-person environment with pandemic restrictions diminishing. John Marinucci, the executive director of the Delaware School Boards Association, said the organization pushed for legislation that allowed, but …

HB 81 would permit school districts to deny bussing charter students.

Bill lets districts say no to busing some charter students

Jarek Rutz Education, Headlines

A bill giving school districts power to tell charter schools to transport students living within the district passed through the House Education Committee Wednesday. House Bill 81, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton, the chair of the committee, could force charters to privately contract their own buses to bring students within a district to the schools. Rep. Rich Collins, R-Millsboro, …

Members of the House Education Committee agreed Wednesday about the importance of mentoring and literacy. (Unsplash)

Bill to foster mentoring in schools draws bipartisan support

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

A bill that would establish a 17-person task force to focus on mentoring and improving literacy rates for Delaware’s youth unanimously passed the House Education Committee Wednesday.  “We believe that the 18,222 children in charter schools across our state benefit not just from the educators in the building, but from the village that helps educate them,” said Kendall Massett, executive …