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.