Delaware is considering adding a state funding mechanism that supports teacher leadership roles to improve attraction and retention.
The Public Education Compensation Committee (PECC) met for the first time since March to continue looking into ways to retain more educators in the First State.
The committee already fulfilled some of the charges set out in its founding legislative document, including making recommendations for competitive base pay for educators at all steps in the compensation structure.
PECC recommended increasing the base teacher pay in Delaware to $60,000 by fiscal year 2028, as well as increasing pay incrementally for paraprofessionals, IT professionals, bus drivers, secretaries food service workers and custodians — all of these recommendations were funded for fiscal year 2025, except for IT professionals due to needed legislative changes.
But the committee still has other charges to fulfill, including: 4) Specify how educators can achieve additional opportunities for career advancement based on acquisition of relevant degrees, certifications and competencies 5) Make recommendations that include approaches to the acquisition of skills and knowledge that are timely, relevant and affordable 6) Provide recommendations on the creation of leadership roles through which educators will receive additional compensation for assuming leadership responsibilities 7) Additional compensation for professional responsibilities that are not generally required in the classroom.
The committee is now working on tackling item 6 and is considering a three-tier teacher leadership system, intending to compensate teachers for their unique skill sets or content speciality areas.
The idea is to improve educator retention by providing a clear development path for those who are looking for higher pay without pursuing the administrative track.
Vision Coalition’s Margie López Waite explains the opportunity would be extended to all educators and supporting roles.
“The opportunities that are going to be open will be for staff serving in positions that have meaningful adult leadership responsibilities in these areas – so it's curriculum, casework, instruction, student support, family and community engagement and professional development," López Waite said.
The system would create three different leadership levels. Level 1 leaders would receive additional pay for supporting educators at the classroom or content level, level 2 would be for school-wide initiatives and level 3 would be for district or statewide initiatives.
While some members of the body suggested this system should only be implemented or prioritized in high-needs schools, State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Woodbrook) spoke from personal experience, saying all teachers deserve growth opportunities.
“Unless they were interested in pursuing the admin route, they really didn't have a way to capitalize on their talents – to take their talents and be compensated for them," Sturgeon said on her days teaching at a low-needs school.
The new funding structure would be phased in over a three-year period and would cost the state around $5.3 million, but the idea is far from finalized.
The committee will vote on the recommendation at its Dec. 13 meeting — from there, it would be up to the General Assembly to make it law.
