Lawmakers used the Dept. of Education's Bond Bill hearing to ask DOE officials about a variety of issues, including IT upgrades, money for school construction and improvements, and updates on lead water testing.
DOE reviews Certificates of Necessity
Bond Bill committee members questioned the Dept. of Education's approval process for Certificates of Necessity during capital budget hearings this week.
DOE reviews Certificates of Necessity applications, which allow districts to seek referendums for major projects and request state funds.
While DOE has more than $200 million in capital school funding projects ongoing in fiscal year 2027, it hasn’t approved any Certificates of Necessity in the last two years.
State Rep. Bill Bush (D-Dover) voiced concern over this, calling attention to a school in his Kent County district with a pending request.
"Our Charlton school was built in 1962," he said. "It's a last special needs school to be rebuilt. That really concerns me. Everything we're talking about with the new needs of students. I really hope that in this process you can take a look at that school."
For fiscal year 2027 this totaled nearly $1.5 billion in unfunded requests. DOE’s Finance and Operations Secretary Brian Ray said the estimate for unfunded projects will inflate to $1.7 billion next year.
But Ray said some work is addressed through approved minor capital improvements. And he told the committee that the DOE can show them the rubric it uses to approve projects.
The state approved $30 million in 2027 for minor capital projects.
Questions on transition to Infinite Campus
Delaware schools completed a transition over to a new student information system, Infinite Campus, at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. It signed a 10 year contract with the company in 2023, beginning a move away from e-School.
DOE's capital budget request includes a $9 million dollar plan focused on connectivity upgrades.
But State Sen. Nicole Poore (D- South New Castle), a Bond Bill committee member, asked if the department needs more money to support challenges she’s heard about regarding Infinite Campus roll-out.
"And I know that there's been some glitches, which is typical in technology," Poore said. "But again, if you're putting $9 million into connectivity."
Ray, DOE’s Secretary of Finance, said the department doesn’t have a capital ask for Infinite Campus. Its operating budget did seek a one percent budget increase for Infinite Campus work that was not approved.
Secretary of Education Cindy Marten added DOE holds feedback sessions on Infinite Campus transition issues. She noted this year’s IT request relates to connectivity infrastructure, to cover replacement of switches and reduce single point connectivity failures in schools.
Rep. Cooke asks for lead testing info
During questions about DOE's capital requests, State Rep. Franklin Cooke asked what progress has been made to address high levels of lead in the water at some Delaware schools.
The state allocated more than $3 million for filters in schools with lead levels exceeding state limits in 2023. It also received more than $24 million in federal dollars in 2024.
Marten said the schools that need filters have received them. And districts are required test to test for lead on a three-year basis. And DOE monitors districts' compliance on testing.
Marten offered to share this information with Cooke, "if you want us to give you a report on that."
Cooke said for how important this issue has been in previous sessions, he was hoping for more of an update during the bond hearings. was not satisfied
"That's not good for my constituents," he said. "Because they want to know now what is going on and what's happening."
The last round of testing occurred in 2023, so districts are slated to take samples again this year.
The 2027 operating budget includes approximately $2 million in one-time funding for lead remediation efforts, but DOE's finance secretary said the department lacks ongoing funding for this work.
