The Redding Consortium voted to move forward with the Northern New Castle County Consolidated School District model in December.
In the first meeting since the vote, Consortium members came together this week to discuss administrative plans. Co-chair and State Sen. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman proposed new committees to streamline the development process.
One of those proposals is to add a small executive committee.
“The formation of an executive committee to really pull together a small, more nimble [group of] consortium members to provide some strategic guidance and oversight of the work that's being done by the subcommittee…” Lockman said. “The goal is to make sure that we are moving as quickly as we can and is appropriate for the work that we need to accomplish.”
The draft proposal said the committee would coordinate across subcommittees and synthesize all findings into a comprehensive plan. Its suggested composition includes a committee chair and members with fiscal, educator and legislative expertise.
The committee would work under State Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha as chair. Consortium members did not vote on the proposal at Thursday’s meeting.
The proposed plan also suggested an advisory committee be established to “[bring] together stakeholders from across sectors to inform and strength the consolidation planning process,” according to the draft.
The document also proposes the Consortium seek out an independent research and consulting firm to provide planning support.
Consortium chairs also presented a proposed spending plan for 2026 and 2027, which if approved would allocate funds to pay for faculty and staff scholarships at high poverty schools. That’s not currently budgeted to be a long-term effort, according to Redding Consortium co-chair Matt Denn.
“We will not have those one-time funds likely available to keep subsidizing that,” Denn explained. “So do we want to move some small, relatively small amount of money from the outside school time program line to the scholarship line, so that we can keep funding that?”
Denn said that is one question he and his colleagues will soon have to answer. He added he recommends continuing to fund that because there’s a lot of demand from teachers and professionals at the school level.
The Redding Consortium will have another meeting in the next few weeks as it works to meet its July deadline for the redistricting proposal.
