I warned them. Many times. Sit at the table and you will be on the table. The Delaware State Education Association was swallowed whole. By who?
DASA
About That Administrator Count Article…
School AdministratorsI am never writing an article about administrator cuts ever again! But seriously, after getting thrown on the fire for my post yesterday about school administrator counts and my suggestion that some should be cut, I am going to take a different approach to on this. I appreciate the feedback from dozens of you on here and on social media. To that end, I spoke with Tammy Croce, the Executive Director of the Delaware School Administrators Association today down at Legislative Hall. She indicated the information I got was not correct, nor is the Delaware DOE’s information. She said there are inherent flaws in the data reporting system and there is bad data out there. She gave me a very good suggestion which I plan to take her up on.
I don’t mind posting information I receive from others, but I will be doing more homework on it in the future prior to posting it. Perhaps the answer to this is somewhere in the middle. It was not my attempt to badmouth every single administrator and to indicate they all suck. I know tons of admins and they work their butt off morning, noon, and sometimes evenings. I do know of some who got there through the buddy system and they really shouldn’t be there. It is a complicated issue. But I heard you loud and clear on Facebook, and you know who you are. But let’s try not to get insulting and attempting to make me look like an idiot. I have never pretended to get everything right, and when it comes to education, the transparency needs to drastically improve. If you want to raise taxes on citizens to pay for education, than we as taxpaying citizens deserve to know where that money is going. That is the unstated contract when taxpayers pay for our schools. I wish more people would demand to know where the money is going!
I wish there were NO public education cuts. I wish we knew where every penny the existing money is going towards. I wish every district would list their admins along with job descriptions on their website. I wish a lot of things. What I can’t stand though is advocates for one district assuming the article was solely about THEIR district. It wasn’t. But when those same advocates kept questioning me on social media, I asked specific questions about their district and they either didn’t know the answer or didn’t want to provide it. If you are going to defend something, please be prepared to back up your defense, that’s all I’m asking. And as much as I may want to, I can’t go to every Citizens Budget Oversight Committee meeting. To be honest, I can’t really get to most education meetings like I used to. If they are close to where I live, that is one thing. But trekking up to Wilmington all the time? Not an option for me. Which is why I try to have a social media presence with this blog, which I do on my own time, unpaid.
This is the part about education that baffles me. Our state and our schools demand full transparency regarding our children: health records, test scores, academic progress, where they live, who they live with, discipline records, etc. But when it comes time to demand transparency surrounding the adults in education and where the money is going, we fall far short in this state. If you want to get mad, get mad. To be frank, I expected much more public outcry over charter schools keeping their share of the educational sustainment fund. To me, that is a much more important issue than all this admin count discussion going on.
If anyone would care to assist, please reach out to me and we can swap ideas.
The Rodel Teacher Council Policy Briefs & Why Delaware Teachers Need To Be VERY Concerned
RodelI’ve heard from more than a few teachers in the past hour since I posted about the Rodel Teacher Council’s presentation to the State Board of Education. Many were unaware of what this very small group of Delaware teachers have been up to and how it could impact the future of their profession. I wanted to follow-up on that article with this set of “policy briefs” created by this teacher council. What could happen is this corporate education reform hocus-pocus is all of a sudden written into Delaware state code without anyone the wiser. This would be done by our General Assembly who Rodel has been making nicey-nice with in the past year. I would strongly urge all the local teacher unions and the Delaware State Education Association to get on top of this as soon as humanly possible and find out what the hell some of the teachers in their districts are doing with all this in the name of Rodel. I’ve been warning about these possibilities for a long time. But it will take much more than me to stop this from becoming the new reality.
For months, I’ve heard Delaware Governor John Carney talk about “public and private partnerships”. Funny how the Rodelians mention this very same thing in their policy briefs issued last November. If you think for one second John Carney is not under Rodel’s thumb, think again!
I’ve written about “Social Impact Bonds” before. Where companies come in and essentially make bets on student outcomes. Now we see “Innovation Funding”, also known as crowdsourcing, where communities “invest” in schools so someone can make a whole lot of money. As well, the state won’t have to pay for it. But all that comes with a price. The future generation of students who will be fully immersed in this nonsense will become nothing more than drones to the corporations as true local decision-making becomes a thing of the past. Meanwhile, all the “smart” and “wealthy” kids will be attending private schools paid for, in part, by school vouchers.
The below documents were created last November but they are making their rounds with the decision-makers in Delaware education. This is Paul Herdman’s ultimate vision folks. Everything else has just been a sideshow compared to this. They can come out with all the pretty and colorful presentations they want. But as long as people keep swallowing their pills, this will continue. It will never change until people demand our Department of Education, our legislators, and our schools stop adopting Rodel’s corporate greed-driven drivel. And for the love of all that is holy, will education stakeholders who really should know better please get off the Vision Coalition? All you are doing is prolonging the existence of Rodel. DSEA, DASA, and DSBA need to inform all those who pay dues to them of every single aspect of these policies and let their members decide how to deal with this. Decisions like this should not be brought forth by 22 Delaware teachers speaking for the entire teaching force in Delaware.
Cursive Bill Released From Delaware House Education Committee
CursiveIt seemed to be an even split between advocates and those who oppose the bill, but State Rep. Andria Bennett’s House Bill was released from committee today with 12 votes. Next stop, the House Ready list. Many of the folks who opposed the bill were in favor of students learning cursive but felt that was a decision best left to the local school board and not a mandate from the state. The Delaware Department of Education opposed the bill for the same reasons, along with the Delaware Association of School Administrators and the Delaware School Boards Association.
Both sides cited research or studies weighing the pros and cons of the bill. I supported it and gave public comment on how my son seemed to like cursive more than regular writing. Another advocate for students with disabilities, Robert Overmiller with the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, also supported the bill because of the beneficial nature for special needs students. A retired teacher supported the bill.
State Rep. Bennett said her idea for this bill came last Christmas when her own daughter was unable to read her grandmother’s cursive writing in a Christmas card. Some advocates said it is important children know how to read original historic documents, such as The Declaration of Independence. One gentleman said he would not hire someone at his company who didn’t know cursive since so many old property deeds and paperwork were written in cursive and they would not be able to understand those documents. One parent stated they were vehemently against the bill and that it shouldn’t matter if kids can read historic documents in cursive because it is all available online. She also said grandmothers are texting and using Instagram more and more these days. State Rep. Joe Miro said with our state budget deficit we should not be mandating curriculum at the state level.
If you are in favor of this bill, please contact your state legislator and let them know! I know I will call my own State Rep, Trey Paradee and ask him to support this bill!
17 Who Will Make An Impact In 2017: Kevin Carson
Kevin Carson
The former Superintendent of Woodbridge and Cape Henlopen, as well as the very recent former Executive Director of the Delaware Association of School Administrators could have a very big 2017. As well, he served as the interim Superintendent in the Woodbridge School District. Kevin Carson could be handed a role that will define his legacy in Delaware. This is a man who knows the ins and outs of Delaware education.
I’ve met Carson several times, usually at Legislative Hall. As the head of DASA, Carson represented every single Delaware school administrator during one of Delaware’s most tumultuous times in education. He challenged former Secretary of Education Mark Murphy with a vote of no confidence, along with leaders from the two biggest local teacher unions in the state and the Delaware State Education Association.
If Carson is picked as John Carney’s Secretary of Education, he will have to juggle many balls all at once. There is the mounting deficit in our state budget. Delaware will be submitting it’s Every Student Succeeds Act state plan. New charter school applications will begin pouring in. A growing chorus of Delaware citizens are demanding more financial transparency with education. The Rodel engine will want Carson on their side. Education technology is poised to dilute the teaching profession to something unrecognizable. Education funding will continue to be a thorn in the side of Delaware students.
Carson would be in charge of a Delaware Department of Education that is ripe for change. He has the logistic ability and intelligence to transform the Department into something that delivers on transparency and better communication. As well, he would serve as the Secretary for the State Board of Education and would have valuable input on who would be good picks for future board members. There is nothing in Delaware state code that would prevent Carney from picking an entirely new State Board of Education. There is now one vacancy on the board and Carson’s opinion on who that replacement should be could be pivotal.
Carson would also have to deal with events transpiring at a federal level. President Trump and his Cabinet of private sector billionaires will want to change education and privatize it. As a blue state, Delaware will fight this tooth and nail. But one compromise could threaten Delaware education in varying ways. We need a Secretary that has vast amounts of experience in dealing with events at the local level. Someone who sees the issues from a wide perspective. Someone who would be the voice for Delaware students and educators, who understands the complexities that divide us.
I completely understand that any Delaware Secretary of Education would have to conform to Governor Carney’s platform. With Jack Markell, he had a very clear agenda and God forbid if you disagreed with that agenda. He micro-managed Delaware education to the point of absurdity. But at the same time he let financial issues run amok in our schools. While I don’t see Carney as well-versed in education matters as Markell was, I believe that will become a strength of a positive Secretary. I would like to think Carney would give his Secretary more leeway in implementing education policy in Delaware. Godowsky was a mixed bag. Like I’ve said before, he would have been a great Secretary under a different Governor.
Nothing against the other potential choice for Carney’s Secretary of Education, but we need someone who has served as more than a leader of one district. We need someone who has a multi-leveled array of experience in Delaware education leadership. That man is Kevin Carson.
Will Stakeholders Be Able To Stop The Delaware DOE With ESSA? And What Delaware Entity Is Already Cashing In?
Every Student Succeeds ActThe Delaware Every Student Succeeds Act Discussion Groups held their third meeting on October 17th. Below are the minutes from those meetings. The next meeting will be on November 7th at the Collette Center in Dover from 6pm to 8pm. Big topics like Special Education, Opt Out, the infamous “n” number, and the “whole child”. As well, a major Delaware entity is holding a non-transparent event with some mighty big players and charging for it to boot!
The Student and School Supports group found the following items to be priorities in Delaware education:
- Schools are the hub of the community so they need more services brought to them.
- Schools need more psychologists as well as psychiatrists and neurologists on call to assist with special education.
- Schools need more realistic ratios of guidance counselors.
- More trauma-informed schools.
- Funding for the “whole child” approach.
- Greater funding for high-needs schools.
- Invest in Birth to 8 with weight put on social and emotional learning (this also included discussion around providing basic special education funding for students in Kindergarten to 3rd grade).
This group is top-heavier than the other discussion group with folks from the services side of education, and it definitely showed. I don’t mind more services in schools. But the key is in the eagerness. It was my perception that some were very pushy with what they would like to see. These very same people would also benefit financially from more of the recommended services in schools. Are they a stakeholder at that point or a benefactor?
The most popular items brought for by this discussion group were as follows:
- Not having the 95% participation rate penalty in the Delaware School Success Framework. Since participation rate in state assessments is beyond a school’s ability to control, it should not be used as a punishment.
- English Language Learners accountability needs to look at factors in access for these students, how much formal education they had prior to coming to Delaware schools, age, how proficient they are in their native language, if they live in a city or rural environment, and how well they are able to read in their own language.
- The “n” size, which is the lowest number a school can have for reporting populations of sub-groups so they are not easily identifiable, was 30
The “n” number is always a tricky beast to tackle. I support a high n# for student data privacy. But on the other side, schools with small populations in their subgroups (charter schools) aren’t obligated to provide information on those students and it can make them look better than they really are. This helps to perpetuate the myth that certain charters provide a better education. I think the notion of being able to easily recognize a student who has disabilities or is in a sub-group is somewhat ridiculous. I have never believed special education should be a stigma. I think schools should celebrate every single child’s uniqueness. By not reporting the results of those students (even if they are based on very flawed state assessments) does those students a disservice. It makes it look like they don’t matter when they most certainly do. It doesn’t look like too many people in this group were in favor of keeping the opt out penalty in the state accountability system. Obviously, I echo that sentiment!
Last week, the Delaware ESSA Advisory Committee held their first meeting. You can read the highlights here. As well, Delaware State Rep. Kim Williams, who is also on the Advisory Committee, had some thoughts on the meeting, the US DOE’s pending regulations around Title I, and how they could affect Delaware schools.
The first draft of Delaware’s ESSA plan comes out at the end of this month. From there, the discussion groups and Advisory Committee will reconvene. As well, the Delaware DOE will be hosting more Community Conversations in each county. Those groups will meet on the following dates from 6pm to 8pm:
11/16: Community Education Building, 1200 N. French St., Wilmington
11/21: Cape Henlopen High School, 1200 Kings Highway, Lewes
11/29: Seaford High School, 399 N. Market St., Seaford
12/1: John Collette Education Resource Center, 35 Commerce Way, Suite 1, Dover
12/8: Newark Charter School, 2001 Patriot Way, Newark
I find it VERY interesting they are holding the Wilmington meetings at charter schools. The Community Education Building is the home of Kuumba Academy and Great Oaks. Sussex County also gets two meetings while Kent County only gets one.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the general public, the University of Delaware Institute of Public Administration is holding a 5 1/2 hour event tomorrow at the Outlook at the Duncan Center in Dover. This event is called the School Leader Professional Development Series: The Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act. This event is NOT on the Delaware Public Meeting Calendar nor was it mentioned at the discussion groups or the Advisory Committee. I was able to get my hands on what is happening at this not-so-transparent event. The event is described as the following:
This workshop is an additional forum for multi-stakeholder district teams to interact and discuss the opportunities and challenges introduced by this new legislation.
Major players are coming to Dover at 9am tomorrow morning. Folks like the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Secondary-School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Education Association, and the National School Boards Association.
Presenting on Delaware’s ESSA plan will be Deb Stevens from DSEA, Dr. Terri Hodges from Delaware PTA, Executive Director from Delaware State Administrators Association Tammy Croce, Executive Director John Marinucci from Delaware School Boards Association, and a rep from the Delaware DOE.
Working groups will also be formed to discuss ESSA. Another one of the workshops will focus on state accountability systems will be led by Robin Taylor with R² Educational Consulting (never heard of them, time to start digging), one on school interventions led by Director of State Assessment and Accountability Joseph Jones from New Castle County Vo-Tech and Director of Elementary Schools Amy Grundy from Red Clay. Finally, Laura Glass with the Delaware Center for Teacher Education and Jackie Wilson of the Delaware Academy for School Leadership/Professional Development Center for Education will lead a workshop on Teacher and Leader Training and Evaluation.
Will the Delaware DOE use what is said in this non-transparent event to help in the creation of their first draft? Why is this event not public? Shouldn’t those outside of education be able to hear what is being said about what could happen in their local schools based on this act? One of the biggest challenges of ESSA is the perception that the Delaware DOE already knows what will be in their state plan and all of this is just details. I suppose someone could crash this event if they registered, but they would have to fork over $85.00 to go. But if you got in with a local school district or charter school with four or more members that price would jump way down from $85.00 to $75.00. Cashing in on ESSA! Gotta love the University of Delaware.
If you are not informed about the Every Student Succeeds Act and Delaware’s proposed plans, you won’t know the future of education in this state. Period. I have been imploring parents and citizens to get involved with this for a long time now. I understand people are busy and they have their own lives. But this one is really big. It has not escaped my notice that they are doing all this during a major election cycle and around the holidays. That is how the Delaware DOE rolls. Either they plan stuff in the summer when no one can show up (or even knows about it) or they cram it in during very busy times for families, teachers, and citizens.
When the first draft comes out, I will be dissecting every single word and punctuation mark in the document. I will break it down for you. I will filter through what they think the public will see and what it really means. That’s how I roll. But it can’t stop there. YOU must lend your voice. Whether it is in person or email. Keep a copy of what you say at all times. Make sure your voice is not only heard but recorded as well. We will get exactly what they submit. If you don’t make your voice heard now (or when the drafts are released), it will be far too late. It comes down to trust. Do you really trust the Delaware DOE to do the right thing for students without selling them out to Education Inc.? I don’t. We need to upset the apple cart. Are you in? Or will you lament not speaking up later?
Don’t Forget: Governor’s ESSA Advisory Committee Meeting Tonight
Every Student Succeeds ActThe Delaware Governor’s ESSA Advisory Committee will meet tonight at Legislative Hall in the House Majority Hearing Room. The fun starts at 6pm. Will Jack Markell show up? It would be very tight. At 5pm he will be in Wilmington for the Delaware Open Data Launch, and then he has to be at Dover Downs for the 2016 Volunteer Awards ceremony.
I can’t believe there has been no announcement concerning who is actually on this committee. I know State Rep. Kim Williams, Deb Stevens from DSEA, and Appo Superintendent Matt Burrows are on it. If I were a betting man, I’m sure Kendall Massett from the Delaware Charter Schools Network is on it. She rarely gives up a spot on any committee for a designee. Someone from Rodel. Perhaps Kevin Carson from the Delaware Association of School Administrators. John Marinucci from the Delaware School Boards Association. I have a feeling I will know most of this crowd. See you tonight!
Governor Markell’s Executive Order #62 Creates ESSA Advisory Committee
Governor MarkellToday, Delaware Governor Markell signed an Executive Order which creates an Advisory n Committee for the Every Student Succeeds Act. As required by federal law, this group will convene to provide input (not make final decisions) on ESSA which was signed by President Obama last December. I am assuming this group will replace the DESS Advisory Committee which was required under the former federal education law, ESEA.
This group will have the usual slots: President of the State Board of Education, President of the Delaware State Education Association, and other education, business, and state associations. There are only two legislator slots, one from the Senate and one from the House. Usually, these kind of groups have representation of both parties in the House and the Senate. Only three teachers will be picked, and only four parents. On something this important, bigger is better. But lest we forget, these members will be picked by the Governor, so expect some controversy over those picks!
As well, there will be a series of “Community Conversations” coming up at the end of September. I pray this isn’t a one-sided show where select people are telling the audience what has to happen. It needs to be a true back and forth exchange to be a true conversation.
Below is Executive Order #62 and the press release from the Delaware DOE.
Markell Creates Group to Support Implementation of New Federal Education Law
Calling a new federal education law an opportunity for teachers, school leaders, parents, and others to build on record graduation rates and other progress happening in Delaware schools, Governor Jack Markell today signed Executive Order 62, which brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to provide input for the state plan required by the federal Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA). The plan, which the U.S. Department of Education is expected to require by sometime next year, will detail efforts to:
· Implement academic standards aligned with what students need to know stay on track for success in college and the workplace;
· Ensure students from all backgrounds have access to high-quality educational opportunities from pre-school through high school;
· Support training, retention, and professional advancement of great educators; and
· Track progress of schools across a variety of measures, not limited to test scores, and identify ways to offer additional support where students are struggling.
The Governor, who signed E.O. 62 at Lewis Elementary School, noted that improvements from the last major federal education law, No Child Left Behind, mean that states have more flexibility in ways to support students, including how to measure schools’ progress and new opportunities to focus on early childhood education, which has been a top priority of the Markell Administration.
“We should all be proud of the progress we have made over the last few years, when we have seen thousands more low-income families enroll children in high-quality early childhood programs, recorded the fastest-growing graduation rate in the country, offered thousands more students the chance to earn workplace experience and college credit while in high school, and given more students access to college,” said Markell.
“ESSA provides an exciting chance for us to build on that momentum – to better support and attract great teachers and ensure all of our students have access to the education they deserve, no matter their backgrounds. More flexibility in how states approach these issues means more responsibility for us to make sound decisions and as we develop our state’s plan under ESSA. The executive order I sign today will help engage our teachers, school leaders, parents, and other advocates to ensure a successful process.”
The Executive Order outlines the variety of education leaders and advocates who must be represented on the committee and provides the group with the opportunity to review drafts of the state plan and submit recommendations to the Secretary of Education. A chair will be announced in advance of the first meeting and the group will include representatives of:
· Parents in every county
· Educators from urban and rural communities
· The State Board of Education
· The Delaware State Education Association
· The Delaware Association of School Administrators
· The Delaware School Board’s Association
· The Delaware Charter School Network
· The Wilmington Education Improvement Commission
· The Early Childhood Council
· Delaware English Language Teachers and Advocates
· An organization advocating for students with disabilities
· Delaware’s business community
· Workforce development programs
· The General Assembly
“After engaging in initial discussions with a wide variety of education stakeholders on development of our ESSA plan, this advisory committee represents an important next step in supporting our communication with teachers, administrators, and parents who are working hard to support our students,” said Delaware Education Secretary Steve Godowsky. “This group will help ensure we fully consider a wide range of perspectives and set our state on a path of continued improvement.”
The department also will engage representatives of stakeholder groups in two discussion groups. The first group will focus discussions on technical topics related to Measures of School Success and Reporting. The second group will focus discussions on provisions for Student and School Supports. Participants for these topical discussion groups can be nominated on the department’s ESSA web site through September 9, 2016. The discussion groups will provide information to the Advisory group created by this Executive Order.
To further support engagement of the broader education community, the Department of Education has announced a series of Community Conversations later this month during which teachers, administrators, and others will offer input on specific questions that the state must address in its plan. These discussions will take place at the following times and locations:
Tuesday September 20 at 6:00 p.m. – Cheer Center, Georgetown
Saturday September 24 at 10:00 a.m. – Christina Cultural Arts Center, Wilmington
Tuesday September 27 at 6:00 p.m. – Bunker Hill Elementary School, Middletown
Thursday September 29 at 5:30 p.m. – Collette Education Center, Dover
The public also is invited to provide input through online surveys found on the Department’s ESSA web site and by submitting feedback to ESSAStatePlan@doe.k12.de.us.
The Teacher Leader Pilot Program Comes To Us Courtesy Of Rodelaware
Delaware Teacher Leader PilotThe Delaware Department of Education continues their self-righteous Rodel led agendas. In their latest corporate education reform press release, Godowsky and the gang announced the nineteen members of the Delaware Teacher Leader Pilot program kicking off this year. I find it more than a coincidence that most of the districts who got these positions are very tight with the “Leader In Me” program. The only districts selected were Capital and Appoquinimink. Three charters are joining the bandwagon which are MOT, Kuumba Academy and Odyssey.
At their April board meeting, the Capital Board of Education tentatively approved going forward with this program. But they had deep concerns about setting up competitions in schools. They cited the very controversial Delaware Talent Co-op Program from a few years ago and how it caused many problems among teachers. As well, the board was concerned with the amount of time the selected Teacher Leaders would spend out of the classroom and how additional substitute teachers would need to take their place. The principals of these schools were very enthusiastic about the program. Both are “focus” schools, one of the latest “turnaround” labels thrown at schools over low state assessment scores. In a sense, I don’t blame these principals for doing what they can to get their schools out of these false labels put on them by the Delaware DOE. If you go to the Capital board audio recording from their April 20th board meeting, click on the second audio recording link, and the discussion begins around the 1:22:03 mark. When asked how much the program would cost, Superintendent Dan Shelton mentioned the stipend teachers would get but also that the training would take up the bulk of the costs. A figure of $50,000 was thrown around.
The only schools in Capital who are instituting this pilot program are Towne Point and East Dover Elementary. Towne Point is a huge advocate of the “Leader In Me” program. Fairview Elementary in Capital also has this program. Appoquinimink School District brought Leader In Me to Delaware. Payments for this program are made to a company called Franklin Covey. Many of the teachers at Towne Point who advocate for this program are also members of this Teacher Leader pilot program. One of them is also very involved with the Rodel Teacher Council. I have no doubt this teacher is an excellent teacher, but when you see one name associated with so many things I can not support, it is hard to draw the line between saying nothing and pointing it out. I fully welcome any discussion with this teacher about anything written in this article, especially the part I write about later on.
The Delaware General Assembly passed their budget bill in late June with an appropriation of $800,000 in state funds going to the recipient districts and charters towards the Teacher Leader program.
What I don’t understand is how the DOE can move forward with a program that is contingent on approval in the State Budget. The funds for this state grant weren’t approved until late June. But here we have the DOE sending out invitations to apply after Spring Break. For Capital school district, students came back after Spring Break on April 4th. They gave schools a very short time to apply for this program, a matter of 25 days. What was the insane rush behind this? I will touch on this later, but for now check out the press release from Alison May at the DOE:
First teacher leaders announced
How does a member of the Selection Committee manage to get selected for this program? Can you answer that for me Michele Johnson? Why do I constantly see the names of the aforementioned Michele Johnson, Robyn Howton and Jennifer Nauman attached to so much Rodel/Vision stuff and now this selection committee? Under whose authority did you allow schools to apply for this before any decision was made granting the authority by legislative decree to a public committee or before the funds were even appropriated for this program? Can you answer that for me Angeline Rivello? Or do you answer to Donna Johnson? Because there is a crystal clear reason she was cc’ed on this email. Who chose the selection committee for a program that, once again, wasn’t even approved? Your email said there was a chance to get a “wide diversity” of schools but we have only one Kent Country district, one New Castle County district, and three New Castle charters. How did that work out? What was the rubric for scoring applications? How many applications were received? Did the selection committee read every single application or what it divvied up among the selection committee?
I think it is past time the DOE fessed up on their sneakiness and manipulation. Secretary Godowsky PROMISED a greater degree of transparency and open communication coming from this Department, and all I see are more lies, secret agendas, emails to select individuals with no public awareness, funds committed to things before they are even approved, focus groups or special meetings with no public notice, no minutes provided for certain things, or even links to certain groups (hello Competency-Based Learning Guiding Coalition). Meanwhile, you allow charters and districts to allocate money wherever they want with no true oversight, browbeat the auditor’s office until a good woman is put on leave while charters get away with financial murder, manipulate the ESSA regulatory process by claiming to have true stakeholder input when it is really just school administrators and lobbyists, force a school report card scheme on our schools without any regulatory authority to impose it, and have our students take a test that judges everything and the students don’t even take the test. Secretary Godowsky, I don’t care what anyone says, you are a HORRIBLE Secretary of Education. This kind of crap makes even Mark Murphy look okay in comparison. The rot in YOUR Department still exists, more than ever. This happened under YOUR watch. I hope the pieces of silver from Rodel and Markell were worth it…
Angeline Rivello, when I announced Chris Ruszkowski was leaving the DOE, a lot of teachers in this state reached out to me and they expressed how they wanted to give you a chance and hoped the stink from the TLEU would disappear. It is stronger then ever.
Donna Johnson, this just once again proves what I have always known: you don’t believe in transparency and you are well aware of everything that goes on in the Townsend Building. Does your beloved State Board know what you know? How the hell are you even still employed there? All of you are liars, plain and simple. There is no other justification for your actions.
Governor Markell, you tricked us again. You are a mastermind at turning something that looks good on the surface into a tangled web of lies and deception. If I had my way, I would impeach you even though you have less than five months in office.
If those in Delaware thought maybe I would temper things down eventually, my commitment to exposure in this state has NEVER been stronger. Every single day I see the corruption and fraud going on in our state. This isn’t a democracy. We have the most corrupt and vile state government in the country. None of this is about our kids. It is about power, position, and money. You all need to start coming clean before I find out about it. Because if you think only a few Delaware teachers and parents read this blog, you are VERY wrong. You have no idea, no one does, who is watching all of you. Recording every single thing I come out with, just building a very large and thick file.
And I do have a final item to throw out there. How can three contracts, which I can only assume may play into the total of $800,000 for Section 362is program which answers some of my questions for the funds involved in this sham, be signed on the following dates: 4/19/16, 4/21/16, 4/26/16, 5/2/16, 5/4/16, 5/10/16, 5/11/16, and 5/23/16? If these are for this program, and the General Assembly had not approved the funds for this program, how can you have contracts starting before the Joint Finance Committee even released their budget? Or should I assume the Rodel Foundation will be the one training these teacher leaders? With funds from the Vision Coalition? Or should I say Schools That Lead? Because when I look up Schools That Lead’s IRS 990 tax forms, it comes up with 990s for 2012, 2013, and 2014. Since Schools That Lead wasn’t really around then, care to take a guess what company comes up? The Vision Network. And if this description of their purpose doesn’t fit the bill for this Teacher Leader Pilot, I don’t know what does:
Care to take a close look at who Schools That Lead’s “partners” are? Just look at this. And if you aren’t aware of the backbone behind the Vision Coalition’s Student Success 2025, you need to take a look at this. The Vision Coalition wants us to be “rethinking roles and responsibilities” and that includes teacher leaders and their compensation levels. Take a look at the contracts above with Teach For America, University of Delaware and Supporting School Success. Sound familiar based on all this? Even more fascinating, even though Delaware has paid millions of dollars to the Rodel/Vision education incorporated enterprise, we never see any contracts with them listed on the awarded vendors portion of the state contracts website. I would have to imagine this contract could land them anywhere from $500,000-$600,000. Would that be a good guess Dr. Paul Herdman? With an address at 100 W. 10th St. in Wilmington, DE, it stands to reason Rodel is somehow going to profit off this.
When I first started digging into education stuff in Delaware, I remember reading an article on Kilroy’s where he wrote about talking with Jack Markell in 2008. Kilroy wanted to support him, and he asked Markell flat-out if he was going to stop the spread of Rodel into Delaware education to which Markell said he would. Jack lied Kilroy. He lied to all of us. Rodel runs the education show in Delaware. They have for 12 years. Every single decision made in Delaware education has been at the behest of the Rodel Foundation since Jack Markell took office. Together with their order-takers at the Delaware DOE, the State Board of Education, the Delaware Charter Schools Network, the Delaware Business Roundtable, the Christina Cultural Arts Center, Governor Markell’s office, and the Wilmington Metropolitan Urban League, they have single-handedly turned Delaware education into a billion dollar corporation. And our kids lose more and more every single day. Because their minions have infiltrated every charter, every district, every state agency, and even our General Assembly. We gave them this power. Now, it is time to take it all back.
Secretary Godowsky Had No Choice With Opt-Out Penalties
Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Steven Godowsky
With the release of the US DOE letter to the Delaware DOE about participation rates, we are getting a better picture of what happened the first week of November on the participation rate multiplier in the Delaware School Success Framework. On October 21st, the soon to be confirmed Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Steven Godowsky appeared before the New Castle County combined school boards at a breakfast. He announced to the board members and superintendents of the districts that the harsh opt-out penalties most likely would not see the light of day.
The Delaware State Education Association, Delaware Association of School Administrators, Delaware Chief School Officers Association and Delaware School Boards Association all publicly endorsed Godowsky for his Delaware Senate confirmation in a News Journal letter to the editor on October 26th. Two days later, Godowsky was confirmed by the Senate with only two no votes. Delaware State Senator Nicole Poore referred to Godowsky as “a breath of fresh air“. On November 5th, two weeks after his breakfast announcement, Godowsky flipped on his recommendation about opt-out penalties at the Delaware State Board of Education retreat.
Yesterday we found out the US DOE letter to the Delaware DOE was dated 11/2/15. The timing makes perfect sense. Perhaps Markell did have a change of heart but was forced to flip back once the US DOE announced their opt-out mandates. Who am I kidding! Jack probably gave the US DOE the idea! It does have his manipulative stench all over it. I now understand why Godowsky looked like Judas Iscariot at the last Accountability Framework Working Group meeting and the State Board of Education meeting two days after. His words said one thing, but the look in his eyes said something very different.
This may also shed some light on the bizarre Las Americas Aspiras Academy PTO email about opt-out. Were they aware of this letter the day it was released? I question the validity of this since their PTO leader stated ALL federal funding would be cut if 6% of their students were opted out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment. But given the nature of federal funding I can see how someone could misconstrue that. I’m sure the Delaware DOE sent the letter out to all school leaders and Superintendents in Delaware the first chance they got.
I am seriously questioning why the letters to the twelve states who went below the 95% threshold and the letter sent to all the states announcing definitive cuts if participation rates went below 95% two years in a row were just released to the public yesterday, on December 23rd. It was weeks after the final Every Student Succeeds Act votes and President Obama signing the legislation. I have to believe some of these legislators in Congress knew about these letters. How could they not. No one can keep a secret that long. Not in politics.
The smart thing the Delaware DOE and Godowsky could have done was simply tell the public on November 2nd they received these letters. By doing this they could have taken some of the heat off themselves and shifted it to the US DOE. Instead, they hid it from the public for over a month and a half. They duped the public, along with the US DOE and every other state DOE, into thinking the Every Student Succeeds Act and the clauses about opt-out would allow states to decide how to handle opt-out. They could have said they weren’t sure what they meant, but they had to reconsider the opt-out penalties. Maybe through collaboration they could have come up with something different. But this is not how the most unpopular state Department in Delaware operates. Sunshine is not the best disinfectant at our DOE. I think we need some good old-fashioned bleach to wipe the slate clean and start over. We have far too many people involved in education who people like, and believe they have the best intentions. But when it comes time for them to do the right thing all we hear is “I serve at the pleasure of the Governor,” or “It’s the feds. We can’t do anything about it.” For a Department that demands accountability from schools, teachers and students, they sure are hypocritical when it comes to themselves… And the duplicity continues…
15 Who Made An Impact In 2015: Mike Matthews, Jackie Kook, and Mike Kempski
Jackie Kook, Mike Kempski, Mike Matthews
In March, the Red Clay and Christina Education Associations passed a resolution announcing a vote of no confidence in Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy, the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware State Board of Education. The resolution, announced at a press conference on March 12th, 2015, was widely cheered as a strong statement against the education policies and agendas of both the DOE and Governor Markell.
Their resolution was the first of a series of blows against the Department and Murphy in response to the DOE’s atrocious handling of the six priority schools in Wilmington. Teachers in the two districts had enough with the standardized testing parts of their teacher evaluations. RCEA and CEA, led by the Mikes, Matthews and Kempski, with support from CEA Vice-President Jackie Kook, brought the resolution up for a vote to their union members. In addition, both educator associations supported the opt-out legislation, House Bill 50. Over the coming months after their announcement, both the Delaware State Education Association and the Delaware Association of School Administrators echoed their calls of no confidence in Mark Murphy.
As 2015 draws to a close, we can’t forget the impact these three had on education this year. House Bill 50 passed the House and Senate. Mark Murphy is gone. The new Every Student Succeeds Act calls for an elimination of standardized test scores as part of teacher evaluations. In a very big way, the two largest districts in our state received the most press this year, in large part due to the Wilmington redistricting plan.
Christina had a very rough year. It started off with the priority schools debacle which led to a memorandum of understanding with the DOE to grant the district a second planning year in response to the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee’s recommendations. After that, they lost two referendums which caused a reduction in work force of 99 educators. Dr. Freeman Williams, the Superintendent for the district, went on leave in August. Their board narrowly passed a vote to bring in Bob Andrzejewski as the Acting Superintendent a few months ago. Budget forecasts for the district look ominous as the district faces a third referendum attempt this year. The redistricting effort in Wilmington, now awaiting a vote by the State Board of Education in January, will certainly change the makeup of the district if passed.
Meanwhile, Red Clay passed their referendum, but not without consequences. A lawsuit filed by a family in the district in regards to operating procedures for the referendum could change the entire referendum landscape in Delaware. While Christina received an extra year of planning for priority schools, Red Clay moved forward but not without severe issues with promised funding from the DOE. New feeder patters led to a series of issues at Skyline Middle School as new students coming to the school literally changed the school culture of the building, resulting in a huge rise in bullying incidents. The district’s inclusion initiative is now the hotbed issue in the district due to a severe lack of resources and staff to handle the complex and intensive needs of many of the students with disabilities.
Matthews, Kempski, and Kook will certainly have their hands full in 2016. But as three of the strongest leaders not only in their district, but in the entire state, all three will be front and center in the debates and conversations surrounding education in Delaware.
15 Who Made An Impact In 2015: Mark Murphy
Mark Murphy
Aside from Governor Markell, the most talked about name in education in 2015 was Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy. When he took over the position from Lillian Lowery in 2012, there was skepticism. For three years, we watched Murphy and his minions at the Delaware Department of Education disengage with their stakeholders: teachers, administrators, parents, and students.
After the priority school controversy came to a head in the Christina School District, the opt-out movement in Delaware began to rise. It was around this time that both the Red Clay and Christina Education Associations had a press conference announcing a vote of no-confidence in Mark Murphy. Not long after, both the Delaware State Education Association and the Delaware Association of School Administrators announced the same verdict.
When House Bill 50, the opt-out legislation, became a huge topic of conversation, Murphy publicly stated on the Larry Mendte hosted The Delaware Way that parents were not allowed to opt their children out of standardized testing. I remember after the debate at the Senate Education Committee, a participant who had never seen Murphy before and was not involved in Delaware education, asked me if Murphy was alright, if there was something wrong with him.
In the early part of the summer, it was revealed the Red Clay Consolidated School District was not getting their promised funding for their three priority schools. As rumors go, this was the final nail in his secretarial coffin. By the middle of the summer, Murphy announced he was “retiring”. No reason was given, just that Murphy was going to pursue other opportunities. Meanwhile, his LinkedIn account still shows him as the Delaware Secretary of Education. The Race To The Top was over, and so was Mark Murphy.
Public Comments From Delaware’s ESEA Flex Renewal Request
Delaware ESEA Flex Waiver RequestThis can be read anywhere, but you came here! In this document are the public comments from the public comment period prior to Delaware submitting their Elementary & Secondary Education Act Flex Renewal for the 2014-2015 school year. There is a very specific reason I am posting this, which will be forthcoming in another article, but remember this…
Legislation & True Education Reform That NEEDS To Happen For Schools, the State Board and the DOE In Delaware
True Delaware Education Reform LegislationI’ve talked about legislation that did pass, and bills that are still pending. The following are bills that should happen given the current state of education in Delaware. I strongly encourage our legislators to read this and start thinking about these ideas if you haven’t already. If we really want meaningful change for students in Delaware, we need to start thinking outside of the very small box we have placed ourselves in with curriculum, assessments, transparency, accountability, discipline and special needs. These are by no means my only ideas, but ones I feel could best benefit everyone involved in education in a meaningful way. I welcome comment on these ideas and actual ways to move forward on these if consensus is reached on them.
1) A bill to mandate the Delaware Department of Education places any contract with any outside vendor, regardless of active or non-active status, on their website. This shall include the original request for proposal, any bidders and their proposed bids within 10 business days after the selection of the contracted vendor, any addendums to the contract, change orders, or extensions, a clear and concise timeline for the contract, and any violations of the contract unless involved in current legal action. As well, all funds released to such vendor must be fully transparent for each vendor along with the dates of such payment and the services rendered for those funds. If any contract is in conjunction with another state Department, the Department of Education shall also release the same contract and financial information regardless of the reporting Department for the vendor.
2) A bill to remove the Smarter Balanced Assessment as the state assessment for Delaware. Any further state assessments developed in the state for the purposes of assessing Delaware students shall not be used for teacher evaluations and shall have no impact on a school’s accountability ratings, annual yearly progress, or the ability for a student’s retention or summer school options. Any state assessment shall be used for informational purposes only to guide teachers and educators in best practices for instruction of students and further advancement of researched and normed best educational practices. Any future state assessment must have a 3/4 majority vote in both the Delaware House of Representatives and the Delaware Senate in the event that item #10 on this list does not occur. Any testing vendor or contract associated with a state assessment must clearly indicate on their request for proposal any method of data collection and disbursement, internet safety protocols, conflicts of interest, scoring system with open and transparent rules and regulations surrounding such system, and ability to collect, collate and disseminate the scores based on the educational material to the State Board of Education and all school districts, charter schools and vocational school districts in a manner which will give reliable, timely (within one month), and purposeful educational direction designed for the ability to help students progress to the next level and to identify key barriers on an individual and local level for any student achievement. Any accommodation approved by an IEP or 504 team for the purposes of students with disabilities shall be honored as long as it does not prevent the student from actively taking part in such assessment. Any student who appears to be having undue stress or anxiety while taking such assessment shall immediately be given the ability to stop the assessment and take it at a future time. No assessment shall be more than three hours long and shall take up more than three school days. Any section of any such assessment shall be given no longer than one hour increments for each. No elected Governor of Delaware shall issue an Executive Order for any such state assessment, curriculum associated with the state assessment, or state standards for any such assessment. No local school district, charter, or vocational school district shall provide more than two assessments a school year, longer than two hours, as approved by the State Board of Education and the local school board of education based on the above and below criteria within this act. This does not include final exams, mid-terms end of unit assessments, teacher created assessments, the SAT, ACT, or classroom quizzes. None of these assessments shall create situations where a student is exposed to deductive reasoning or opinion based on any religious, racial, civil rights, violent, or current controversial issues that could create any type of belief system or cultural group to be affected, compromised, or in any way cause civil unrest or situations pitting students, parents or educators against each other.
3) The Delaware Department of Education and the State Auditor of Accounts will create a Comptroller General to oversee the financial flow of education funds coming in and out of all Delaware school districts, charter schools and vocational. This comptroller shall report on a monthly basis to the State Board of Education on the financial viability of all the above as well as any red flags that come up during their constant review and monitoring of all state, local, and federal funds. Any funds received by charter schools in the form of grants or donations, whether individual, group or foundation, shall be shown on the Comptroller General website as well as each charter school’s website. The charter school website must show where the funds are allocated, the purpose, and the progress of those funds being spent.
4) An act to remove the provision regarding the State Board of Education. Previously, the Governor appointed members to the State Board of Education. All seven members of the State Board of Education shall be elected by the general populace during the general election occurring each Election Day in the state. No member shall serve longer than a 3 year term, and term limits are set at two terms. No member who previously sat on the Governor-appointed State Board of Education shall be able to announce candidacy for the State Board of Education. The Executive Director of the State Board of Education shall be appointed by the General Assembly with a 3/4 majority vote in both the House and the Senate. The make-up of the State Board of Education shall consist of the following: Three members from Newcastle County, two members from Kent County, and two members from Sussex County. Three members shall be parents not affiliated with any state organization, department, group, commission or task force. No legislators shall be a member. Two members must be educators or former educators. One member must be an administrator or former administrator. One member must be either a special education educator or have sufficient special education background to represent the population of students with disabilities. No member shall be on the board of any current school district, charter, or vocational technical district. No member shall be employed or sit on the board of any past or present Department of Education contracted vendor. This act removes the Cabinet position of Secretary of Education and any reports created through this duly-elected State Board of Education must be sent to the Governor within 3 business days.
5) All school districts, charter schools, and vocational districts must have on their website the following: the number of Individualized Education Programs (IEP) the school currently administers, to be updated by the 5th day of each calendar month; the number of applied for IEPs and the number of accepted IEPs, the number of administrative complaints filed with the Department of Education against the school in terms of special education, the number of mediations through the Department of Education, the number of Due Process Hearings and their decisions with redacted identifiable student information, the number of special education lawsuits the school has or had, and the financial awards, including any applicable attorney fees or other amounts of each resolution if applicable; no hearing officer of any Due Process Hearing or Administrative complaint shall serve on any other state Department, group, commission, council, or division. The newly selected Due Process Hearing Council shall consist of five members, to be appointed by the duly-elected State Board of Education, and shall have the following qualifications: two parents of a child with a current IEP or last had an IEP within the past five years, one special education teacher currently employed by the State of Delaware, one member with a license to practice psychology, and one member with a license to practice psychiatry.
6) This act is to clarify that all schools must report any incidents of bullying, offensive touching, or fighting through the E-School or any such future designated system within two calendar days. All perpetrator and victim reports must be filled out. Any incident with a perpetrator or victim on this system shall be communicated with the parent or legal guardian of the student within 3 business days and signed by the parent or legal guardian. All such reports shall be given to the parent or legal guardian of a student along with their marking period or trimester report cards. Any proven failure to follow this act more than 3 times over any rolling three month period shall results in a filing by the State Board of Education to the Delaware Attorney General’s office to conduct an immediate investigation of the school or district, which shall have public notice of such filing both on the school or district website along with the most circulated newspaper in each county, to determine if the school is considered a persistently dangerous school and if determined, the school shall notify all parents of this designation within 5 business days of this decision.
7) This act is to clarify the process of “manifestation determination” as dictated by Delaware state code and Federal law. Any student on an IEP or Section 504 plan has clear and concise rights in regards to discipline. In the event of multiple suspensions, currently 10, but with this act changed to 5, the IEP or 504 team must convene within five business days to determine if the actions associated with the suspension or expulsion were a manifestation of the student’s disabilities. If it is determined by the team to be such, the school psychologist must do a functional behavioral analysis of the student within ten business days, report the findings to the team, and a behavioral intervention plan must be developed to assist the student with coping mechanisms, best proven practices associated with that particular disability to prevent such behaviors, and appropriate steps to educate students and all school staff in regards to the student’s disability as approved by the parent or legal guardian. This act shall also apply if a student spends more than 30 hours out of the instructional classroom due to any discipline incident. In the event the parent or legal guardian cannot be notified within 15 business days for any part of this process, one member of the duly-elected State Board of Education or the Due Process Hearing Council shall be appointed to represent the parent or legal guardian after all efforts to contact the parent have been exhausted within a 10 day period of time.
8) Any incident of an educator, school staff member, contracted vendor, or adult on school property or school function, seen by witnesses, whether student or adult, or viewed on school surveillance equipment, or reported by a parent after the fact in both writing and verbally, physically assaulting a student in retaliation or with malicious intent, including the following: punching, kicking, scratching, pulling hair, spitting on, biting, head butting, twisting any part of the student’s body with intent to cause discomfort, pushing to the extent the student falls down or falls into a surface to cause any type of mark on the student’s body, struck with a foreign object, or seen to actively notice and not react in a timely manner while other students engage in such activity against a student, shall result in the school administrator, or designated appointee, district superintendent, or designated appointee determining of the local law enforcement shall be contacted and an emergency convening of the local board of education within three business days with a quorum present to determine the nature of the incident and if any result of the action was through legal seclusion and restraint mechanisms as allowed by state law, and what the next appropriate steps shall be. This information must be reported to the State Board of Education and the Attorney General’s office within 24 hours. If either body determines the local board did not act in the student’s best interest, such adult will be terminated without pay or pension if employed by the state, or banned from the school property or any school function if not. Collective bargaining rights, if applicable, shall be suspended during this investigation. The local educators association, if applicable, must be notified of any such investigation within 24 hours and both the agency and the educator must be notified of the exact details of the allegation. In the event of any such action where the school is legally bound to contact law enforcement under state code and regulation, any decision determined by the state court system shall supersede any decision by the local board or state board of education.
9) This act shall remove Title 14, paragraph 508, section 347 of state code, the provision that charter schools shall keep any excess transportation funds over the contracted bid with any school bus company. In the event a charter school or school district owns the school buses, they must report on a monthly basis on their website, to the State Board of Education, and the Comptroller General all receipts for fuel, tolls, bus driver wages, repairs, estimates for repairs, and any maintenance receipts or costs for such buses.
10) Any Federal mandated curriculum, assessment, waiver, or regulation designed to give any type of educational direction to any school, student, or educator must be approved with a 3/4 vote by the following coalition of representatives: The State Board of Education, the President of the Delaware State Educators Association and each local president of the local educators associations based on a majority vote by each member of such local organization, three members of each school district board of education, one member from each charter school board of education, one member of each vocational school district, the President of the Delaware Association of School Administrators based on a majority vote by that body, the President of the Delaware Parent Teacher Organization based on a majority vote of that membership, and five Delaware State Representatives, three of which must be on the House Education Committee, three Delaware State Senators, two of which must be on the Senate Education Committee, and a State Board of Education appointed “50 Parent Council” consisting of the following: 22 parents from Newcastle County, 15 parents from Kent County, and 13 parents from Sussex County, all of which must have children currently enrolled in Delaware public schools with at least four years left in school, and not a member of any of the other organizations listed on this act. This body must then approve any such Federal education designation with a 3/4 majority vote. Any Federal funding linked to such curriculum, assessment, direction or regulation, shall be a means to give punitive action to any school, student or educator, nor shall a rule, threat or veiled threat of the removal or reduction of any mandated Federal funding give rise to intimidate, bully or coerce any type of public school establishment or state governing body into accepting these actions on a Federal level.
11) All state employees associated with any type of disbursement of educational funds, or employed to receive any such funds, with approval by the Comptroller General and the local board of education shall, in the event of the issuance of a state purchase card, list on the school or district website any and all receipts for such purchases, the reason for the purchase, and the exact description of the purchase designed for and approved under norms and regulations as determined by the Comptroller General and the State Board of Education to best serve the education of students in Delaware.
12) All school district and charter school board meetings must be digitally recorded and live-streamed from their websites. Minutes from non-executive sessions of board meetings must be posted on the school website within two business days if any action items were voted on or discussed to give parents and citizens the ability to view these items. All recordings must be placed on the school website within three business days of such board meeting. All boards must have a clear and concise agenda listed one week prior to any board meeting along with a description of any action items. All school board meetings must take place at either the district office or a school within the district. No board meeting shall take place at any location outside of these two designated areas, including any retreats which shall also be open to the public with the above rules and regulations. This will also include the State Board of Education.
13) The convening of a task force to determine how the Department of Education in Delaware effectively guides and determines best education policies for students in Delaware. No member of this task force shall be any past or present employee of the Department, or any contracted vendor employee currently or in the past receiving any funds from the Department. This task force must consist of the Governor, three members of the duly-elected State Board of Education, the Comptroller General, the President of the Delaware State Educators Association, the President of the Delaware Parent Teacher Association, the President of the Delaware Association of School Administrators, three board members from each traditional school district, one member from each charter school and vocational district, 5 parents from Newcastle county, 3 parents from Kent County and 3 parents from Sussex County, two special needs advocates, two parents of special needs students, two members from any minority-based Civil Rights group, and nine State Representatives (three of which must be on the House Education Committee) and five State Senators (two of which must be on the Senate Education Committee). This task force shall look at all best practices, rules, regulations, salaries, reporting structure, and communications within the Department and vote with 3/4 majority on proposed legislation to be reported to the Governor, publicly shown, and brought before the General Assembly within 30 days of the report or the first day of the assemblage of that body if after 30 days.
If You Thought Mark Murphy Would Be Gone After Today, Think Again….
Delaware Secretary of Education Mark MurphyWell, well, well, looks like Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy is here to stay. At least until we get a new Governor. Yesterday it was announced Murphy joined the Council of Chief State School Officers Board of Directors. From the press release yesterday:
Monday, June 29, 2015
Delaware Chief Joins CCSSO Board of Directors
Contact:Melissa McGrathmelissa.mcgrath@ccsso.org202-336-7034Washington, D.C. (June 29, 2015) — The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today announced Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy will join its 2014-2015 Board of Directors.
CCSSO’s Board of Directors manages the overall business affairs of the Council and is the governing body of the organization. The board is composed of the president, the president-elect, the past president, and six directors elected by CCSSO members.
“Whether it’s through his work on educator preparation or college readiness for kids, Mark is dedicated to ensuring all students have access to a high-quality education. We are honored to have him join our Board of Directors,” said Chris Minnich, executive director of CCSSO.”
I can tell you Delaware isn’t thrilled at this news. We were hoping he would fade into the woodwork after today, which is the last day of our fiscal year. But it sounds like Delaware Governor Markell has the utmost faith in the man who the Delaware State Educators Association, the two largest district education associations, the Delaware Association of School Administrators, and a legion of parents have publicly stated they have no confidence in the Secretary.
Rumors have been going around for years that Murphy would either resign or be removed from his position, but it never happens. Most feel Markell holds on to Murphy at the risk of his own reputation, and the Secretary is an anchor on a ship that is no longer holding water.
This is not good news for folks who were hoping for change. The Delaware DOE’s approval rating is at an all-time low, and with more charter scandals popping everyday under their watch, parents opting out of the Smarter Balanced Assessments, and legislators wanting massive change in this Department, Murphy remains intact with even more power now. Only in Delaware…
The Season Of Myths 