Plans to recommend how the state will significantly hike salaries of teachers as well as school administrators and nurses stalled Monday night amid concerns about the state budget and the timeline of raises. The 15-person Public Education Compensation Committee debating the issue was created this year to make recommendations on Delaware educator compensation. Officials hope raises will both address the …
A bill that would increase funding for preschool students with disabilities was released by the House Education Committee Wednesday, but not without some concerns. House Bill 33, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton, would increase funding for those students by revising the current ratio of 12.8 students per education unit to 8.4 students per unit for preschoolers 3 years and …
The Delaware Department of Education is championing higher-quality math curriculums, spending more time on the topic and offering more professional training to teachers. It is part of what the department calls a framework to help combat the state’s atrocious scores in math, including 18 schools that have single-digit proficiency scores. Just 29.48% of First State students are proficient in math, …
Delaware’s Department of Education will hold two public meetings this week to discuss changes in rules that extend public education to students with disabilities until they turn 22 years old. House Bill 454, which became law in July 2022, bumped the age up from 21 to 22 starting in August 2022. The two hearings – required for all changes in …
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 …
Delaware’s 19 public school districts will receive at least $500,000 each to install solar panels to reduce energy consumption for certain school buildings. Energize Delaware, an energy conservation group, has launched the grant program to encourage First State district schools to reduce their energy costs. “School districts use a lot of energy and the savings will lower their expenses for …
Christina School District is the latest Delaware district to hire constables to help ensure student safety, a trend that has been spreading statewide. Since the start of the school year, Christina has hired three at the elementary level. School board member Don Patton expects Superintendent Dan Shelton to push for constables at secondary schools next. “I’m against that and I’m …
Great Oaks Charter School, a Wilmington charter serving a student body of more than 80% Black students, will not be shut down. After nearly three months of being placed on formal review by the Charter School Accountability Committee, Education Secretary Mark Holidick recommended Thursday night to the Delaware State Board of Education to allow the school to continue operating. The …
Caesar Rodney School District new five-year strategic plan will focus heavily on social and emotional learning. “Meeting the needs of the child, especially around social, emotional and behavioral health was the number one item that was brought up on our students surveys, parents surveys, community surveys, teacher surveys, our talks with the Department of Education, steering committee, really across the …
Heather Hitchens of Lake Forest Central has been named Delaware 2023 Educational Support Professional of the Year. A paraprofessional, she works with students with disabilities in small classroom and inclusion settings. “I ensure students with disabilities participate to the best of their ability, whether that be maneuvering their wheelchair to score a goal or learning a picture communication system to …
