A non-profit group advocating for public schools in Delaware finds fault with how public schools are funded.
Rodel surveyed 50 educators in the state and found that a majority of those teachers have concerns about the state’s funding formula. 56% of those surveyed said the current formula doesn’t support student needs, and nearly nine in ten said that funding inequity can affect student outcomes.
The survey of 50 Delaware educators largely supports the findings of a December 2023 report for the American Institutes of Research.
Corryn Nikodemski is a Sussex County teacher, affiliated with Rodel.
“The way that it's being distributed is not allowing teachers to use it in a way that's effective to support their student needs," she said. "You know that word 'adequate, inadequate' to me doesn't necessarily mean more or less. There is a lot there that also encompasses how we are using it to support the needs.”
Nikodemski also expresses concerns about the transparency of the funding process.
“A group is seeing the way that the money is being spent. They're thinking in their head, 'well, that's not how the money should be spent. That's not a great decision.' But they're not necessarily understanding that there was some sort of barrier or hindrance to the decision maker being able to say yes or no to using the money in a different way," she said."
Nikodemski says she’s optimistic about the work of the state’s Public Education Funding Commission. That body held its first meeting in September, but recommendations are likely more than a year away.
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