Education is a people business. Teachers have the greatest impact in determining if a child reads and writes well, can do challenging math, and thrives in their school. Getting and keeping the best teachers requires paying competitive salaries and offering good working conditions. To accomplish this, Delaware must reform its 80-year-old school funding system.
Delaware’s Public Education Funding Commission was formed to make recommendations about school funding reform in an effort to improve academic outcomes. Delaware is currently among the lowest-performing states in the nation. To improve, the state must adopt a funding approach that allows the public schools to compete with other states in attracting top teaching talent. It must also level the playing field, giving students in less-wealthy school districts access to teachers of the same quality as those in wealthier districts. A child’s ZIP code should no longer determine whether they have access to more great teachers.
The current funding system does neither of these things. Teacher salaries are among the lowest of neighboring states. Delaware pays beginning teachers an average of $48,407, while New Jersey pays $57,603 and Maryland pays $54,439. That’s a big difference for young adults starting their careers. Salaries have a significant influence on teachers’ decisions about where they teach and how long they remain in the classroom.
Delaware is also the only state that sends more state funding per teacher to wealthier districts than to those with lower wealth. Wealthier districts pay their teachers more than $75,000 on average per year, and less-wealthy districts pay less than $65,000. This amounts to an $11,205 advantage for wealthy districts.
Other states have reformed their school funding systems and achieved better outcomes for both students and teachers. They have adopted needs-based systems that distribute funding based on what it takes for their students to succeed and adjust the state funding to reduce local wealth disparities. Multilingual learners, students living in poverty and students with disabilities need great teachers and more resources to boost their learning and feel a strong sense of belonging.
Delawareans will soon have the chance to voice their opinions. This fall, when Gov. Matt Meyer recommends a school funding approach to the state Legislature, please take a stand for a funding model that will attract more great teachers.
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