FSE’s Positions on Select 2026 Legislative Proposals

HB 267: Literacy Screening and Reporting: Requires consistent reading screening, intervention, and public reporting for K-3 students.

FSE supports efforts to strengthen early literacy identification and improve the information boards and districts use to monitor student progress, evaluate interventions, and support accountability for literacy outcomes over time.

SB 302 & SB 303: School Funding Modernization: Transitions Delaware toward a more student-centered funding model and continues the work of the Public Education Funding Commission.

FSE supports continued modernization of Delaware’s public education funding system and the creation of the accountability, reporting, training, and public transparency structures that boards and districts will need to govern effectively through implementation and ongoing refinement over time.

HB 78: Public Meeting Recordings: Requires public bodies to post digital recordings of public meetings within 7 business days.

FSE supports efforts that improve public access to information and strengthen transparency, accountability, and public understanding of local decision-making processes, including the work of school boards.

SB 322: School District’s Taxation Rate: Limits the ability of school boards to increase taxation rates after a general reassessment.

FSE supports continued efforts to certify effective local education finance and fiscal stability.

HB 463: Tax Exemption Adjustments: Certain county tax exemptions to be modified to reflect changes in property values and inflation.

FSE supports efforts that ensure clear, transparent, and modernized fiscal standards for effective school board planning.

HCR 122: Universal Public Pre-K Task Force: Establishes an early childhood education solutions task force to study the feasibility of public pre-K for all 3-4 year olds

FSE supports efforts to expand access to education in Delaware while considering policy, operational, and financial implications prior to implementation.

HB 432: Delaware Healthcare Apprenticeship Degree Program: The DOE and DOL to create a Delaware Healthcare Apprenticeship Degree Program to place aspiring healthcare professionals in paid healthcare facility positions.

FSE supports efforts to expand workforce pathways for increased student academic success and beyond.

SJR 15: Student Accountability Measures: The DOE to reevaluate the use of the SAT and its assessment of student achievement, readiness, and school performance.

FSE supports efforts to ensure useful, reliable, and actionable information is collected for the use of educators, policymakers, school boards, families, and the public.

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Delaware’s New Funding Formula

  • The proposed model is a hybrid formula.

    Rather than eliminating the unit system entirely, Delaware would keep portions of it while adding weighted student funding and more flexible funding streams. 

    The model is organized around three major funding categories:

    1. Base Funding: Core funding generated through the existing resource/unit structure.

    2. Opportunity Funding: Additional dollars based on student need. Primarily focused on low-income students and multilingual learners.

    3. Operational Funding: Flexible per-pupil funding that districts can use to meet local needs

  • Implementation is expected to begin in the 2027-2028 school year.

  • The primary benefit is that funding can be more closely aligned with student needs, ensuring that students who require additional support generate additional resources.

    The new formula provides districts with greater flexibility to allocate resources based on local priorities rather than relying primarily on state-generated staffing positions.

    It also creates greater transparency and accountability by making it easier to understand how funding is distributed and whether investments are producing desired outcomes.

Funding Formula Implementation & Oversight

As Delaware transitions to a new school funding formula, school boards will play an increasingly important role in overseeing resource allocation, monitoring results, and ensuring funding decisions align with student needs and district priorities.

To support this transition, First State Educate is developing training and resources designed to help board members understand the new funding framework, evaluate proposed investments, monitor implementation, and make informed decisions that maximize the impact of public resources. Effective oversight is essential to ensuring taxpayer dollars are used strategically, transparently, and in ways that improve outcomes for students.

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Why This Matters and Our Perspective

Delaware’s 2026 education legislation places a stronger focus on transparency, accountability, and the role of school boards in shaping local policy. These updates expand public access to decision-making, elevate expectations around student outcomes, and increase coordination across state and local systems.

At First State Educate, we believe effective school board governance is essential to improving student outcomes. These changes create both new opportunities and responsibilities for boards to lead with clarity, engage their communities, and ensure policies translate into meaningful results for students.

First State Educate supports legislation that strengthens governance, transparency, and student outcomes and prioritizes efforts to

  • Promote transparency and clear governance roles

  • Improve accountability for student outcomes

  • Strengthen system coordination with clear expectations

  • Ensure funding equity efforts

We encourage continued clarity in legislation where roles and responsibilities between boards, districts, and state agencies remain undefined to ensure effective implementation.