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 …

Education Secretary Mark Holodick has been sued by 11 charter schools over alleged financial dues. (Unsplash)

Charter Schools sue Holodick over special ed payments

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

The Delaware Charter Schools Network, 11 charter schools and the Delaware secretary of education are waiting on a judge’s ruling in a lawsuit about $4 million in tax revenue the charters say they are due. The network and the 11 charter schools sued Education Secretary Mark Holodick in Kent County Superior Court in July to get the money and to …

The state looks to establish certification and licensure requirements for charter school leaders.

State moves to control charter school leader certifications

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

The state is in the process of creating rules that govern the licensure and certification of charter school leaders. It’s a move that the executive director of Delaware Charter Schools Network said is offensive and degrading. “It’s absolutely beyond ridiculous and it’s infuriatingly insulting,” Kendall Massett said Tuesday. “Especially the suggestion that those of our current leaders that do not …

Leaders of three Sussex County charter schools highlighted their programs and needs during a legislative breakfast Thursday. (Jarek Rutz/Delaware LIVE News)

3 Sussex charters ask for more legislative help

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Officials from three Sussex County charter schools told state representatives Thursday they need more legislative support to best support their students and communities. “We don’t have the available resources for a wellness center,” said Eric Anderson, head of Sussex Academy. “Our kids are like any other, and they need these supports.” His school hosted a joint breakfast that included Sussex …

School choice applications for Delaware's public schools close next Wednesday, Jan. 11.

School choice applications close Jan. 11

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Delaware’s school choice application period is closing Wednesday, Jan. 11. That means families who want to send their children to a school outside of their regular feeder pattern for the 2023-24 school year only have a few days left to submit their paperwork. The good news: It’s mostly online.  The First State is one of 13 in the country in …

A report indicates that teachers who earn an alternative certification are less likely to stay in the field after five years than a traditionally-certified teacher. (Jarek Rutz/Delaware LIVE News, First State Montessori Academy, Dec. 16)

Teachers taking alternate route to classroom may leave faster

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Educators who earn their certification in an alternative pathway are less likely to stay in the field after five years, according to data in a report from a University of Delaware researcher. Those teachers are also less likely to stay at charter schools than public schools, the report found.  Lauren Bailes, an assistant professor in the University of Delaware’s School …

Wilmington's Riverfront Market will host districts and schools for Saturday's DE connectED event. (Riverfront Wilmington)

DE connectED to host schools, community event at Riverfront

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

A new education group will hold a multi-level event in Wilmington Saturday, Dec. 10, to help people find jobs in schools, register students for school and learn about public school options they may not know about. The ultimate goal for DE connectED – the name of the group and the Saturday event at Wilmington’s Riverfront Market – is to make …

The state looks to establish certification and licensure requirements for charter school leaders.

Enrollment in state charters went up 5.1% during pandemic

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

Over the course of the pandemic, enrollment in Delaware charter schools increased 5.10%, while traditional public schools’ student body dropped 1.14%. That’s according to a report published in November by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. It found that traditional public schools lost students in nearly every state. The First State’s traditional public schools lost 1,423 students from 2019 …