Wilmington City Council President Trippi Congo proposes a new Office of Educational Advocacy.
The proposed office would report to Wilmington City Council, and take a proactive approach to ensure the voices of city children and families are heard while their educational needs are represented in policy discussions.
"Enough is enough! I am tired of the public school system failing our children. I am tired of those failures being acceptable and being the norm and being the conversation of the Delaware public school system," said Congo.
That’s Congo explaining part of why he believes the office is needed. He points to less than half of Wilmington students testing at grade level in math compared to non-city students, and only 26% of Wilmington students at grade level in English compared to 56% non-city students.
He expects this office to help make sure students are ready for the world, adding educating students will mean less fear of crime, more economic development, and it will bring more business to the city.
He notes this office would not compete or replace educational stakeholders like the Redding Consortium and Wilmington Learning Collaborative, but help fill any gaps.
Legislation creating this office goes before the full council Thursday night. Congo is confident it will pass and eager to see it get to work.
"I think the first step is really just sitting down and talking to those stakeholders and finding out how we can fill the gaps and how we can be different. I don't want this to be a duplication of services. I don't want this to be another organization who kind of regurgitates on data. I want this to be a different organization,” said Congo. “So I think the first thing is just kind of talking to people and getting those marching orders from the people who know better than us."
Congo adds the office would start with three staff members, a director, consultant, and an administrative assistant with the staff most likely growing from there.
He notes success would include and go beyond increasing student proficiency in English and math, it would also include making sure children are ready for the world, having the correct curriculum, and supporting kids, teachers, and families.
