Join the discussion on equity in education in Delaware. Here's how | Opinoin
Public school finance is an important topic that’s risen into local headlines lately. And rightfully so — our school funding system underpins our entire system of public education.
As a community, we can all agree that we want an excellent public school system that provides a strong educational foundation, prepares students for life and is fair to all kids. We can also agree that our school funding system needs to be flexible enough that educators and leaders can support the unique needs of Delaware’s 141,299 students. But what’s the best way to fairly allocate resources to help us reach those goals? That’s where an important conversation starts.
And that’s why we, as members of a group of local leaders and advocates — known collectively as the Vision Coalition of Delaware — are hosting a series of informational sessions about Delaware’s school funding system. We’ll cover the basics, like: How does Delaware currently distribute funding to its schools? What systems do other states employ? And how is the landscape in Delaware shifting?
As some may know, Delaware has a unique opportunity to modify its funding system, thanks to a lawsuit settlement from 2020. A 2018 lawsuit — brought by Delawareans for Educational Opportunity, the NAACP and the ACLU —challenged the constitutionality of our current funding system. Gov. John Carney settled the case in 2020 and has exceeded his required commitment to additional funding for low-income and multilingual learner students each year by several million dollars. In his proposed FY24 budget, Carney recommended $53 million for these students. In early learning, his proposed budget will double our state pre-K program and increase funding for special education pre-K for the first time in decades.
The Vision Coalition and many others, like the Redding Consortium, have applauded these efforts as steps in the right direction.
The lawsuit also required an independent assessment of Delaware’s funding system to study how we fund schools and to make recommendations to improve outcomes for students, education equity, and efficiency. American Institutes of Research, a national research firm, was selected as the vendor for the independent funding assessment and the group is currently conducting an analysis of the funding system, comparing it with other states, and developing recommendations with timelines. The report is expected to be completed between November of 2023 and January of 2024.
The Vision Coalition and our network of friends, educators, advocates and experts are excited to use that onramp to engage our community in some important conversations about the fair and effective distribution of resources at a long-term, systemic level.
Our goal is not to dismantle, tear down or point fingers. Rather, we’d like to create a forum in which to learn together, ask questions and help to inform and develop solutions that improve outcomes for our kids and our schools.
This is a generational opportunity. It’s our collective chance to build on the foundation we have and the progress we’ve made, while looking to make improvements we know will have positive impacts on our students.
We know firsthand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted many students families, and school communities. We know that traditionally underserved communities often feel the brunt of such circumstances. That’s why we’re reaching out to all Delawareans who want to be a part of the solution.
Join the Vision Coalition for the first in a series of Equity in Education events: "Equity in Education: Understanding School Funding, Basics and Beyond" on March 17 at the Wilmington University Dover campus. These sessions will be open to all Delawareans.
Hear from local and national experts about Delaware’s funding system, the current landscape and ways Delaware can better fund its schools. Share your questions and concerns to be addressed in future sessions. For more information and to register, visit http://www.visioncoalitionde.org.
Bettina Tweardy Riveros is a senior vice president for ChristianaCare, member of the Redding Consortium and chair of the Vision Coalition. Mark Holodick is the Delaware Secretary of Education and a member of the Vision Coalition.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Delaware public school financing and equity
