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 …
The most recent plan to attract teachers to Delaware schools was applauded in the Senate Education Committee Wednesday. House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton and chair of the House Education Committee, addresses the ongoing national teacher shortage. The legislation establishes a new tool to recruit and retain educators through an apprenticeship pilot program. This model will build …
Bills dealing with school construction, junior ROTC, Department of Education background checks and school resource officers were sent to the House ready list Wednesday by the Education Committee. House Bill 169, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton and committee chair, requires the secretary of education – currently Mark Holodick – to publish and deliver a report to the General Assembly …
Although last week’s school board elections had extremely low voter turnout, one education group points out this year’s numbers rose in many prominent districts. It has been consistently said that only about 10% of eligible voters hit the polls in school board elections. Of the 11 school districts that had races this year, just one, Delmar, hit that mark, with …
A bill that would drop the age to vote in school board elections to 16 is drawing strong opposition from one education group. The voting age now is 18. House Bill 96, sponsored by Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Glasgow, which would lower that voting age for school board races, is set to be heard Wednesday at the 3 p.m. House Education …
The Caesar Rodney School District wants to raise district school taxes by 27.7% over three years to help pay for utilities, maintenance, building budgets and staffing. It’s taking that request to voters in a referendum April 22. Caesar Rodney’s last referendum was in 2015. The average taxpayer, who owns a house with an assessed value of $40,300, would have their …
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, …
Candidates have 19 days left to file to run in the May 9 school board elections, and education advocates hope to encourage more people to run in those three weeks. “There’s a lot more community members than there are elected people, so if you don’t like the direction that your community is going in, run,” said Laurisa Schutt, executive director …
A bill that would ban a local school tax increase after the statewide property reassessment is completed was tabled Wednesday in the House Educaiton Committee after a lengthy discussion. House Bill 42, sponsored by Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, would remove the up-to-10% increase in school property taxes that current law would allow schools boards to levy. Rep. Rich Collins, …
The Brandywine School District voted Monday night to explore using the same new model for evaluate its superintendent that Christina decided to consider two months ago. The vote came after Brandywine School Board member Ralph Ackerman recommended contacting the Delaware School Boards Association to set up a workshop to talk about its program they would use with Superintendent Lincoln Hohler. …
