As long-time advocates for education equity, the ACLU of Delaware is proud to have played a role in the State’s commitment to repairing our education system, following settlement agreements reached in 2020 between the State and our plaintiffs – Delawareans for Educational Opportunity and the NAACP Delaware State Conference. The recently released assessment of Delaware public school funding, conducted as part of the settlement, was a key step in making sure all Delaware students receive the safe, equitable, and proficient education they deserve.
The assessment reaffirms much of what we originally understood in 2018 as primary contributing factors to education disparities in Delaware. Our schools require more equitable resource distribution for disadvantaged students, regular reassessments of property values, and greater funding transparency, among other improvements. The study’s recommendation for investing up to $1 billion dollars more in education highlights the immense need our students are facing in their learning environments as they try to build the foundations for their futures.
As policymakers move forward with this new study in hand, our goal remains the same as it did five years ago: getting our state and counties to do what they must to ensure that all students will have a meaningful opportunity to receive an adequate education, regardless of their geographic location, language, income, or ability status. We urge lawmakers to move swiftly to implement these changes as soon as possible to deliver on their constitutional mandate to provide every child a quality public education.
READ THE EDUCATION FUNDING ASSESSMENT
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FIGHT FOR BETTER EDUCATION IN DELAWARE
