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Delawareans rally against proposed education cuts

Katie Peikes
/
Delaware Public Media
Demonstrators hold up signs in support of a need for education spending.

Delaware educators, parents and students rallied at Legislative Hall Tuesday to voice their concerns over Gov. John Carney’s proposal to slice $37 million in state spending in schools.

 

 

 

Meredith Griffin is a newly elected member of the Christina School District Board of Education. He said if money is cut from education, his district could lose almost $6 million from its operating budget. If districts around the state have to absorb those losses...

 

“All of the districts have proposed laying off teachers which immediately increases class sizes in some classroom at some level of education, which means there’s gonna be less one-on-one time for a student, which means a child who needs help in the classroom is not going to get it,” Griffin said.

 

According to the Public Education Finances: 2015 report released in June 2017, Delaware spent about $14,100 per student in public schools in FY 2015. In comparison, Colorado spent about $9,200 per student and New Jersey spent about $18,200 per student. Additionally, the state spent about $938,000 in salaries and wages for all district employees. D.C spent about $623,000 in salaries and wages and Connecticut spent more than $5 million on salaries.

Griffin said he believes Delaware schools need more money to invest in their teachers and students, not less. Mike Matthews, the incoming president of the Delaware State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, agrees.

 

“Yes, we need more, we need a lot more, and we need a public that’s behind us to see that the work we do has value. It adds value to the community it adds value to their properties,” Matthews said.

 

Matthews, a teacher in the Red Clay School District, said the $37 million hit would mean, as Griffin said, teacher layoffs and less money to spend per student. 

 

“We are beyond worried and frightened because our educators know at the ground level how this will impact them if the monies are cut and then it’s thrown back on the school districts to raise the funds,” Matthews said. 

 

Lawmakers are still negotiating the 2018 spending plan, which needs to be approved by the General Assembly by June 30.