Caption:
League of Women Voters and AAUW members (l to r) Jane Lord, Carole Somers, Judy Mellen, Penny Deiner, Janet Ambrose, Lynn Brown, Marge LaFond, and Kate Cauley meet at The Moorings to organize a public forum on school funding in Delaware.
A panel of governmental and academic experts will explain how public schools are funded in Delaware at a public forum on Wednesday, September 25, 7:00 to 9:00 PM, in County Council Chambers, #2 The Circle, in Georgetown. “The Funding of Public Education in Delaware: Part 1” is the first of a two-part program organized and cosponsored by the League of Women Voters of Sussex County (LWVSC) and the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
At the outset, the panel will address four fundamental questions:
- How do funds flow into our local schools?
- How are Delaware tax dollars distributed to fund public education?
- What are school referendums and why are they necessary?
- What educational funding issues are before the state legislature?
“So many of the concerns people have about our public schools come down to money, that voters really do need to understand the intricacies of the funding process,” said Janet Ambrose, LWVSC Social Policy Chair. “Our four speakers come with a wealth of experience and expertise.”
Panelist Dr. Susan Bunting is Delaware’s Secretary of Education and a long-time Sussex County educator, having been named Indian River’s Teacher of the Year in 1985 and Delaware’s Superintendent of the Year in 2012. She was superintendent of the Indian River School District for more than a decade prior to joining Governor John Carney’s Cabinet in January 2017.
Dr. Chuck Longfellow joined the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) leadership team in August 2018 as Associate Secretary, Operations Support. His areas of emphasis include Finance, Technology, Charter Schools, Transportation, and Capital Programs.
Dr. Kevin Carson, Senior Fellow at the University of DelawareInstitute for Public Administration, was formerly Director of Administrative Services for the Seaford School District. He has also served as Executive Director of the Delaware Association of School Administrators where he was responsible for legislative advocacy on behalf of Delaware School Districts.
Representative Ruth Briggs King, District 37, is a member of the Delaware General Assembly’s Committee on Education and the Education Funding Taskforce. She was formerly a teacher at Kent County Vocational Technical High School, where she was recognized as Teacher of the Year in 1991.
The audience will have ample time for questions following the panelists’ presentations. As nonpartisan organizations, both the League of Women Voters and AAUW encourage informed and active participation in government. Go to www.sussexlwv.org for more information.
