It has almost been a year since Delaware Governor John Carney announced his intention to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Christina Wilmington Schools. This partnership between his office, the Christina School District, the Christina Board of Education, and the Delaware Department of Education has been missing one key ingredient. Until today. The Christina Education Association came up with a new MOU which was publicly released today. If this passes, the stage is set for the consolidation of the Christina Wilmington schools.
The Christina Board of Education will vote on the proposed MOU at their board meeting on September 11th. In July, the board approved a delay for this MOU until September 15th. In addition, the members of CEA will have to ratify the MOU as well.
The proposed MOU brought forth by CEA goes over extended-school year days and how many the teachers are willing to work. There is extensive language about teachers applying for city school positions and the qualifications for those teachers. Once certain teachers sign a letter of commitment to the district they would not be subject to a reduction in workforce in either 2019 or 2020. There are bonuses for those teachers as well as a reimbursement of the Wilmington City Wage Tax. Teacher Leadership programs, and how they would work, are covered in the MOU as well.
To read the full proposed MOU, please see below:
The Season Of Myths 
So does this mean that a teacher in Newark with more seniority will get a RIF over a first year teacher in Wilmington who signed a commitment letter?
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Let’s look at the broader construct of this MOU……Any teacher who has the character, ability to foster positive relationships with students and support the social emotional well-being of OUR students….. NOT IN SPITE OF, but rather BECAUSE OF their diverse backgrounds….and is willing to make the long term commitment to teach OUR babies in CSD Wilmington City Schools EARNS the RIGHT TO EXEMPTION. A narrow view of this MOU is not what we need from community stakeholders. We cannot continue to PERPETUATE the INJUSTICES that have plagued Wilmington City Schools. Let’s stand behind this CATALYST FOR CHANGE…move forward to a brighter and better future for our students who NEED our SUPPORT, not hidden agendas.
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There’s no hidden agenda in facing the reality that ripping these children from the comfort and convenience of their locally available/accessible neighborhood schools and warehousing them in some monolithic barracks type structure while failing to adequately fund their education opportunity will result in failure. In fact the only agenda I see here is the same one that Governor Markell had in his ill-advised priority schools debacle. Quite frankly his agenda and the apparent agenda of the current administration in regards to Wilmington education improvement is to craft a hypothetical solution from unproven and baseless conjecture that will distract the public and media’s attention from the reality that we are starving public education slowly but surely. Not a penny to reduce classroom ratios, not a penny to provide needed full-time Reading and Math Specialists, only some empty promise to compress all Wilmington children into the proverbial “sardine can” type environment and declare victory. I have no problem with incentivizing teachers to try to help and teach these children (I suggested a waiver of Wilmington income tax for inner city teachers over four years ago) but asking them to do it successfully with no resources or tools at their disposal is sleight of hand politics of the most callous sort.
Representative John Kowalko
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So Catalyst, explain why teachers who haven’t taught one day in a city school, therefore not having shown the qualities you suggest should govern the exemption get one for just signing a piece of paper? How does that help kids when they flame out and stay…hurting yet another group of kids? That would be the quintessence of perpetuating the injustices.
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Horrible MOU, horrible plan to construct two monolithic barracks buildings while destroying neighborhood schools. Where the hell is your law suit now Jea Street? When Carney dissolves all the remnants of local neighborhoods and families leaving the RODEL’s to pick over the ashes I’ll still be searching for funding for Reading and Math specialists. What a disaster awaits those students. parents and grandparents who will no longer be able to reassuringly hold the hands of their young charges and deliver them to Pulaski. Great job all. Oh and by the way make sure you keep those Christina/Wilmington matriculating 9th graders on those buses to Newark but barred from entering certain “public” high schools lottery. Where are you Jea, ACLU and NAACP?
Representative John Kowalko
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Its time for the city to have its own school district. The city can manage, fund and support the schools the way the see fit.
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