Click on the image below to view the PDF This Week’s Top Headlines Include: Community DelDOT rethinking area around Augustine Cut-Off bridge ‘Man of La Mancha’s’ Don Quixote: Stuck in the middle with you Mobile pantries to feed 4,500 Delawareans in need Unused prescription meds? Trash them safely Saturday Hopefuls start tryouts for State Parks lifeguard jobs Food & Dining …
92 honored as 2023 Secretary of Education Scholars
Ninety-two First State high schoolers have been named Secretary of Education Scholars. Mark Holodick, secretary of education at the Delaware Department of Education, announced the 2023 honor roll. “This is such an impressive group of young leaders,” he said. “The honorees have succeeded academically while also serving as leaders in their schools and communities.” Holodick said the scholars’ success is …
Court says Holodick must rule on charter school payments
A Delaware Superior Court judge has ruled that the state secretary of education must verify or deny invoices for special needs services for students sent from charter schools to districts. The opinion said there was not enough information for him to order the state to pay the $4 million for which the Delaware Charter Schools Network and 11 charters sued …
Low enrollment forces new Sussex charter to delay opening
A Sussex County charter school that was supposed to open its doors this fall will wait another year to open. The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, first proposed in 2017, received state approval on May 5 to open in Georgetown for the 2023-2024 school year. However, the school’s enrollment numbers did not meet the state’s requirements. All charter schools …
Educational groups seek millions for capital needs
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, it’s made up of six state representatives and six state senators who are responsible …
Charter Schools sue Holodick over special ed payments
The Delaware Charter Schools Network, 11 charter schools and the Delaware secretary of education are waiting on a judge’s ruling in a lawsuit about $4 million in tax revenue the charters say they are due. The network and the 11 charter schools sued Education Secretary Mark Holodick in Kent County Superior Court in July to get the money and to …
Redding Consortium seeks alignment with Learning Collab
Redding Consortium officials said Wednesday night they will prioritize aligning their plans with the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, investing in wraparound services and building community partnerships. “How do I say what Redding should be doing next if I have no idea what the connection between Redding and the WLC is,” said Cerron Cade, director of the Delaware Office of Management & …
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, …
Carney’s education raises cause stir in compensation committee
Gov. John Carney’s announcement last week of a 9% pay raise for teachers caused a lot of comment in Monday night’s 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 …