The Redding Consortium’s Executive Committee met for the first time Friday to go over a plan to deliver a district consolidation proposal to state legislators.
The Consortium originally planned to deliver the proposal by summer 2026 but delayed the date to avoid sending over a rushed, incomplete document.
Executive Committee chair, State Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha said the committee’s job is to work with subcommittees and community members to deliver a compelling document to state lawmakers.
“Our body will be the ones that are, again, primarily making decisions on what will be presented forward to the full Consortium for votes, and we will be the committee that is primarily working hand in hand with [the American Institutes for Research],” Chukwuocha said.
The Consortium voted to move forward with the Northern New Castle County Consolidated School District model in December. AIR, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware will help facilitate planning.
AIR is preparing a draft timeline to present at the full Consortium meeting. AIR Principal Consultant Trent Sharp walked the Executive Committee through the strategy. The phases include data collection, community conversations, followup adjustments and final refinement.
“We're very eager to have this timeline finalized so that we can get out ahead of communicating around when the community can expect to engage on different topics…” Sharp said. “ At the end of each of these phases, we will have a finalized set of recommendations that we believe has been community validated and is ready for integration into the report.”
The organization’s plan laid out several requirements, including a stakeholder engagement plan and a needs assessment to best service students.
A key part of the process involves community perspectives on student outcomes, transportation and curriculum. Chukwuocha commended the goal to prioritize feedback.
“As a social worker, I'm just already baffled by the process of knowing how much is behind the curtain,” Chukwuocha said. “... We have to have all of that as considerations for our plan that [has] a well thought out, a very intentional plan that addresses not only our stipulations but also concerns from our communities and stakeholders.”
Sharp concurred, calling community feedback a “gift” the Consortium and partners will use to synthesize a cohesive document.
Sharp added he advised focusing on student-facing work first following the needs assessment. Conversations on wraparound supports, transportation and capital assets may need dedicated time to go over.
