I get newsletters from the House Democrats and the House Republicans. In the email from the House GOP, legislators on the Republican side weighed in on the latest Delaware Department of Education stunt with the former Race To The Top positions the DOE funded out of vacancies in their budget.
With the inclusion of the eight Race to the Top staffers as part of the DOE’s permanent work force, Rep. Kowalko said the agency has added approximately 34 additional positions in recent years. “This is not responsible shrinking of government,” Rep. Kowalko stated in his e-mail.
“DOE officials knew the Race to the Top grants were temporary funding and yet they spent a portion of it hiring people they knew would eventually have to be paid by the state,” said State Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Odessa-Middletown, who is also a former Appoquinimink School Board member. “In my estimation, this casual disregard for public funding displays a disturbing level of hubris by agency leaders.”
State House Minority Whip Deborah Hudson, R-Fairthorne, concurred. “The thing that struck me is that the DOE was able to absorb more than $900,000 in annual salaries using existing vacancies. Any agency with that kind of excess fat built into its budget is an agency I think needs to be reviewed for its efficiency and effectiveness, especially given the funding challenges the state is likely to face in the next budget.”
January can’t come quick enough! I hope the 148th General Assembly gives the DOE the shellacking they rightly deserve! Can anyone say Sunset Committee?
The Season Of Myths 