On Feb. 2, Ellen Driscoll and Nick Roth reported on the Jan. 30 Sussex County Council discussion concerning the implementation of a voluntary school assessment for Sussex County.
Although a formal vote was not taken, it was clear from the article that several of the council members were not in favor of a VSA even though both Kent and New Castle counties saw its use as a good tool to aid in funding the education of our youth, and every school district in Sussex County supports it.
It was reported that comments were made that implied the state should provide more funding to all of Delaware’s educational systems, to include Sussex County. The implication was that the state has dragged its feet for years.
I think we all would like to see more funding infused into our educational system. After all, according to US News, Delaware is ranked No. 30 in the nation for education. An influx of funding from all areas could certainly aid in bringing up that ranking, but pointing a finger at the state to solve the problem without also looking at other means for resources will get us nowhere.
According to reports provided by the Census Bureau for FY 2021, the State of Delaware is ranked No. 5 in the nation in the finances provided to its educational facilities on a per-pupil basis. Also, the proposed Delaware 2025 budget shows another increase for educational funding. We can wish all we want that the State of Delaware do better with the funding, but the reality is, they are doing pretty well when compared to the rest of the nation.
What is somewhat disheartening is the ranking of our local contribution for education. Based on the FY 2021 reports provided by the Census Bureau, the local contribution, which includes counties and municipalities, ranks 25th in the national on a per pupil basis. This combines all of the counties and municipalities for each state and reports a single number. Therefore, for Delaware, this number includes New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties, as well as any of the municipalities that may collect funds that go toward education.
As a result, the overall Delaware FY 2021 national ranking for funding provided for education on a per-pupil basis was brought down to 13th. This ranking of 13 has remained fairly constant over the past several years. Therefore, it seems the state and local funding levels have not changed during this time. Has the state done anything to help the need for additional education funding? Yes. They passed the bill that will allow both Kent and Sussex counties to utilize the VSA. Is this a perfect solution? No. However, it is a tool to allow Delaware and Sussex County the opportunity to provide a better education for our youth. Maintaining the status quo or hoping for a windfall from the state is not a strategy our youth deserve.
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