Red Clay Consolidated School District is joining forces with Wilmington University to combat the ongoing teacher shortage. District superintendent Dorrell Green told the board an exclusive partnership with Wilm U will create alternate paths for Red Clay workers to get their teacher certification. The program will start this fall. “As we know, again, the teacher and educator shortage tends to …
Teacher absenteeism calls for staff flexibility, strategies
A human resources director for the largest school district in Sussex County shocked a House Education Committee hearing in April when she told them about 300 of its 1,000 educators are off on any given school day. About 800 of those educators are teachers, and their absenteeism rains down problems for the district, said Celeste Bunting, director of human resources …
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 …
Educator pay committee delays salary vote over budget, timeline
Plans to recommend how the state will significantly hike salaries of teachers as well as school administrators and nurses stalled Monday night amid concerns about the state budget and the timeline of raises. The 15-person Public Education Compensation Committee debating the issue was created this year to make recommendations on Delaware educator compensation. Officials hope raises will both address the …
Child care report: First State lacks affordable options
A new report from Rodel shows that First State families do not have adequate access to affordable child care. A coalition of advocacy groups – including Rodel, the Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children, Delaware Readiness Teams and the First State Pre-K – conducted a survey with hundreds of Delaware families to gauge their feelings about child care …
Union to teachers: Pressure compensation panel for ‘action now’
Delaware’s teacher union is calling for educators and specialists to flood the Monday, Dec. 12, meeting of a teacher pay committee to pressure its members into giving raises to teachers this year instead of waiting for two years. The Public Education Compensation Committee voted last week to stick to a timeline that allows it to wait until Nov. 15, 2023, …
Teacher recruitment fair coming to DSU football game
While the Delaware State Hornets take on the Morgan State Bears Saturday, the Delaware Department of Education will be working to build its roster by recruiting future teachers. Prospective educators will be able to meet with 17 districts and charter schools during the game, which begins at 2 p.m. at DSU’s Alumni Stadium in Dover. “I am excited to see …
Delaware schools need 500 teachers. Here’s where
As the academic year gears up, Delaware schools still have more than 500 teacher vacancies to fill. “We think about it as a perfect storm of conditions,” said Stephanie Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association. Schools expected to have a higher than normal number of retirements, partly because of the stresses of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This …
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 …
More legislation in the works to address teacher shortage
A bill that would help address the state’s lingering concern over a teacher shortage was unanimously released by the Senate Education Committee Wednesday. House Bill 430, now headed to the Senate floor, would encourage schools to begin a Grow Your Own Educator Program, which supporters believe will improve recruitment, retention and diversity of teachers in the First State’s public schools. …