Have you seen Delaware's RTTT money?

Last I heard, Delaware still had not received its first RTTT payment.  Now, if I'm wrong and the money has quietly flowed into the state, please correct me and ignore the rest of this post :) And if I'm right, who knows where you'll end up?

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Delaware's own Governor, Jack Markell, is co-chair (with Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia) of the NGA Lead Governors on Common Core Standards Committee. Markell also chairs NGA's Education, Early Childhood and Workforce Committee.
So, to be fair, the Common Core Standards are cloaked in state-domain (and I have chosen my words carefully b/c I do believe there is a federal overstep being committed) and Delaware seems to have had  its share of influence in the process. (good ,if you support Jack's Blueprint for Education; bad, if you champion local control.) But, then, why is Delaware's official adoption of the standards so late in coming? School opens in just weeks and the DeDOE is only now, at its August meeting, bringing the standards to the State BOE for action.

"If you've been following the common-standards coverage in this blog, you know that Aug. 2 was a big-deal day, because states vying for Race to the Top money got maximum points if they had adopted the standards by then. When the RTT Round 2 finalists were announced, we noted that nearly all states that had won a grant (in Round 1) or were still in the running for one (Round 2) had adopted the standards.

Then it came down to one: Delaware was the only one of the RTT winners or contenders that had not yet adopted the common standards." (It won a grant in Round 1.) (Deadlines, Delaware, and the Common by Catherine Gewertz, Curriculum Matter Blog, August 10, 2010)

Veteran Education Week reporters Catherine Gewertz and Erik Robelen bring you news and analysis of issues at the core of classroom learning.

Yes, it's come down to Delaware, the last RTTT hangover when it comes to the standards. Gewertz did ferret out the reasons for our lateness (click the link above to read them in full) -- the unexpected, delayed release of the final standards product that threw off the timeline promised in our RTTT application (we cited June as the month that we would officially adopt). Furthermore, the feds and DeDOE have had a dialogue about the process developed to adopt them (it passes the litmus test.) As Gewertz blogs "So it seems that unforeseen events, good intentions, and a clear plan seem to have made the Aug. 2 date a bit more flexible for Delaware." Statisticians also believe that even without the 20 points automaticially awarded for adopting the standards, Delaware still would have won in the first round. Lucky Delaware, and a real shame for all the states that will not WIN Race funds and have aleady committed their states to fast-tracked standards.

But, it all raises a question in my mind, and without intending to, I think Gewertz gives us an answer: Why hasn't Delaware received the first of its Race to the Top winnings? Gewertz blogs:

"Spokesman Justin Hamilton said that Ed is keeping a close eye on how states are progressing with the plans they outlined in their Race to the Top applications. He noted that RTT money can only be drawn down by states in chunks, as they reach key milestones in that work.

"If we determine at any point along the way that a state is not holding to the commitment it made in its application, it could put its funding in jeopardy," he said."

Is Arne Duncan holding onto Delaware's funding until the State Board of Education formally adopts the Common Core Standards? Is he waiting for Delaware to reach that key milestone?  Time will tell...

[Continue Reading]

The State of Education in Delaware -- My Perspective

It's been eight months since I assumed the role of board member to finish the term of another before me.  Four years once seemed liked eons. Now three years seems to be not nearly enough time (though the jury is still out on whether I will run again) to empower the changes to education that both Christina and Delaware need.

Education in Delaware is facing uprecedented challenges to which Christina will not be immune.  National and Global economic failings have left their mark on Delaware.  Though stimulus funds staved off the impact for this current year, the future is a much different monster.  It's time for some honest and frank discussion of what lies in the future.

The State of Delaware is facing a near $50 million education funding deficit, the impact of which boils down to a funding cut of  appoximately $500 per student, your student and mine.  It will come across all districts, all programs, and all schools.  For Christina the much debated 25% rolling decrease in state transportation funding will add an average of $40 to every school tax bill, if a referendum can be successfully run.  The jury is out on whether the match tax portion of the tuition bill will stand -- meaning that districts may not be able to levy that portion of the tuition bill next year as indicated by the Department of Education's budget presentation in Dover.  At the time of this writing, Christina has not entered into discussions with its board as to any intentions of going to referendum.  And most homeowners will tell you, this is not the time to ask the public for more tax money.  Where does that leave us?  Where does that leave Christina?  And where does that leave our children?

I'm staring at the FY 2011 Operating Budget Briefing dispersed to legislators by the Department of Education.  Within the organization structure (who holds what position) the vital role of Associate Secretary of Teaching and Learning is vacant while the positions of Assoc. Sec. of College and Workforce Readiness and Assoc. Sec./Chief Financial Officer are filled.  I see before me an unbalanced scale, weighted heavily against the Department's mission of Teaching and Learning, a Branch without an advocate and a Budget that reflects that lost voice.

I am alarmed by page 10 of the briefing which reflects the Federal Stimulus Funding for Education Stabilization.  In Fiscal year 10, the Technology Block Grant, the Student Success Block Grant, the Academic Excellence, Limited English Proficiency and Division II Allocations were removed from the General Fund and replaced by Stimulus Funds.  Essentially, Delaware abdicated funding these categories, drawing the needed monies from one-time stimulus funds.  Those allocations have not been returned to the General Fund.  What does it mean:

• In 2008, the State funded the associated positions.
• In 2009/10, One-time Stimulus Funds were used to fund these programs for a total of $33,891,000.
• In the 2010/11 Budget, the proposed funding for these programs decreases to $13,121,100. 
• That's MORE THAN $20 MILLION Cut from Education Spending.
• There is no plan to draw additional monies from the State's General Fund to support these programs and teachers.
• If DOE does not fund these needed positions and programs that directly affect our children, and if local districts are unable to find replacement funding, these positions will GO AWAY.

While it's true that the proposed budget we see before us today may look very different come June/July when our legislators ratify it, it's important that we begin the conversation now.  And that conversation must be centered around the desire of stakeholders to inform the legislature that cutting education funding is not an acceptable solution to Delaware's budget dilemma and that we as constituents expect our legislators to generate new sources of revenue for the state, and particularly education.

While the topic will certainly be debated by the Statewide PTA, the Delaware State Education Association, and the Delaware Schools Chiefs Association, locally-elected school boards must engage not just with their constituents but as constituents of those in Dover.  Delaware's School Boards cannot fail to lead today.  We cannot be idle and are obligated by our oath to lead the seach for solutions.

Education is in need of solutions and we must come together to find them!

[Continue Reading]