The state's 2024 secretary scholars were honored Tuesday night.

93 honored as 2024 Secretary of Education Scholars

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The head of Delaware’s Department of Education has named his 93 scholars for 2024. Secretary of Education Mark Holodick selected the students based on their continued academic achievement and involvement in the community.  “This represents one of the highest academic achievements a student can earn in a Delaware public school,” Holodick said at a dinner in Dover honoring the students …

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 …

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, …

Parents have shared some positives and some preferred changes, as well as what they look for as they navigate through the process of school choice.

Here’s what parents dealing with school choice say it’s like

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

As Mia McIntyre navigates her first rodeo of school choice for her daughter, she’s found it fairly easy, but with some surprisingly stressful points in Delaware’s process. Xavia Davis finds the process burdensome and said she was treated rudely by district employees who seemed entitled to know why she wanted to choice her children away from the district. Nicole Kowal, …

In addition to the online move, the SATs are getting shorter.

SATs to move exclusively online in 2024 with adaptive format

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

The SATs – a standardized test widely used for college admissions and mandated in Delaware – will be taken exclusively online for First State students starting in 2024. “The College Board is moving to a full digital adaptive test,” said Theresa Bennett, director of the Office of Assessment at the Delaware Department of Education.  Adaptive tests vary the difficulty level …

The school choice window in Delaware is Nov. 6 to Jan. 10, 2024.

Want to choice your kids into a school? Process opens Nov. 6

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Applications for school choice in Delaware will open to parents in less than two weeks, and districts and charters are trying to make sure families have an easy time navigating through the process. Red Clay Consolidated School District hosted a virtual school choice information session Tuesday night to share the timeline of the school choice window, tips to remember and …

Delaware had three schools recognized as national 2023 Blue Ribbon Schools.

3 Delaware schools earn national award for excellence

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Three schools in Delaware were among the 353 across America that have been honored as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023. Appoquinimink School District’s Olive B. Loss Elementary School in Bear, Christina School District’s Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Newark and Indian River School District’s Lord Baltimore Elementary School in Ocean View are the three awarded by U.S. Secretary of …

School board elections: polls open until 8 p.m. Tuesday

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Today’s the day: after nine weeks of campaigning, 40 Delawareans will compete for 23 school board seats in Tuesday’s school board elections.  “Over the last couple of months, our campaign has had the opportunity to connect with thousands of voters who’ve shared their stories, hopes, and aspiration for Red Clay and its future,” said Jose Matthews, an incumbent board member …

Several school districts removed the virtual option for board meetings. (Unsplash)

5 school districts drop virtual option for board meetings

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Five of Delaware’s 19 school districts no longer livestream their board meetings.  Caesar Rodney, Delmar, Laurel, Smyrna and Woodbridge school districts removed the virtual option this years as students and faculty return to an in-person environment with pandemic restrictions diminishing. John Marinucci, the executive director of the Delaware School Boards Association, said the organization pushed for legislation that allowed, but …