January 31, 2024

Governor proposes school staff raises, education investments

Governor Carney this month announced significant investments in public education across Delaware. Investments that will be included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Recommended Budget are:

“Our recommended budget continues to responsibly invest in areas I’ve prioritized during my time as Governor – in public schools, our economy, our workforce, and protecting our environment –  while making sure these investments are sustainable in the long run," said Governor Carney.

"Our plan makes significant investments in early childhood education to create more seats for the children and families who need them the most. Our budget fully funds the first year of the Public Education Compensation Committee recommendations for educators – building on the raise I signed into law last year.” 

Governor Carney's Fiscal Year 2025 budget presentation is available at de.gov/live. 

SEED extension program expands options for Delaware students 

Students enrolled in Delaware’s Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) program are now eligible for extension scholarships at Goldey-Beacom College and Wilmington University.

Delaware residents who complete two years with the Delaware Technical Community College SEED program or University of Delaware’s Associate in Arts (AAP) SEED program and earn an associate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher can receive full tuition at Goldey-Beacom College.

Students who graduate with an associate degree through either SEED program with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher can receive half tuition at Wilmington University.

Since 2005, Delaware’s SEED program has provided full tuition to eligible students enrolled in an associate degree at Del Tech and UD. At Del Tech, the SEED scholarship can be applied toward an associate degree, diploma, credit certificate, bachelor’s degree, or workforce training program. SEED tuition covers up to a full associate degree and one additional year toward a bachelor’s degree. In 2021, the SEED program was expanded to include Delawareans of all ages who want to pursue an academic degree or a workforce training certificate.

More information on SEED extension scholarships:

Spotlight: 2024 Teacher of the Year Cory Hafer

Check out Delaware's 2024 Teacher of the Year Cory Hafer, an engineering and science teacher at Appoquinimink School District’s Middletown High School, as he reflects on his influence as a Delaware educator.

DDOE becomes first 3rd-party CDL testing organization in Delaware

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) became the first 3rd-party Commercial Drivers License (CDL) testing organization in Delaware this month. Congratulations to Lisa Reed, DDOE field agent for school transportation, for completing certification to become the first 3rd-party examiner in Delaware. 

Through a pilot program with the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), DDOE will start conducting their own CDL road test examinations. The goal of the pilot for DDOE is to expedite the testing window for school bus drivers in training and to provide more consistency in the testing process across the state.

While DDOE was the first state agency to complete the 3rd-party testing certification and to implement the pilot program, other state agencies have plans to join soon. 

Odyssey Charter wins national award for innovation

Odyssey Charter School head Elias Pappas discusses the importance of empowering students through classical education to improve student outcomes. 

Wilmington’s  Odyssey Charter School was named a finalist for the coveted Yass Prize from the Center for Education Reform and additionally won a $500,000 STOP Award for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education. 

The Yass Prize "seeks, rewards and celebrates innovative organizations" in education. Odyssey was one of nine finalists selected from a pool of 33 semifinalists. The award will be used to build out space in its current facility and to enroll more students into its innovative immersion program.

“Being named a Yass Prize finalist will allow us to build out our facilities and expand our program offerings to more students,” said Elias Pappas, the head of Odyssey Charter School. “Thank you to Janine and Jeff Yass for selecting us as a finalist. We cannot wait to put this funding into action.”

Odyssey opened its doors in 2006 as the state’s first mathematics focused, 2nd language elementary charter school and has since grown to serve over 2,200 students in K-12. Knowing that 50 percent of science vocabulary words come from the Greek language, Odyssey Charter prepares students with a dual-language approach paired with classical learning at its finest. 

Delaware Department of Education I education.delaware.gov