Educators Highlight Funding Gaps and Call for Policy Change in Delaware

When it comes to Delaware’s school funding formula, classroom educators tend to agree with the conclusions drawn by the American Institutes of Research (AIR) last year: that it is inadequate, it negatively impacts student outcomes, and lacks transparency.  

Seven members of the Rodel Educator Network came together in 2024 to learn about the landscape of school funding, advocacy, and how educators can be involved in policy change. After several months of learning about the landscape of school funding policy in Delaware they developed a survey, which ran from late April of 2024 to mid-June of 2024, to hear from other fellow educators on their thoughts, needs, and opinions on how well the K-12 funding formula is serving their students. 

Click here to explore the full survey and research results. 

Of the over 50 respondents from across the state, a majority (88 percent) said funding inequity negatively impacts student outcomes, over half say that funding is either inadequate or very inadequate (62 percent), that the current formula does not adequately support student needs (58 percent), and that the funding formula is not transparent (56 percent). 

Educators are an essential part of the conversation around school funding, as educators are the closest to students and are uniquely able to identify the needs of our students across the state. Their policy recommendations of having fair distribution of funding, and increased overall funding demonstrated alignment with AIR report’s recommendations of increasing investments in Delaware’s public education, distributing more resources according to student needs, and improving funding transparency. One survey respondent notes, “There is no transparency and no one on the school level has access to that information…Transparency means letting the people that the distribution affects have access to that information.” 

As part of the analysis undertaken by AIR, a research firm based in Arlington, Va.,  “professional judgement panels” were assembled with those with the most knowledge of this system, like classroom teachers, principals, and other district- and school-level employees, to develop recommendations of what it would take to adequately educate every child. As one respondent says, “Talk to [educators]; include them in meetings. Find out where the deficits are and try to address them systemically.” 

The educators urge other educators and administrators to advocate by giving public comments at meetings and in testimony, participating in working groups and committees, and educating others about the issue, among others, “Every group that works on these decisions should have as many educators as non-educators…legislators need to hear from actual teachers in Legislative Hall when they are voting on budget allocations.” 

The group also learned about and highlighted some of the ways educators can get involved in advocacy—not only for school funding, but across any topics that are important to them. 

This survey results come at a time when Delaware’s Public Education Funding Commission (PEFC) comprised of legislators, experts, and community members will build on the recommendations and financial models from the Assessment of Delaware Public School Funding and the recommendations of the Vision Coalition. Tune into the third PEFC meeting in its series, happening on November 18.  

Related Topics: air report, delaware educators, delaware school funding, Delaware teachers, federal education funding, vision coalition