Bill Text: DE HCR146 | 2023-2024 | 152nd General Assembly | Draft
Bill Title: Supporting The Recommendation Of The Redding Consortium For Educational Equity To Provide Immediate Support To Wilmington Public School Students And Planning For The Withdrawal Of The Christina School District From The City.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-06-12 - Introduced in House [HCR146 Detail]
Download: Delaware-2023-HCR146-Draft.html
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SPONSOR: |
Rep. Chukwuocha & Sen. Lockman & Sen. Townsend & Rep. Romer & Rep. Minor-Brown |
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Reps. K. Johnson, Baumbach, Morrison, Hilovsky, Lambert, S. Moore, Cooke, Dorsey Walker, Bolden, Harris, Neal, Phillips, Parker Selby; Sens. Sokola, Pinkney, Brown |
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 146
SUPPORTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE REDDING CONSORTIUM FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUITY TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE SUPPORT TO WILMINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AND PLANNING FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE CHRISTINA SCHOOL DISTRICT FROM THE CITY.
WHEREAS, The Neighborhood Schools Act of 2000, passed by the General Assembly, and other related policies, resulted in Wilmington becoming a city with several racially identifiable, high-need, and high poverty schools. For a quarter of a century, these persistent issues have continued to negatively affect school communities; and
WHEREAS, the four school district model, that divides the City of Wilmington among the surrounding suburban districts, is failing the city, and has far outlived its effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, state and community leaders must recognize that the current system is not working for these students and that systemic reforms are needed to address these educational inequities; and
WHEREAS, Wilmington students are not excelling in any of the four traditional districts serving Wilmington students, but the Christina School District students and families in particular have suffered because of these laws and systemic injustices; and
WHEREAS, the Christina School District is a noncontiguous school district, the only one of its kind in Delaware; serving students in both the City of Wilmington as well as Newark, Delaware, and the surrounding suburban areas; and
WHEREAS, the Christina School District has consistently low proficiency rates for students throughout the district, as well as for students who are low-income and who are low-income Wilmington students in Christina; and
WHEREAS, Christina School District faces acute challenges and serves students with some of the highest needs communities in Wilmington and our state; and
WHEREAS, the Christina School District has chronic issues, both systemic and systematic in nature, related to educator shortages and students who are not proficient in reading or math; and
WHEREAS, the Redding Consortium for Educational Equity (RCEE) acknowledges the challenges and unique needs of the city schools in the Christina School District and recognizes the intentional efforts and work of educators and school staff to support City of Wilmington students. However, the current configuration of this district is not meeting the needs of the city students, and Redding Consortium members have voted in agreement that it is time to change the status quo; and
WHEREAS, it is the RCEE’s intent for the Christina School District to no longer serve City of Wilmington students. The actualization of the Christina School District no longer serving Wilmington students is several years away and dependent on the RCEE’s final redistricting plan being approved by the State Board of Education and the General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, RCEE fully acknowledges that changes need to take place immediately and therefore encourages the Department of Education to work to provide immediate supports to the Christina School District’s Wilmington schools through the Wilmington Learning Collaborative and The Office of Equity and Innovation; and
WHEREAS, to truly gauge the educational needs RCEE will lead efforts to assess the overall in-school and out-of- school factors that affect the educational outcomes for City of Wilmington students. This assessment will help to guide the redistricting plan to ensure that these needs and future efforts to meet them are grounded in facts and driven by current data; and
WHEREAS, a reduction in the number of school districts serving in the City of Wilmington has been recommended by various study committees and other bodies; and
WHEREAS, RCEE believes that the removal of Christina School District from the City of Wilmington is a vital and important first step in this process.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 152 nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that State, district, and community leaders are urged to provide immediate supports to the Christina School District’s Wilmington schools.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly supports the Redding Commission for Educational Equity’s recommendation to begin purposeful steps to plan for the withdrawal of the Christina School District from the City of Wilmington.
SYNOPSIS
This Concurrent Resolution supports the Redding Commission for Educational Equity’s recommendations to move immediately to support Christina School District’s City of Wilmington students and to plan for the eventual withdrawal of the Christina School District from the City of Wilmington.
