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 RutzEducation, Headlines

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 …

Delaware Skills Center's Electrical Training Program was one of this year's winners.

6 named 2024 Superstars in Education & Training Winners

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Six institutions in Delaware have been recognized by the Delaware State Chamber as 2024 Superstars in Education & Training winners. Since 1989, the awards program has recognized educational programs for innovative and impactful programming.  The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and its affiliate, The Partnership, Inc., stated that all of this year’s winners exemplify creativity and efficacy in workforce development …

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 RutzEducation, Headlines

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 …

The assessment tool will help gauge the health and safety of school facilities.

State releases online tool to help schools evaluate facilities

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The Delaware Department of Education released a new tool to establish an evaluation and assessment system to determine whether a school facility is in good repair.  The facility assessment tool will help school districts review and assess conditions in a standardized way.  Structured like a rubric, the assessments will help identify areas in need of attention, so school facilities are …

Several school districts will hold a referendum this year to raise local revenue.

5 school districts to hold tax hike referenda in 2024

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Five of Delaware’s 19 school districts are asking their residents to head to the polls in 2024 and vote for a local tax increase. In the First State, districts must hold referendums if they want to increase their local school tax in order to increase local revenue. They include the Brandywine, Red Clay Consolidated, Colonial, Smyrna and Appoquinimink. Schools get …

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 RutzEducation, Headlines

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, …

Delaware students are heading back to school.

Back to school: teacher raises, mental health help, funding

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

As First State public schools reopen next week, most students won’t see much difference in the day-to-day workings of the classroom. But there’s a lot going on in the background. Many districts will be adopting new science and math curriculums designed to help counter the state’s dismal test scores – and continue the battle against COVID-19 learning loss. More mental …

There are more than 70 libraries across the state that share 2.5 million ebooks and print books for the benefit of Delawareans.

Delaware to add school libraries into statewide catalog

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The Delaware Library Consortium announced Tuesday that it will spend $1 million to add school libraries into the statewide catalog. The goal is to broaden the First State’s library catalog and provide more students an opportunity to conduct research or read for pleasure. “Over the years it seems like everything around literacy has been tweaked except school libraries, until now,” …

Dozens of schools in Delaware have been identified as having lead contaminants in their water supply.

William Penn among 22 schools with elevated levels of lead in water

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The bad news: Colonial School District expects to pay at least $350,000 to repair a water main suspected of bringing lead into its buildings. The good news: None of the water is reaching students or workers. As soon as Colonial was notified, school fountains were turned off, while sinks and toilets are allowed to run, because lead is not absorbed …

Delaware schools have hundreds of openings as students return for the 2022-23 year.

Delaware schools need 500 teachers. Here’s where

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

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 …