Education task force addresses teacher retention, school funding

The education task force creating policy recommendations for the incoming Meyer administration discussed teacher retention, correcting the school funding formula, offering more student services, and the need for diversity during its Dec. 3 meeting.

Jason Blanshine, owner of Sylvan Learning Center in Lewes, said more needs to be done to keep teachers in the classroom. 

“I’ve seen so many really good teachers leave that specific role for other positions within a school district that aren’t always student-facing,” he said. “We have a lot of talent in district offices, and school offices, and it would go a far way if we could keep those people in the classrooms.”

Removing barriers for people to become licensed educators could address the teacher shortage, said Shawn Jegede, vice president of the Brandywine School District school board.

“It seems like it should be an easy way, but I’ve talked to several different people who are excellent like building substitutes, or who have come in through nontraditional routes, who talk about how hard it is for them to actually get licensed and try to become a teacher without our district,” she said.

Adding more diversity to the teaching ranks was raised by several participants.

Kia Johnson said paid residencies can develop an educator workforce that could help diversify teaching staff.

“It does give us a pool of candidates that are not necessarily like your typical 80% white females that are occupying teacher positions right now,” she said.

Another priority raised by Gov.-elect Matt Meyer is modernizing the school funding formula used by the state, said Dana Davisson, who co-chairs the committee with Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Stanton.

“Currently our Delaware schools are dramatically impacted even for operating costs by referenda,” she said. “And where you’re able to pass a referenda, you have new buildings … passing referenda is all reliant upon your marketing team. So now we have our districts focused on marketing and not on educating kids.”

As a member of the bond bill committee, Walsh said legislators have put more revenue toward school projects that don’t have to go to referenda, but more money is needed for major improvements.

“It’s over $1 billion that is needed to fix all of the schools throughout the state,” he said. “How do you fund that? Some school districts are in better shape than others. You see that across the board.”

Making sure students can read at a third-grade level was a recurring theme throughout the meeting.

Harold Stafford said he enrolled his grandson before entering kindergarten in a Parents as Teachers program, which used phonics to help with reading fluency and comprehension, and develop a love for reading.

“He has flown through the first three years of elementary school with excellent performance,” he said.

While reimagining education was a repetitive mantra by some, one downstate legislator said the committee needs to listen to current teachers and what they are dealing with in the classrooms. He said more focus should be made on traditional education.

“I’ve heard reinvent the wheel. I’ll be honest with you, if you want to fix things, go back to the basics, and become great at the basics. Stop overcooking this stuff,” said Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Camden.

An overreliance on data can also be problematic, he said.

“It’s good and important to collect data, but when the data is ineffective or it presents information that isn’t effective and in fact tells you a distorted story, it doesn’t help anything,” he said.

The committee will produce a policy recommendation report to present to the Meyer administration when it takes office in January.