Delaware ESSA Advisory Committee Members Revealed **Special Thanks To The Delaware Way Blog**

The Delaware Way announced the Delaware ESSA Advisory Committee membership yesterday.  First off, a very big thank you to the Delaware Way for letting me know about this!  Once again, their first meeting is tonight at Legislative Hall in Dover, beginning at 6pm.  Just go to the House Majority Hearing Room.  Even though the General Assembly is not in session, there is still a security checkpoint when you enter Legislative Hall.  So I would try to get there five minutes before the meeting.  As well, I put in a request to a few members, the Governor, Secretary Godowsky, and others to put this up on the live streaming from the  General Assembly website.  I don’t know if they will be able to honor this request since it won’t be held in either of the two main chambers, but it never hurts to ask!  Without further ado, here is the group and their meeting schedule:

• Wednesday October 19, 2016

•  Thursday November 17, 2016

• Wednesday January 11, 2017

Members of the Governor’s ESSA Advisory Committee:

·         Teri Quinn Gray – President of the State Board of Education

·         Deb Stevens – Delaware State Education Association, Director of Instructional Advocacy

·         Kendall Massett – Executive Director, Delaware Charter School Network

·         Eileen DeGregoriis – President, Delaware English Language Learners Teachers and Advocates; Educator and ESL Coordinator for Smyrna School District

·         Tammy Croce – Executive Director, Delaware Association of School Administrators

·         Rhonda Swenson – President, Lake Forest School Board of Education

·         Tony Allen – Chair, Wilmington Education Improvement Commission

·         Maria Matos – Executive Director and CEO, Latin American Community Center

·         Madeleine Bayard – Co-Chair, Early Childhood Council

·         Representative Kim Williams – Vice-Chair, House Education Committee

·         Senator David Sokola – Chair, Senate Education Committee

·         Leolga Wright – Board Member, Indian River School District; Nanticoke Indian Association

·         Kim Joyce – Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Delaware Technical and Community College

·         Rod Ward – President and CEO, Corporation Service Company

·         Patrick Callihan – Executive Director, Administrative and Development, Tech Impact

·         Stephanie DeWitt – Elementary school educator; Special Education Coordinator, Cape Henlopen School District

·         LaShonda Wooten       – Educator at Shortlidge Elementary School, Red Clay Consolidated School District

·         Janine Clark – Paraprofessional, Red Clay Consolidated School District; Child Advocate

·         Wendee Bull – Educator at Georgetown Middle School, Indian River School District; Groves Adult Education Instructor

·         Genesis Johnson – Parent representative from Wilmington

·         Nancy Labanda – Parent representative from New Castle County

·         Catherine Hunt – Parent representative from Kent County

·         Nelia Dolan – Parent representative from Sussex County

·         Alex Paolano – Educator at Howard High School; 2016-17 Howard High School Teacher of the Year

·         Susan Bunting – Superintendent, Indian River School District

·         Laurisa Schutt – Executive Director, Teach for America; Board Member, Leading Youth Through Empowerment

·         Cheryl Carey – Counselor, Philip C. Showell Elementary, Indian River; 2015-16 Delaware Counselor of the Year

·         Margie Lopez-Waite – Founder, Head of School, Las Americas ASPIRA Academy, dual language school

·         Atnre Alleyne – Founder, TeenSHARP; Parent representative, Board of St. Michael’s School and Nursery

That is one big group!  I was very happy to see representation from Delaware’s Native American population.  There are some surprises on here.  I know many of these people but there are a few I don’t.  I see a lot of big players.  Some of these members I am not happy with, AT ALL.  I have to wonder how many of these members will financially benefit from Delaware’s state plan for ESSA.  Because at the end of the day, that is what ESSA is all about.