Delaware Schools Need Accountability, Not More Money
A Report by Caesar Rodney Institute's Center for Education Excellence
Appoquinimink1, Red Clay2, Brandywine3, and Smyrna4 School Districts are already asking for more money this winter to squander, irresponsibly spend, keep up with the [bloated] costs of operation through a referendum. Other districts are expected to follow suit.
The district cited inflation impact at about $37 million more than initial estimates for approved projects.
Deliver mental health supports in every school building5
A referendum is a public vote on a particular issue. In this case, it is a vote to increase your property taxes by over 50₵ per $100 of assessed value, which in & of itself has already increased due to Delaware's statewide property reassessment.6
Smyrna states the increase in funding will be used to:
"Prioritize the safety of students and staff, while facilitating necessary school expansion."
🤣 Bwa ha ha ha…..oh, wait, they're serious?
The schools expensive, woke, destructive anti-discipline policies are what has been negatively impacting students, both physically & academically. Abandoning those harmful policies and restoring traditional discipline is what will “prioritize the safety of students and staff”.
More to come on referendums soon, but for now, with all that said, here is an excellent article explaining why it is not more money that is needed, but rather accountability.
Delaware Schools Need Accountability, Not More Money7
January 5, 2024 | Caesar Rodney Institute
Below are some highlights. Use the link above to view this article in it's entirety with full context.
…the Delaware Department of Education(DDOE) released an Education Funding Study that cost taxpayers $700,000.
According to the Nation's Report Card, Delaware students are:
3rd from the bottom in fourth grade math,
4th from the bottom in fourth grade reading,
5th from the bottom in eighth grade math and eighth grade reading.
Lack of Money is Not the Problem
These poor academic outcomes are not due to a lack of funding (see Graph 1 below). Delaware's academic outcomes have decreased over the past 20 years, while education spending has increased.
Delaware already spends 1/3rd of our total state budget on education. Yet we are now being asked to increase this spending by $600 million - $1 billion per year.
Accountability is What Delaware Schools Need
In Delaware, there are no consequences for schools that perform poorly. In fact, poorly performing schools are rewarded by receiving extra funding!
Instead of increasing education spending in Delaware, we should incentivize our public schools to perform better with the large amounts of money they already have.
Delaware taxes will likely increase due to the property tax reassessments resulting from a related ACLU court case.
In a narrow outcome, the residents of Appoquinimink School District voted against all three questions on the ballot of Tuesday’s referendum, which would have raised taxes $435 per year for the average homeowner if successful.
Delaware allows districts to come back one additional time for capital requests, before the state moves its funds to meet another district’s request. The board will try again on April 23, 2024.
https://delawarelive.com/appo-referendum-fails-prelim-voting-results/
On February 28, residents of Red Clay will vote on a Tax Increase Referendum.
Details about Brandywine School District’s February 13, 2024 referendum was discussed at the School Board meeting on Monday, December 18 at 7 p.m. It’s a chance to get details about how their tax dollars will be spent if the referendum is approved.
Click here to watch the meeting or to view later.
The average homeowner would see a $181.75 increase in taxes in the first year, and then $145.40 increase thereafter.
The Brandywine School District website has complete details and a taxpayer calculator.
The operating ask is seeking to collect 51.70 cents more per $100 of assessed value in New Castle County and an additional 64.97 cents per $100 assessed value in Kent County by July 1, if approved.
Many of you may have seen this advertisement on your computer screen. There has been a massive ad campaign for inseparable, pushing for HB200 to pass.
Mental health services is a lucrative business!
While this may seem innocuous, maybe even beneficial, make no mistake that this is a trojan horse! It will be hijacked to push a political agenda. The executive director of Inseparable, Brian Bond, is also executive director of PFLAG, an LGBTQ organization that supports “gender affirming care" for minors. There is no doubt that this "mental health support" will actually manipulate & confuse young children who are already suffering from the isolation & learning loss caused by the Covid lockdowns.
PFLAG is "beyond excited" to support Jeffrey marsh, as shown in the video below.
With those connections I’ve shown, and the eagerness for inseparable to get this bill past, do you trust that in$eparable ha$ your ₵hild’$ best intere$t at $take?
By Dr. Tanya Hettler, PhD
Center for Education Excellence
https://www.caesarrodney.org/CRI-news/Delaware-Schools-Need-Accountability,-Not-More-Money.htm