January 25, 2023

Governor Carney delivers State of the State

Governor Carney on Thursday delivered his 2023 State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly, announcing plans to strengthen our economy and infrastructure, invest in public schools and child care, and maintain a sustainable financial plan.

“I can confidently say that because of the work we’ve done together, the state of our state is strong, and will only get stronger in the years ahead,” said Governor Carney. “If we continue working together – as we do in Delaware better than anyone else – we’ll build a future worthy of the next generation.”

Click here to read Governor Carney’s full State of the State address, as prepared for delivery.

EDUCATION

“All children should be able to read at grade level by third grade. Be proficient in math by middle school. And graduate high school ready for college or a career. If we meet those targets, our students will be better off in the long run. And our state will be stronger. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: too many students are behind. That’s especially true among our most vulnerable students. And that’s just not acceptable. We need everyone to lean into this issue.”

12 schools honored for students’ academic achievement

Secretary of Education Mark Holodick presents a 2022 Recognition Schools banner to Cape Henlopen School District's Lewes Elementary School (formerly known as Richard Shields Elementary School).

Secretary of Education Mark Holodick commends 12 schools from across the state for their students’ growth and progress toward English language proficiency.

Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center in the Woodbridge School District is among a host of U.S. schools that have been named a 2022 National ESEA Distinguished School for the extraordinary success of their students. The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA), formerly the National Title I Association, has been selecting examples of superior, federally funded school programs for national recognition through the National ESEA Distinguished Schools program (formerly the National Title I Distinguished Schools program) since 1996.

The 2022 National ESEA Distinguished Schools will be honored February 1-4, 2023, at the 2023 National ESEA Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center, which will receive $11,500 as a financial award, also is among 10 Delaware schools named a Recognition School for Excellence in Serving Special Populations for the growth and progress toward English language proficiency that their multi-language learners made during the 2021-2022 school year. The students showed exceptional growth toward meeting proficiency on ACCESS tests.

The nine other Recognition schools each will receive an $8,000 award, a certificate and a banner to hang in their building.  Two schools also are being recognized as Schools of Continued Excellence and will receive a certificate and a banner. Schools of Continued Excellence are schools that have qualified as a Recognition School for the second consecutive year so are ineligible for the Recognition award this year.

“Congratulations to our multi-language learners and the families and educators whose support helped them make the gains that have earned their schools this recognition,” Holodick said. “This is a celebration of their entire school communities.” 

WLC announces new council members

The Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) has announced its council members. The WLC Council is made up of each district’s superintendent and city board member, along with one parent representative from each district, a former city educator, and an appointee by the City of Wilmington. The list of council members is noted above. Thank you to each of these leaders for their willingness to serve.

The next WLC meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow. The agenda and link to join are available here. WLC meetings are held both virtually and in person. Meeting information is posted at least seven days in advance on the Delaware Public Meeting Calendar.  

Governor proposes teacher raises, education investments

Surrounded by teachers, administrators, members of the General Assembly, and advocates, Governor Carney on Tuesday announced significant investments in public education across Delaware. Investments that will be included in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget are:

“I was raised by two educators. I know the difference a good teacher can make in the life of a student,” said Governor Carney. “That’s why teachers are central to all our efforts in education. And our goal with these investments is pretty straightforward. We want to retain and recruit the best teachers into Delaware schools. The competition for those teachers is intense, but I’m confident we can get this done.”

Governor Carney's Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal will be released tomorrow. Access the live stream at de.gov/live. 

Governor announces major child care investments, initiatives

Governor Carney on Tuesday announced the administration’s child care priorities and investments for the coming year. As outlined in last week’s State of the State address, Delaware will continue to make child care policies and investments a priority.

The State will be taking the following actions to support, enhance, and expand child care quality and access this year:

Additionally, Delaware won an $8 million federal Preschool Development Grant, which will help the state be innovative in strengthening its early childhood infrastructure. For more information on Delaware’s grant, please visit the Preschool Development Grant website.

“We know how critical the early years are to a child’s success,” said Governor Carney. “We also know how important our child care providers are to our state. Today’s significant investments in Purchase of Care, ECAP, and our youngest learners with special needs are another step forward for child care in our state. I want to thank Lt. Governor Hall-Long and others for continuing to make child care a priority. And thank you to all of our child care providers for what you do every day.”

Delaware Department of Education I education.delaware.gov