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

Court says Holodick must rule on charter school payments 

Jarek RutzHeadlines, 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 …

A Redding Consortium work group agreed to explore services for middle and high schools. (Unsplash)

Redding Consortium: Need to add middle, high school services

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The Redding Consortium for Educational Equity wants to add the same kind of support and wraparound services that elementary schools get to middle and high schools that need them. Those services include before- and after- school programs, summer programs, interventions, tutoring, wellness centers, child care and other social services. The topic took up about a half-hour of the consortium’s Social …

Charter leader certification requirements are likely to change.

State board: Charter head certification must match districts

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A state board has recommended changing the certification and licensure requirements for Delaware charter school leaders to match those of school district leaders. The move by the Professional Standards Board must be passed by the State Board of Education before going into effect. The suggested change has angered charter school leaders and officials. Several wrote to the board prior to …

The second round of bonuses for child care workers will be for $700. (Unsplash)

Delaware offers second round of child care worker bonuses

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Tiny Tots Childcare Director Jessica Burns got good news Wednesday: A second round of relief checks for Delaware’s child care professionals. That will help her workers pay for their certifications, which cost between $300 and $500, she said. “This definitely is a retention effort by the state,” she said. “My staff is very, very excited and hoping to get to …

Carl Rifino and Joshua Donophan have been selected as Delaware's 2023 delegates for the U.S. Senate Youth Program. (Unsplash)

Kent County seniors picked for U.S. Senate Youth Program

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Joshua Donophan wanted to join a program that sends students to the U.S. Senate for a week because he believes it’s crucial to understand how the nation’s government officials think and how the government operates. Now the Lake Forest High School senior is getting a $10,000 college scholarship to do that. Donophan and Smyrna High School senior Carl Rifino both …

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 RutzHeadlines, 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 Redding Consortium laid out it's priorities and research possibilities Wednesday. (Usplash)

Redding Consortium seeks alignment with Learning Collab

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Redding Consortium officials said Wednesday night they will prioritize aligning their plans with the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, investing in wraparound services and building community partnerships.  “How do I say what Redding should be doing next if I have no idea what the connection between Redding and the WLC is,” said Cerron Cade, director of the Delaware Office of Management & …

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

State moves to control charter school leader certifications

Jarek RutzHeadlines, 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 …

School bus drivers want higher pay, expanded benefits and discipline for unruly behavior on the bus. (Unsplash)

School bus contractors call for higher pay, expanded benefits

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Companies that provide Delaware school bus drivers want the state to raise school bus driver pay to $25 an hour. They also want the state to pay more for insurance for buses below the C&D Canal and expand benefits to mechanics, backup drivers and office staff. Those requests were from Gerald Dutton, president of the Delaware School Bus Contractors Association …

The deadline to apply to the Redding Consortium's scholarships is today at 4:30 p.m. (Unsplash)

College scholarships application deadlines are approaching

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A variety of community groups are offering college scholarships, and students who want to apply need to get on it, because at least one deadline is today. “Our scholarship programs are created by generous people who understand that higher education is expensive and they want Delaware students to have more opportunity,” said Allison Levine, vice president of marketing for the …