The education news continues unabated this summer: new investments, school board drama, student honors.
Delaware public schools can expect more funding to support students’ mental health this year, while some school districts and charter schools will get grant funding to help students facing homelessness.
And as school boards continue to be in the spotlight in Delaware, one nonprofit wants to educate the public on how to interact with school boards and understand how they function.
This weekly roundup will bring you these and other education updates you may have missed.
[Did we miss another good education story? Tell me about it: kepowers@gannett.com.]
$2.5 million to be pumped into Delaware to expand school-based mental health care
Millions of dollars from the federal government will go to First State public schools.
U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester jointly announced that Delaware will receive $2.5 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand its health care resources. The money will be used to strengthen facilities, recruit health care workers and reinvest in expanding school-based resources, according to an announcement last week.
Schools are uniquely positioned to help Medicaid-eligible students across the state get the physical and behavioral health care they need, and this is intended to further support that care.
“Delaware has made great strides when it comes to investing in school-based health services,” said Governor John Carney. “This federal investment will help us build on that progress, and I want to thank our federal delegation for their continued support on behalf of our students.”
Lawmakers applauded the investment, which will improve student health outcomes, but will also hopefully improve students’ educational outcomes.
“Medicaid-covered school-based services are a critical component in helping children access the physical and mental health services they need and deserve,” HHS Secretary Josette Manning said in a statement. “These grants not only promote children’s health, but ultimately boost educational outcomes by improving student attendance, academic achievement and overall health.”
Delaware Schools:Will school funding change? New committee considers options
Competitive Grants Awarded to Support Homeless Students
Fourteen Delaware public school districts and charter schools will receive education grants for homeless children and youth this year under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
The Delaware Department of Education explained in a press release that the competitive grants are designed to support “the enrollment, attendance, and school success of children and youth experiencing homelessness.” According to the law, they are available to any youth who do not have fixed, adequate, regular nighttime housing.
“Grant goals include ensuring that homeless students have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education (including public preschool) provided to other children and youth, including immediate enrollment, transportation assistance, and the removal of educational barriers,” the department wrote.
The grant recipients are:
- Academia Antonia Alonso Charter School ($30,000);
- Appoquinimink School District ($30,000)
- Brandywine School District ($30,000)
- Caesar Rodney School District ($30,000)
- Cape Henlopen School District ($20,872)
- Capital School District ($30,000)
- Christina School District ($30,000)
- Indian River School District ($30,000)
- Milford School District ($15,000)
- New Castle County Vocational Technology ($26,000)
- Seaford School District ($30,000)
- Smyrna School District ($30,000)
- Sussex Montessori Charter School ($30,000)
- Woodbridge School District ($30,000)
Is Delaware on the move for child care reform?Parents have already seen their worst fears.
Delaware nonprofit hopes to teach school boards how to better understand each other
First State Educate, under the leadership of new President Julia Kelleher, has begun training for school board members and their constituents across Delaware.
“How do you file a complaint with the DMV? You probably know how to do that,” Kelleher asked, “but how do you take this to your local school district’s board of education and have them address it? That’s not a process that you’re familiar with, so we provide training on that.”
The Delaware nonprofit is now partnering with First State Action Fund to plan monthly trainings for the public. Each virtual event is designed to give participants a better understanding of how to engage with their school board, how they work, and how to hold them accountable. Registration is already open online.
This comes as school boards have been making headlines, especially in the Christina School District, where the board voted 4-3 to place the district’s superintendent on indefinite administrative leave in a public meeting that lasted until after 3 a.m. Wednesday. The board was found to have violated open meetings laws several times this spring, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
In Milford, the committee is set to consider hotly contested policy revisions aimed at limiting the “controversial” subjects that can be discussed or aired in schools, despite warnings from the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware that they could violate constitutional rights. That meeting will be held on Monday, July 15.
What’s going on with Christina?School committee fires superintendent, faces FOIA investigation
For questions or more information about First State Educate training, please email commsmedia@firststateeducate.org.
If you go
- How to prepare the school board agenda and solicit public input: July 25, 5 p.m.
- Public input is welcome at the board meeting: Sept. 17, 5 p.m.
- Understanding and Accountability for Student Performance Data: Aug. 22, 5 p.m.
Indian River Community Education Program Enters Second Year
The Indian River School District has more fall, winter and spring sessions scheduled for adults and children.
The Community Education Program is in its second year since being resurrected post-pandemic and will offer budgeting and finance classes, health resource seminars, English as a second language courses, fitness and more. The program also traditionally offers youth clinics for sports such as flag football, volleyball, field hockey, lacrosse, wrestling and basketball, as well as safe babysitting education courses for youth, according to the district.
“We are excited to resume our community education programs,” coordinator Matthew Schifano said in a press release last week. “Last year’s program was a success and we look forward to offering even more educational and recreational classes for members of our community in 2024-2025.”
The official courses will be announced next month. The list and electronic registration will be available online.
For more information about Community Education Programs, contact Schifano at (302) 436-1000 or matthew.schifano@irsd.k12.de.us.
From SkillsUSA to STEM: Delaware students keep bringing home awards
About 68 Delaware high school students joined more than 16,000 attendees at the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta this summer. In an event space the equivalent of 31 football fields, or 41 acres, the students participated in events in construction trades, video broadcasting, graphic arts, automotive trades, leadership skills and more.
Delaware’s participation rate is the highest it has been in the past 10 years, the DOE said in a press release, and this year the state had six students receive top awards in addition to placing in the top 10 at apprenticeship events.
For more information and a complete list of award recipients, visit the DOE website.
Honorable Skills:
- Clinton Bertolo of Del Castle Technical High School in the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District won a silver medal in the sheet metal division.
- Noel Evans, also from Delcastle, won a bronze medal for his screen printing technique.
- The team of Kiara Davis, McKinley Stokely, Ciara Gustin and Piper Drais from Sussex Technical High School in the Sussex Technical School District won the bronze medal for video news production.
Top 10:
- Keller Merida Vasquez, Del Castle Technical High School, Industrial Motor Control
- Kaiden Brown, Delcastle Technical High School, Aviation Maintenance Technology
- Marissa Prowse, Polytech High School, Criminal Justice
- Clinton Bertolo, Del Castle Technical High School, sheet metal
- Noel Evans, Delcastle Polytechnic High School, Screen Printing Technology
- Kiara Davis, Sussex Polytechnic, Video News Production
- McKinley Stokely, Sussex Polytechnic High School, Video News Production
- Ciara Gustin, Sussex Polytechnic High School, Video News Production
- Piper Drais, Sussex Polytechnic, Video News Production
The national STEM conference kept the Delaware Technology Students Association busy.
Late last month, Delaware students had seven students place in the top 10 at the 2024 National TSA Conference in Orlando. The conference, themed “Evolving Excellence,” attracted 151 Delaware students and teachers, as well as approximately 8,000 students, educators and international industry professionals, according to the New York Department of Education.
The Technology Student Association (TSA has no affiliation with the airport) brought students together for competitive STEM-focused events, leadership sessions, networking opportunities and more.
Main Results:
- Tech Bowl 1st Place: Kedar Lakshmanan, Evan See and Christopher Pena-Garcia from HB Dupont Middle School (Red Clay Unified School District).
- Fifth place, Mechanical Engineering: Henry Gibson, Latrell McGinnis and Wilson Hartley from Fred Pfeiffer Middle School (Caesar Rodney School District).
- 6th place, Future Technology and Engineering Teacher: Ashley Benavides Lagunas, Indian River High School (Indian River School District)
- 6th place, Video Game Design: Zachary Bernas, Olivia Harling and Nathan Ridgely (Caesar Rodney) from Postlethwaite Middle School
- Seventh place, Challenging Technology Problems: Anagha Kricheti and Vidhi Thakkar, Cab Callaway School of the Arts (Red Clay).
- CAD Foundations 9th Place: Vedik Mukherjee of Cab Callaway School of the Arts
- 10th Place, Coding: Laksh Patel and Aayush Singh from MOT Charter School
Have a story? Kelly Powers covers race, culture and equity with a focus on education for Delaware Online/The News Journal and the USA TODAY Network Northeast. Contact her at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191 or follow her at X @kpowers01.
