BREAKING: Meyer–‘No More Foot-Dragging On School Funding’
As in, no more ‘we won’t be back with recommendations until today’s second-graders have graduated’.
In an exclusive interview with WHYY News, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said he’s ordering his secretary of education to push to implement a new public education funding system by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
That would dramatically speed up an already delayed deadline for the Public Education Funding Commission, which is set to meet for the fifth time Feb. 10. Education Secretary Cindy Marten, who was confirmed by the state Senate on Jan. 29, will attend the commission’s meetings for the first time.
To implement a new funding formula for the 2025-2026 school year, lawmakers would need to fund it in the fiscal year 2026 state budget, which starts in July. Budget chiefs in the General Assembly have already been expressing reservations about legislation with hefty price tags due in part to uncertainty about the impact of unprecedented moves at the federal level, which has included attempts to freeze federal funding to states.
‘Budget chiefs in the General Assembly’ means the members of JFC. It’s been so long since members of that committee have been asked to think outside the box they’re not even aware that they’re in one.
Delaware has a resource-based school funding system that was created in 1940. That means there’s a yearly count of students where the number of children in each building are converted into units. Meyer has voiced support for moving to a weighted student funding formula, where the money follows the student based on need.
Delaware’s education leaders and advocates have historically been divided between keeping the current system or moving to one where the money follows the child. Critics of the system say it fails to provide enough resources for low-income students, students with disabilities and English Language Learners. Supporters say the unit formula is easy to understand and predictable.
What’s clear is the state’s current education system is failing its students. Delaware is ranked 45th in the nation for educational outcomes, according to research from the University of Delaware. Three-fourths of fourth graders are unable to read proficiently and 82% of eighth graders are below proficiency in math. Earlier this month, Gov. Meyer declared a “literacy emergency” after national test scores revealed eighth grade reading scores in the First State hit a 27-year low in 2024.
Regardless of whatever model is adopted, the General Assembly must invest the money to change the outcomes:
It’s unclear if the General Assembly will put in the amount of money some say is needed to boost the educational outcomes of disadvantaged youth. California added an additional $18 billion dollars that was phased in over six years.
A report released last year by the American Institutes for Research as a result of the lawsuit showed Delaware was underfunding high-needs students by $600 million to $1 billion.
Delaware is required to invest more money in public education due to a legal settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware and others.
It’s about time to knock some cobwebs from some legislators’ brains. Cobwebs formed during the reign of Delaware’s Worst Governor Ever.
Ah, Governor Matt Meyer, ever the idealist, believes his latest education funding proposal will miraculously elevate Delaware from its dismal 45th-place ranking in education. And who does he appoint to spearhead this renaissance? None other than Cindy Marten, the former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, whose tenure at the federal level was, shall we say, less than stellar. Expecting this duo to revolutionize our schools is about as likely as discovering Spanish gold in the Christiana River. Perhaps it’s time for a state-level DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency)to assess whether the Delaware Department of Education is, in fact, its own worst enemy.
If you have any actual basis for your complaints feel free to state them. For example, anything indicating her “less than stellar” performance at the federal level.
I haven’t seen any promises of miraculous anything. All I’ve seen is an effort to change the funding formula.
Citing DOGE hardly gives you credibility at a liberal site.
You’re right, Mr. Liberal, this is indeed a liberal blog. And while conservative opinions might be as welcome here as a fox in a henhouse, fortunately, this isn’t about conservatism—it’s just plain common sense.
Governor Meyer has nominated Cindy Marten as Delaware’s Education Secretary. Let’s take a quick jaunt down memory lane to her tenure in San Diego:
1. Handling of Sexual Harassment and Abuse Cases: Critics argue that under Marten’s leadership, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) inadequately addressed multiple sexual harassment and abuse allegations. Notably, a lawsuit filed by four women alleged prolonged mishandling of complaints against a La Jolla High School teacher, with some incidents occurring before Marten’s tenure but allegedly extending due to the district’s insufficient response.
2. Criticism Over Charter School Policies: Marten faced opposition from charter school advocates due to her support for policies perceived as restrictive. Serving on a state task force, she endorsed recommendations allowing districts to consider the fiscal impact of new charter schools during authorization, a stance that drew criticism from groups like the Center for Education Reform.
3. Allegations of Racial Disparities in Student Discipline: The San Diego chapter of the NAACP criticized Marten for disproportionately high suspension rates among Black students. In the 2019-20 school year, Black students represented 7.5% of enrollment but accounted for 17.9% of suspensions, highlighting concerns about equity in disciplinary actions.
4. Implementation of Controversial Educational Policies: Under Marten’s leadership, SDUSD introduced mandatory ethnic studies courses and revised grading policies to address perceived systemic biases. These initiatives sparked debate, with some praising the focus on equity and others criticizing the approaches as divisive or lacking in academic rigor.
Now, some might wonder why we’re dredging up these past issues. Well, it’s because her tenure as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education was so uneventful that even a mime would seem loquacious in comparison. With little to show at the federal level, we’re left evaluating her track record in its entirety.
On a related note, Delaware’s Department of Education has the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) Board, aiming to enhance strategic planning and resource allocation. While the idea of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sounds intriguing, especially if you carevabout how your tax dollars are spent, perhaps we should avoid the acronym to prevent any canine confusion. Expanding such initiatives in a non-partisan manner could streamline operations without the need for any eccentric federal overhauls.
This isn’t about political leanings; it’s about ensuring our educational leaders have a track record that inspires confidence, not controversy.
Thanks for the list! I didn’t know much about Marten, but that looks like a good record of advocacy for public education. Delaware education has big problems with equity and resegregation so she seems like a great fit and hopefully can get behind some reforms.
Thank you for the response. This is all I found on my own search, which is why I asked.
I’m all for spending money wisely, but we’re talking education here, the state’s biggest expense. And if we do as Meyer suggests and invest extra money for students with problems, it’s not going to get cheaper.
As for the criticism of Marten, good luck finding a school district without racial disparities in discipline. Points 3 and 4 rather contradict each other, don’t you think? And while Point 1 sounds serious, there are 6,000 teachers in San Diego and we’re talking about one case.
I’m not sure what sort of credentials you’re looking for.
As for Point 2, I’m all for limiting charter schools, a false promise except in cases of cherry-picking.
According to GPTZero.me, there’s a 100% chance that list above was AI generated.
Just so folks know who they’re talking to.
Oh, no, charter school advocates criticized her!
Y’know, we can stop right there. Except ‘mandatory ethnic studies’. We know where you’re coming from, pal. Go back there. Or, better yet, stay right where you are.
Keep in mind that charters have strong support in minority communities, who see them as an alternative to failing public schools. This potential is too seldom realized, but you can’t blame people for trying.
The problem isn’t “charter schools.” It’s using the name for what are in effect white flight academies, which places like Newark Charter will deny, after having carefully crafted their admission requirements to achieve the same practical effect. And on the other end, people with mercenary rather than true educational aims.
Charters were supposed to be laboratories for trying out new teaching methods, not publicly funding a military academy.
I’ll believe it when I see it. When April arrives it will mark 10 years since the issuance with great fanfare of the final report of the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee. The foreword to the report is titled “Waiting is No Longer an Option”, but apparently it was. Fixing the funding mechanism is only the very first baby step in fixing the schools but we can’t even get that done. Its sickening.
Here’s the rub – do you want the new mayor of Wilmington in charge of a citywide school district and the purse strings that are attached?
No. He’d just outsource it to St. Mark’s.
I agree completely, but will use this goal as Meyer’s first big test, and by extension his ability to get anything done.