July 30, 2025

Reimagining the educator pipeline After COVID

A St. Georges Technical High School student in the Early Childhood Education program engages in hands-on learning, preparing to nurture and inspire future generations through early learning experiences.

The following was written by New Castle County Vocational Technical School District Superintendent Joseph Jones for AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

No leader welcomes a crisis, but effective leaders know they are inevitable. When the world shut down and schools closed their doors in 2020, finding and keeping quality educators was a major issue. Some teachers chose early retirement and some simply left the profession altogether. The teacher shortage, already years in the making, only intensified during the pandemic. We had to respond thoughtfully, differently, and quickly.

The teacher shortage wasn’t new, but the stakes were higher

Since the mid-1970s, fewer people have been entering education. However, COVID exacerbated and magnified the problem, forcing us to act and think differently. We were already facing challenges across the board, especially in high-need areas like Spanish, math, and science. 

In New Castle County Vo-Tech (NCCVT), we faced an additional challenge since our district employs individuals directly from industry to teach our career programs. Convincing someone to leave their job during a global crisis and step into a classroom was a herculean task. In some fields, accepting a teaching position means a pay cut of $30,000-40,000. A salary gap of that magnitude makes it increasingly difficult to fill instructional roles in high-wage industries.

Growing our own pipeline

Fortunately, as a vocational-technical school district, we already had two Early Childhood programs in place, which we expanded to include teacher preparation credentials. We also added new Teacher Academies at our other two high schools, creating  a direct, intentional pipeline into education.

But we knew that wasn’t enough.

2025 Delaware Teacher of the Year attends Space Camp

2025 Delaware Teacher of the Year Shelby Borst attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. earlier this month. (See more pics here.)

Delaware Teacher of the Year Shelby Borst (2025) joined teacher of the year representatives from around the country at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama earlier this month. 

Borst, a social studies teacher at Colonial School District's William Penn High School, represented Delaware this year as part of the 2025 celebration.

State teachers of the year from across the country became students for the week-long program, where they sleep in the dorms by night and participate in space simulations by day.

The 2026 Delaware Teacher of the Year will be named this October. 

Selected from among the almost 10,000 public school teachers in the state, Delaware Teacher of the Year candidates are nominated by their districts or the Delaware Charter School Network because of their ability to inspire students with a love of learning, demonstration of professional traits and devotion to teaching. Already leaders among the colleagues in their buildings, each assumes a role representing educators in their districts or the charter network.

Nearly 84% of Delaware middle school students are enrolled in at least one career and technical education (CTE) course. CTE programs are the backbone of Delaware Pathways and the state's workforce preparation system.

Check out Johnny Bui, a 2017 graduate of Caesar Rodney High School. Johnny is a Senior Software Engineer at Figma, a design software startup based in San Francisco. He develops and maintains internal tools that enable swift delivery of new features to users, supporting Figma’s mission to enhance design collaboration worldwide.

Johnny’s CTE journey began in 7th grade when he joined the TSA at his middle school. In high school, he cultivated his passions for photography, robotics, and technology while excelling in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology program of study. Johnny’s commitment to excellence earned him both state and national medals. His leadership skills were equally impressive, serving as a Delaware TSA state officer for four years, culminating in his role as state president during his senior year. In 2017, Johnny’s outstanding achievements were nationally recognized when he was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in CTE.

Johnny’s passion for technology, cultivated through both his TSA experiences and his career pathway, inspired him to pursue a postsecondary degree in computer science at MIT. He now applies his leadership and technical skills to innovate in the tech industry while mentoring the next generation of engineers.

Read other success stories and learn more CTE's impact in Delaware: https://delawarepathways.org/annual-report/

Farm-to-school programs strengthen education, nutrition

Smyrna School District Nutrition Services Supervisor Kristen Kahl had a simple but powerful idea while driving past farms on her way to work: Why aren’t we serving more of the food growing all around us? That question led to her taking pictures of farm signs, picking up the phone, and building direct relationships with nearby farms.

Now, Smyrna’s farm-to-school program integrates agriculture into daily school meals, sourcing fresh produce from local farms like Fifer Orchards and Broad Acres Farm, and partnering with the district FFA program to grow greens hydroponically rigNow, Smyrna’s farm-to-school program integrates agriculture into daily school meals, sourcing fresh produce from local farms like Fifer Orchards and Broad Acres Farm, and partnering with the district FFA program to grow greens hydroponically right in the cafeteria.

Read more about Smyrna's program at https://tinyurl.com/4c2js4un.

Sussex Technical High School hires students for summer work

Sussex Tech students participate in the work-based learning program this summer. Pictured left-to-right: Ryan Maharaj (electrical), Cullen Nichols (HVAC), Matthew Persaud (HVAC/custodial), Justin Metzger (IT), Austin Rubio (HVAC/custodial), Owen Clark (custodial), and Estefany Lopez-Garcia (IT).

Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown is employing eight students during the summer to assist with preparing the building and facilities for the upcoming school year.  

This work-based learning (WBL) program prepares students to gain hands-on experience in the HVAC, IT, and electrical, and custodial trades under the guidance of trained instructors. WBL students receive authentic work experiences while learning industry recognized skills and developing new and supplementary skills as they work alongside experienced industry professionals.

Sussex Tech offers WBL to all high school seniors where they can earn while they learn prior to high school graduation. Students are required to submit a letter of interest and interview to be hired.

Sussex Technical High School prepares students for their future success in workforce environments, higher education, and military.

Delaware Department of Education I education.delaware.gov