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.