Republican lawmakers are seeking to revive a bill that would require underperforming schools to take immediate steps to improve student proficiency.
The bill passed the House Education Committee, the full House, and the Senate Education Committee with ease in the last legislative session on a bipartisan basis, but has stalled in the Senate, the final stage of the legislative process before going to the governor for his signature.
What does this bill do?
House Bill 192 was introduced in June 2023 to require schools whose students are in the single digits proficiency in English language arts or math to work with the Department of Education (DOE) to immediately improve proficiency. is.
The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Brian Shoop (R-Milford South), explained that underperforming schools need to develop not only long-term plans but also short-term plans to address deficiencies.
“We can't forget about our working families, who are going to that school right now and say, 'Well, let's look to the future and think about what systemic things we can change. Just say, 'Sho,' and forget about it.'' That kid out there right now is forgetting to help them,'' Shoop said.
The bill would require school leaders to present short-term and long-term plans for improving state assessment performance for the Board of Education's approval, and to provide annual information on the plan and updates on its implementation.
The bill also requires the DOE to provide an annual report containing information about schools with single-digit proficiency scores in English and schools with below 20% student achievement levels but single-digit proficiency scores in English language arts and mathematics. It is mandatory to submit a document.
Shoop said he has seen states like Tennessee and Mississippi bounce back from low proficiency rankings by putting pressure on school administrators to develop such short- and long-term plans. .
“A lot of it has to do with making sure we involve local families, local students, local communities, recognizing that there are issues that require difficult conversations and clarifying what those issues are. It's not just about what the challenges and opportunities are within the school, but also within the community,” Shoop said.
Why was this bill not considered in the Senate?
Even though Senate Pro Tempore David Sokola (D-Newark) is one of the bill's co-sponsors, the underlying intent to create a school voucher system in Delaware no longer exists. He has made it clear that he has no intention of supporting the bill. .
School vouchers, also known as education passports, give families attending single-digit skill schools that also meet the federal poverty income level a “voucher” or “passport” that allows them to send their students to the school. can do. I went to a private school in Delaware instead of my current school.
In September 2022, Shoop wrote on his campaign website:[digit] Specialized schools should provide direct daily intervention for families in both math and English, as well as other options. Families should be able to choose and accept other schools within their county to receive the appropriate level of education they need for their children. Families in single-digit proficiency schools should also have the option of having an educational passport to a private school in Delaware for the same amount that taxpayers pay for public education. ”
In response, Sokola said, “While Congressman Shoop's campaign website makes it clear that this bill is the first step toward a school voucher program, this policy would weaken public education and harm students.'' It is a policy that has been shown time and time again to provide Exacerbating inequalities for people with disabilities and educational outcomes. ”
“HB 192 is a cynical attempt to lay the groundwork for a school voucher system that would transfer public funds, given that the Delaware Department of Education has already assured us that it is working with schools to develop improvement plans. “It's hard to conclude that it's anything else, from high-poverty public schools to religious and for-profit businesses,” Sokola added. “Senate Democrats have no desire to weigh in on any effort to form the building blocks of a school voucher program.”
Shoop said he is working on another bill to establish a school voucher system in Delaware, but believes HB 192 is its own entity and can be supported independently.
“In my view, these are separate bills and there is no reason why single-digit schools should not have improvement plans. By ignoring this, Senate Democrats are essentially “We're saying there's no problem in schools where over 90% of kids aren't learning at grade level,” Shoop said.
He also acknowledged that some schools already have improvement systems in place, including those designated by the DOE as either “comprehensive support and improvement” or “targeted support and improvement.” In that case, this bill would not apply to those schools.
In preliminary research for the bill, Senior Legislative Attorney Carla Wilson found at least 11 schools in the state with single-digit English and math proficiency scores without any improvement plans already in place. .
“The Senate can always vote in favor of this requirement that these single-digit schools have local plans, and then vote against it when a second bill is introduced,” Shupe said. he said. “It seems to me that they are afraid that after this bill passes the reform plan, families may want more choice and more accountability, but why should we “I don't understand how it would be negative for families,” and for students here in Delaware. ”
Differences of opinion have also arisen over the request for the bill to be brought to the Senate floor.
“It is unfortunate that Sen. Shoop chose to contact the media, even though he knows this is standard protocol, before formally requesting that the bill be placed on the Senate agenda.” said Sokola. He said he formally requested that the bill be placed on the Senate agenda by calling Sokola's office and through Senate Education Chairwoman Laura Sturgeon (D-Brandywine Hundred).
Senate Minority Leader Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown) said in a statement: sign. “
State Rep. Kim Williams (D-Stanton), chair of the House Education Committee and a co-sponsor of the bill, declined to comment on the bill.
