Seniors in Delaware may save an additional $350 in school property taxes next year under a bill that drew lots of discussion in the House Education Committee Wednesday. House Bill 29, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Odessa, increases the Senior Real Property Tax credit to $750 from $400. That’s will counter a raise put in place by the Appropriations Bill …
Bill aims to rectify school board candidacy delays
A bill that would eliminate delays to school board candidates’ names appearing on Delaware’s Department of Elections website was passed by the Delaware House Tuesday. House Bill 88, sponsored by Rep. Paul Baumbach, D-Newark, would require the state to publicly list school board candidates who are waiting for their background checks to be completed as a “provisional candidate.” Due to …
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 …
Marijuana legalization bill passes House, sent to Senate
The Delaware House of Representatives on Tuesday once again sent a bill to legalize the use of marijuana in the First State to the Senate, this time on a 28 to 13 vote. House Bill 1 is sponsored yet again by Rep. Edward Osienski, D-Newark, who managed to get a similar bill passed last year, only to see it vetoed …
Mini-Bond bill heads to Carney; pilot labor projects intact
Despite four attempts by Republicans to amend it, the mini-Bond bill was voted out of the House Thursday and will head to Gov. John Carney to be signed into law. Passing the bill usually is a routine matter, will add 17 projects to the state’s Bond and Capital Improvement fund. Nobody objected to that. What did draw a lot of …
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 …
Bill to stop school boards hiking property tax is tabled
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, …
Bill to give police $20 million heads to House floor
A bill authorizing a one-time $20 million fund for Delaware police agencies to use for recruiting passed unanimously Wednesday through the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee Wednesday. In the same meeting, a bill that would create a separate offense for the theft of mail, including packages, from a residence was heard, but the vote outcome was not clear. …
Disabled veteran tax bill passed to House amid concerns
A bill that would remove the three-year residency requirement to qualify for the Disabled Veteran Tax credit drew concerns in the House Education Committee Wednesday. Some members wanted an income limit or means test included in the bill. After a motion to table the bill failed, House Bill 30 was eventually released to the House floor. If passed, First State …