The Department of Education, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware requested millions of dollars from the state Friday for critical and minor capital projects. Leaders from the three bodies presented their requests to the Joint Capital Improvement Committee. Also known as the Bond Committee, itâs made up of six state representatives and six state senators who are responsible …
JFC asks for return on investment on educational spending
Several members of the Joint Finance Committee asked the Department of Education officials on Wednesday when and if they would ever see a return on the stateâs investment in public education. Student achievement metrics like standardized test scores have fallen off a cliff over the past decade and the state still faces a teacher shortage. Education Secretary Mark Holodick and …
Learning Collab talks budget, executor director salary
Wilmington Learning Collaborative officials grappled over budget plans and filled two vacant council positions Thursday night in their second meeting since forming. Shanika Perry, a Brandywine school board member on the governing council, was appointed by Gov. John Carney to serve as the chair of the collaborative, which is dedicated to helping the cityâs elementary and middle school children learn …
Carneyâs education raises cause stir in compensation committee
Gov. John Carneyâs announcement last week of a 9% pay raise for teachers caused a lot of comment in Monday nightâs Public Education Compensation Committee. Also discussed was a proposal to keep teachers in their Delaware jobs by giving them full pension benefits at 25 years of service instead of making them wait until they reach 30 years. Carney said …
2022 Rewind: State education test scores described as âcrisisâÂ
This story was originally published in August 2022. Delawareâs 2022 test scores were released this August, and they arenât pretty. Just 30% of Delaware students in grades three to eight met grade-level math requirements, while 42% earned a proficient score in English language arts. These scores come from the state-administered Smarter Balanced Assessment, an end-of-the-year summative test that measures the …
Teachers union calls for pay committee to #MoveTheMeeting
Delawareâs teachers union is circulating a petition that demands a state compensation committee move its monthly meeting time an hour later so teachers can attend. Right now, the Public Education Compensation Committee, which is considering raises for teachers and other school workers, meets at 3:30 p.m. Lack of teacher voice âIf you want to hear from educators, hold meetings when …
 Red Clay board member questions Learning Collab’s transparency
A Red Clay Consolidated School District board member is pressing the new Wilmington Learning Collaborative to advertise meetings. Cathy Thompson, the former head of the board, asked Superintendent Dorrell Green to ensure that the newly-created board is as transparent as possible during their Nov. 16 meeting. The Learning Collaborativeâs memorandum of understanding was signed Nov. 1 by members of …
School district class size waivers moving through
Schools up and down the First State are asking their school boards to allow them to put more than 22 students in elementary school classes. Boards have until Dec. 1 to submit waiver requests to the state Department of Education. The waivers are required by Delaware law for kindergarten through third grade students in the core academic subjects of English/Language …
State to honor school workers who keep systems running
The 20 individuals who have been named as Educational Support Professionals of the Year are the âglue that keeps our schools together.â âEducating kids through teachers is the goal and the mission of schools,â said John Marinucci, executive director of the Delaware School Board Association, âbut the support folks handle all the things that have to take place around the …
General Assembly to hold virtual forum on lead in schools
The General Assembly will hold a public forum next week focused on the recent discovery of lead in the water supplies of nearly 50 Delaware school buildings. The virtual forum will be held Monday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. âLike many parents throughout Delaware, my fellow legislators and I are very concerned about the presence of any lead in the …