Breaking: Markell’s Education Agenda Unveiled
From the Office of the Governor:
DOVER — Governor Jack Markell and Lieutenant Governor Matthew Denn joined Senate Education Committee Chair David Sokola and House Education Committee Chair Terry Schooley today to unveil legislation designed to dramatically improve Delaware’s public schools and qualify Delaware for federal dollars that President Obama’s administration will be awarding to states with forward-looking public school systems. The elected officials were joined by Education Secretary Lillian Lowery and leaders of the Delaware Parent Teachers Association and the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, who emphasized the importance of reform to parents and the state’s economy.
The bills, co-sponsored by 20 other Senators and Representatives from both political parties, seek to:
Eliminate the Delaware Student Testing Program and replace it with a testing program that measures student progress over the course of a school year.
Pay the state’s highest-performing teachers a comparatively higher salary, and those high-performing teachers in high-risk schools at the state’s highest salary level. This portion of the plan would not go into effect until the state’s current budget situation improves, and might begin on a pilot basis in individual school districts.
Provide local schools and districts with substantially more discretion to make financial and other decisions that make sense for the kids they serve, while simultaneously holding them more accountable for spending their funds responsibly.
The bills also incorporate these suggestions received from the public during a series of ‘Back to School’ public meetings held by Lt. Gov. Denn and Education Secretary Lillian Lowery:
· A requirement that teacher evaluation not be based entirely upon formal assessment.
· A requirement that 10% of funds available for performance pay be awarded to schools that show objective improvement in student performance rather than individual teachers.
· A provision allowing performance pay to be implemented on a pilot basis in individual districts.
· A requirement of uniformity and transparency in record-keeping and accounting by local school districts.
· Changing the unit count date from September to April in order to allow districts to compete with other states for new teachers.
· A requirement of consultation with parents and teachers by local schools or districts before seeking relief from any rule or regulation.
‘Bulo was struck by a couple of things. First, it doesn’t yet look like the DSEA is on board with these proposals as evidenced by them not being in attendance today. Second, the Beast Who Slumbers wonders whether Dr. Scanlon has signed a contract with his prospective employer yet. It’d be nice if he would stay as Brandywine School District Superintendent, and the legislation appears to address his reasons for leaving in the first place.
My son has taken the progressive tests over the last two years. This is definitely the way to go as it helps the teachers target what areas each child is deficient in.
This one’s interesting
Pay the state’s highest-performing teachers a comparatively higher salary, and those high-performing teachers in high-risk schools at the state’s highest salary level. This portion of the plan would not go into effect until the state’s current budget situation improves, and might begin on a pilot basis in individual school districts.
Because while it looks like Markell is taking on the DSEA (which has generally opposed this kind of merit pay), the timeline is so vague that one could see Jack well re-elected before he’d have to discover that the pilot programs were too expensive or difficult to extend statewide.
In other words, this one looks suspiciously like window dressing to me.
Not a comment on the Initiative yet, but you can hear a podcast of the Back to School Briefings here.
Very cool, Lt. Gov — live webcasts of meetings and briefings would be awesome too!
Steve, I’m not sure I’d call this window dressing just because it may take time to implement. Gotta start somewhere.
Also, I love, love, love the idea of paying teachers at high risk schools more.
I’m with you on this Pandora, although I admit I am clueless about the schools — no kids.
Has anyone got an idea why pushing the head count to April attracts teachers from other states? The only thing I can figure is that it allows districts to know how much money they are getting in a given fiscal year sooner and can make more offers. To me it only looks like financing impacts not making us more competitive in the hiring world. Someone in education enlighten us.
I’m not in education, but I think it has to do with teachers knowing if they will have a job. Right now classes/teaching jobs aren’t finalized until 9/30.
pandora // Apr 8, 2009 at 8:12 pm
“I’m not in education, but I think it has to do with teachers knowing if they will have a job. Right now classes/teaching jobs aren’t finalized until 9/30.”
That’s OK , I am not educated.
They plan to roll back the unit count to end of April of the prior academic year. See Section, Amend Title 14, Section1704 (1) of the Delaware code. of the proposed legislation
“The Number of units shall be calculated based upon the total enrollment of pupils in each school disitrcit as of the last school day in April in the prior academic year. The total number of units by the school disitrict so determined shall be known as the “actual unit count”
Oh Geez–Just give me one hour w/ LtG. Denn….
Breaking and Unveiled???!!!! Are you guys hanging crepe? There is NOTHING here of consequence that is new, besides the percentage of discretionary funds to be used by individual districts. And I’m sure it will be just enough to demand a later revocation on other districts, because district ABC pissed it away. And the April unit count? Are they nuts? How about an April preliminary count, and then recount in September? So when does everyone move into your district?
And Pandora, the higher paid educator into the neediest district…gosh, that’s the way it used to be done back in the ol’ Wilmington High days.
No wheel was invented here gang.
Political Observer
“The only thing I can figure is that it allows districts to know how much money they are getting in a given fiscal year sooner and can make more offers.”
The distirct is hesitant to sign too many teacher contract prior to the September 30, student count. Typically classrooms are over crowded and once unit count is in the district will call teachers back or hire! It sucks for the students who then gets move around and for the teachers stuck with large classes until the distrcit know its state unit allotment. If the hire move teacher than unit allocation then they are stuck with contract and have to pay 100% out of local funds. And with budget cuts local funds are vert tight!
Joanne Christian
” There is NOTHING here of consequence that is new, besides the percentage of discretionary funds to be used by individual districts”
Go back anbd read Title 14, Chapter 15 section 1508 through 1510 of the propose changes,
1508 Citizen Oversight of Distrcit Finances
1509 Transparency of District Finances
1510 Deaprtment Oversight of District Spending.
DL is too busy fighting with Burris this shit slipped under the radar!
Kilroy-Title 14 sits on my lap.
1508-1510 says “Transferred” in my edition.
And we are a school district that already puts the financials out there-so nothing transformational on the way we already do business.
Joanne, no wheel invented, but the wheel needed to be fixed!
Joanne Christian // Apr 8, 2009 at 9:26 pm
“Kilroy-Title 14 sits on my lap.”
I am talking draft not current! I went online to review current and see what you are saying
pandora // Apr 8, 2009 at 9:29 pm
“Joanne, no wheel invented, but the wheel needed to be fixed!”
1509
” Each distrcit and charter school shall poston its web site by September 1, 2009 and every three months thereafter a check register indicating the recipient of each check issued by school district or charter school, the amount of the check, and the indentifying information regarding check”
“And we are a school district that already puts the financials out there-so nothing transformational on the way we already do business.”
take a look at Red Clay
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/SchoolBoard/CFRC/0809/Reports.htm
We want line items expenditures aka checkbook ledgers. The IBU’ s in the obeject code of expenditures are too narrow and we need to see details! Who give a shit of the super only spent 75,000 of his budget! What the hell did he spent it on! Your district may be fine but you can thank Red Clay and Christiana for opening the can of worms!
Red Clay is spending $60,000 for an audit of last school year only when they were under DOE FRT watch. How f’ing wasteful is that! The board wants to show they have been good stewards with the public taxdollars! they can bite me!
Again Kilroy, this is all good and well, and previously discussed under SB 87 and 88–but Kilroy some districts are doing this…the others view it as an unfunded mandate passed off to the districts…unveiled yes, passed..I don’t know.
I have been to these talks, it is not all high fives. There are some tough nuts out there. But Kilroy–ENJOY the moment, that you and the crew are all on the same page!
Joanne Christian
“There are some tough nuts out there. But Kilroy–ENJOY the moment, that you and the crew are all on the same page!”
I know but I must keep the dream alive!
“but Kilroy some districts are doing this…the others view it as an unfunded mandate passed off to the districts…unveiled yes, passed..I don’t know.”
No school distirct is putting checkbook ledgers online! Putting check book ledgers online is a cake walk! Reports are pulled offline and can be converted in pdf. uploaded to the district’s site in 5 minutes! Also, can be printed and scanned to pdf. and then up loaded. Red Clay already got busted in this in a lie! That’s why I bailed on their finanical review committee! Didn’t like their deceit!
HB 87 & 88 I know what you mean and fiscal notes will hold them down! However, what’s coming down the pike is Jack’s baby and D’s and a few renegade R’s will get it through and it’s pretty much a done deal! Also, good buddy in D.C. will sent the stage to tape some of the stimulus education money to help fund! Committments were made as you may know!
As you may know the feds are looking for that transparency so what better way to use some of the money to provide it! My boy Arnie at USDOE will support it !
Your district is AOK and it’s ashame that because of the greed and ingorance up here the rest of the school distirct have this burden and I’ve pushed Red Clay to step up on their own. Their CFRC was at my request which was prior to the FRT. I tried to push for a three year phase in. Dam, I even made a gentleman’s agreement not to run against Charile who ended up losing!
The people / parents are learning they have way more power than a board member and hopefull we will pruge anoter old guard off of Red Clay’s board this may and put even another parent in the vacant seat!