We need your calls and e-mails NOW!

Imagine 500 students descending on Legislative Hall in Dover in support of public schools?

That’s what happened recently in Dover – but for new construction funding for Charter Schools which is currently not allowed by law.

The rally was in support of HB422, a bill that would provide $750 per student for each charter school in the state for new construction (on an annual basis), which amounts to $4.2 million next year!

… if it passes and is funded.

The bill is on a roll: HB 422 continued its progress through the General Assembly when it was released Wednesday from the House Appropriations Committee. DSEA Executive Director Howard Weinberg testified against it, as did Robin Wilson of the Dept. of Education. It has now been assigned to the House Infrastructure (Bond) Committee. It had previously passed the House Revenue & Taxation Committee.

There is no doubt that charter schools enjoy a respectable amount of support among members of both political parties in both branches of the legislature – even among legislators who support public education and DSEA’s legislative priorities.

This bill could be heard in the House Bond Bill Committee at any time. Please call, write or e-mail these members of the committee and urge them to table it. It needs four votes to be tabled. The Bond Committee members are:

Roger Roy (R), chair, Red Clay and NCC Vo-Tech; Bill Oberle (R), Christina; Vince Lofink (R), Appoquinimink and Christina; George Carey (R), 302-744-4119, Milford and Polytech; Helene Keeley (D), Red Clay, Christina, NCC Vo-Tech; and Bruce Ennis (D), Capital and Smyrna.

Contacting your own legislator is also critical. For names and contact information by school district, click here. For more complete contact information of all House members, click here.

If possible, please urge all school board members or administrators you know to do the same. DSEA cannot be the only voice raising objections to this bill with no accountability strings… the only voice raising questions about Delaware ’s public policy regarding charter schools. 

The messages:
** Charter schools do not need local voter approval, nor are they bound by regulations of size, use and space requirements that regular public schools districts must consider. Accountability would be totally absent from this annual, unregulated appropriation!
** The construction needs of our regular districts are ballooning because of growing student populations. In addition, many districts need additional $$ to match already-approved local referenda.