43 Delawareans are running for school board seats this year.

43 to compete for 23 school board seats in May 9 election

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The list of school board candidates for the May 9 election has been finalized after delays caused by new background check regulations.Ā  43 candidates will run for 23 vacancies across 16 school districts. Thatā€™s one less candidate than 2022ā€™s 42 candidates competing for 19 open seats. State education groups had hoped that more people would run, but First State Education …

Although the deadline to file for school board candidacy has passed, the final list of candidates will likely come in a few weeks.

School board candidate listings delayed by background checks

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The deadline for people to file to run for the May 9 school board elections has passed, but it mayĀ  take weeks until the final list of candidates is published. The problem: A 2021 law that requires school board candidates to complete a criminal background check and a child registry check.Ā  These must be completed before candidatesā€™ names can be …

Delaware's Department of Education published the state's 2022 test scores Tuesday.

2022 Rewind: State education test scores described as ā€˜crisisā€™Ā 

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

This story was originally published in August 2022. Delawareā€™s 2022 test scores were released this August, and they arenā€™t pretty.Ā  Just 30% of Delaware students in grades three to eight met grade-level math requirements, while 42% earned a proficient score in English language arts.Ā  These scores come from the state-administered Smarter Balanced Assessment, an end-of-the-year summative test that measures the …

From left: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, Program Manager Diane Frentzel and Community Coordinator Camelia Vivero of Delaware Readiness Teams presented the state's new kindergarten registration process. (Jarek Rutz/Delaware LIVE News)

Kindergarten registration: Meet stateā€™s new quick process

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

A new digital and uniform process to register children for kindergarten in the First State was unveiled to an audience of 25 Tuesday at the Wilmington Public Library.Ā  ā€œHaving a consistent process throughout Delaware allows libraries and other agencies to provide quick support and assistance to parents who are registering their children for school for the very first time,ā€ said …

Delaware is investing in career readiness and many other areas with their more than $600 million in COVID relief ESSER funds.

Delaware investing in career readiness with COVID money

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Delaware is spending more of its education COVID relief funds on postsecondary and career readiness than other states.Ā  ā€œOverall, Delaware’s state spending aligns with national trends, but we are seeing more of a priority in those areas in Delaware than in other states, so that’s one thing that really stands out,ā€ said Austin Estes, project director for the COVID Relief …

Delaware has contracted a consultant to evaluate their complex and historic funding formula for school funding.

Hereā€™s why state wants advice on school funding

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The Delaware Department of Education announced last week it has hired a Virginia consultant to study the stateā€™s public education funding system. As todayā€™s wisecracker would say: Good luck with that. How the money trickles down to the classroom is complex, and it follows a funding system established in the 1940s. The stateā€™s population then was 286,000, compared to todayā€™s …

Delaware's Department of Education published the state's 2022 test scores Tuesday.

State education test scores dismal, described as ā€˜crisisā€™Ā 

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Delawareā€™s 2022 test scores were released Tuesday, and they arenā€™t pretty.Ā  Just 30% of Delaware students in grades three to eight met grade level math requirements, while 42% earned a proficient score in English language arts.Ā  These scores come from the state-administered Smarter Balanced Assessment, an end-of-the-year summative test that measures the abilities of students in grades three through eight …

Delaware received over $600 million in ESSER funds.

Hereā€™s how $600M in COVID education money was spentĀ 

Jarek RutzDelaware Live, Education, Headlines

First State Educate, a local education advocacy group, held a webinar Tuesday to outline where COVID-19 relief money went. Relief funds were spent on learning loss, educational technology, building and mental health.Ā  ā€œAs we come through, and hopefully out of the COVID-19 pandemic learning loss and recovery, not just academic, but social emotional recovery is a grave concern of mine,ā€ …

At Tuesday's webinar, key officials will discuss where the nearly $640,000,000 in ESSER funds were distributed throughout Delaware's schools.

Webinar to focus on where COVID education money went

Jarek RutzDelaware Live, Education, Headlines

First State Educate will host a school funding webinar Tuesday to discuss where the hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 education relief funds went.Ā  The federal government allocated $122 billion amongst the states in K-12 pandemic funds, and First State Educate wants the community to know where the money is going. Delaware received a total of $637,239,246 across three …

Reading, teacher retention top successful 2022 education billsĀ 

Jarek RutzDelaware Live, Education, Headlines

Rodel, a local nonprofit espousing better education in Delaware, calls the 151st General Assembly, which just ended, the ā€œEducation General Assembly,ā€ in regard to the number of education bills that passed. ā€œThere’s more than 50 education bills this session and a 7% increase in the budget,ā€ said Madeleine Bayard, senior vice president of Rodel. ā€œThey got a lot done and …