Districts that have had successful referendums are now planning designs, construction bids, and how projects will be phased over the next few years.

Here’s what happens now in districts whose referendums passed

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Now that Colonial, Red Clay and Brandywine have had successful referendums, residents of those school districts may be wondering when they’ll have to pony up finances and when they’ll see new facilities. Delaware school districts that have had a successful referendum typically phase their spending over three years or more.  The concept of the referendum isn’t widespread nationally.  Delaware is …

Colonial School District's 2024 referendum is successful.

Colonial referendum passes one day after Red Clay’s success

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Colonial School District’s capital and operating referendum has passed, a day after Red Clay’s referendum also passed. With the successful referendum passes, there will be a phased approach to a local tax increase, with a spike of 25 cents per $100 of assessed property value in fiscal year 2025, 10 cents in fiscal year 2026 and five cents in fiscal …

Delaware has six district referendums this school year, the most since the 2009-2010 school year.

Why Delaware is having the most school referendums in 14 years

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The largest number of Delaware school districts in 14 years are holding elections in 2024 to ask their residents to agree to raise taxes for education. State and education leaders cite inflation, population growth, state-mandate raises for education, changes in funding and the COVID-19 pandemic as among reasons why six of the state’s 19 districts are making the case for …

Colonial is looking to upgrade and renovate its athletic facilities, which can be utilized by the community.

Colonial addresses concerns about sports facilities in tax forum

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

How Colonial School District sports will benefit from a $61 million tax referendum was a common theme among questions during Wednesday’s virtual public forum. District officials fielded queries about the effect of the referendum, which would raise average homeowners taxes by about $250 annually. The money will be used to match state funds of $122 million for maintenance and improvements …

Colonial will host at least one more public meeting leading up to its Feb. 29 referendum.

Colonial forum details proposed tax hike, reassessment effect

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

A Colonial School District forum Tuesday about a vote to raise school tax revenue by $61 million also served to ease fears about the effects of property reassessments. “Everyone thinks that ‘Oh my god, my house is gone from this and it’s quadrupled, my taxes are going to skyrocket’, and that would be true except we have to reset the …

Colonial's referendum will take place Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Colonial details Feb. 29 referendum to raise revenue

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Colonial School District is the latest to detail an operating and capital referendum to be held early next year. In the district’s school board meeting Tuesday night, the board voted a phased approach to a local tax increase, with a spike of 25 cents per $100 of assessed property value in fiscal year 2025, 10 cents in fiscal year 2026 …

Red Clay and Colonial school districts were the biggest funding beneficiaries of this year's certificate of necessity approvals.

Colonial, Red Clay biggest winners in state funding requests

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The state Department of Education has made some school districts very happy by deeming their requests for state funding necessary to fulfill building projects. For fiscal year 2025, the Department of Education approved 50 certificate of necessity requests, 44 of which involved state funding. They were concentrated in six districts. Districts submit certificates of necessity each year to the department, …

The dashboard should be made public in the spring.

Redding Consortium to launch equity data dashboard in spring

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

The Redding Consortium expects its equity data dashboard to be completed and open for use by the public in spring 2024. The dashboard, which has been in the works for months, will include both student and educator data, broken down by several metrics. The Consortium creates and recommends policies and practices to the governor and General Assembly that will help …

reading

Indian River to spend $2.8M on science of reading curriculum

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Indian River School District will spend $2.8 million on a  new science of reading curriculum expected to improve literacy rates and test scores but its school board took a shot at the state for mandating the move without providing money for it. The Sussex County school district serving 10,799 students will invest in a 5-year contract with Core Knowledge Language …

Delaware schools have a wide array of summer programming.

Revamped summer school lets students get ahead, stay active

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Summer school once summoned images of unhappy students who had failed a class trudging off to classes to make them up while their friends played in pools. Not anymore. Schools now offer extensive summer programming for all ages meant to support the whole student academically, emotionally and socially while catching up or accelerating their learning to get ahead of the …