Proposed laws shifting who deals with appeals to the state’s new paid leave program, which starts in 2026 drew little comment in Wednesday’s Senate Health and Social Services Committee meeting. Senate Bill 178, sponsored by Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington and committee chair, makes technical changes to private plans under the Family and Medical Leave Program. The new program requires Delaware …
Allowing abortion workers to mask addresses OK’d by Senate
The Senate passed bills Tuesday pertaining to confidentiality for abortion providers, minority party representation on an emergency health committee and payouts for employment discrimination. Senate Bill 158, sponsored by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Arden, focuses on confidentiality rights for medical providers. The bill allows anyone who is a reproductive health care services provider or employee to apply for participation in …
Senators unanimously agree on 14 of 15 bills Thursday
It was a day of unanimous votes for the Delaware Senate Thursday, with 14 of the 15 items passed without any ‘no’ votes. Sen. Darius Brown, D-Wilmington, was the only legislator to vote against House Substitute 1 for House Bill 34, a law that would require school boards from district and charter schools to hold public comment on each agenda …
Heated debate ends in vote to raise teacher pay over 4 years
Defying the demands of the state teachers union, a committee formed to make recommendations on educator pay voted Monday to bring teacher’s starting salary to $60,000 over four years rather than three. The four-year plan will consist of a 2% salary increase and a flat dollar increase of $1,875 to the base salary for teachers, nurses and administrators each year …
Bill to foster mentoring in schools draws bipartisan support
A bill that would establish a 17-person task force to focus on mentoring and improving literacy rates for Delaware’s youth unanimously passed the House Education Committee Wednesday. “We believe that the 18,222 children in charter schools across our state benefit not just from the educators in the building, but from the village that helps educate them,” said Kendall Massett, executive …
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 state’s 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 …
DOE owns lead testing blunder, expects new results by May
A Senate committee hearing Tuesday heard the state Secretary of Education apologize about the way lead testing in schools was handled and that trained pros will handle testing instead of school staff. Through a federal grant, the Department of Education began a sampling initiative in October, 2020 to identify the levels of lead within drinking water at schools. “While well-intentioned, …
2022 Rewind: Reading, teacher retention top 2022 education bills
This story was originally published in July 2022. Rodel, a local nonprofit espousing better education in Delaware, calls the 151st General Assembly, which just ended, the “Education General Assembly,” in regard to the number of education bills that passed. “There’s more than 50 education bills this session and a 7% increase in the budget,” said Madeleine Bayard, senior vice president of Rodel. “They got …
Reading, teacher retention top successful 2022 education bills
Rodel, a local nonprofit espousing better education in Delaware, calls the 151st General Assembly, which just ended, the “Education General Assembly,” in regard to the number of education bills that passed. “There’s more than 50 education bills this session and a 7% increase in the budget,” said Madeleine Bayard, senior vice president of Rodel. “They got a lot done and …
Bill to make state ed loans into scholarships heads to Senate
A bill that would transform certain loans to scholarships to encourage students to pursue careers in education and other needed career fields was released by the Senate Education Committee Wednesday. It was the committee’s last hearing in this legislative session, which began in January 2021 and spanned two years. The bill already has passed the House and is now eligible …