DELAWARE - In a press conference that took place Tuesday morning at Stokes Elementary School, Delaware Governor John Carney announced a pay increase for educators across the state: 3% for all public education workers, and an additional 6% for teachers who work directly with children and families, totaling 9%.
"Some jobs are really hard. Some jobs are really important. Teaching is both really hard and really important," said Governor Carney
Carney has announced these raises ahead of his forthcoming State of the State Address, as teacher recruitment season fast approaching. He says this was an announcement that he did not want to wait to make. He also notes that theses increases are part of the new budget, and must be passed by the House and Senate to go into effect.
According to the Delaware Secretary of Education Dr. Mark Holodick, the goal of these raises is to make Delaware teaching jobs regionally competitive, as surrounding states have given similar raises. He notes that the teacher shortage is taking place across the country, with teachers leaving the profession earlier than average, and this is also seen in Delaware. Holodick is also the one who clarified the exact percentage pay increase that educators would be getting.
Another education related element that will be included in Carney's State of the State budget proposal is a $15 million increase in opportunity funding, bringing the total to $53 million, which Carney says provides classroom support funding for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Education Chair and Senator Laura Sturgeon, who was also at the event, noted that this is only the first step. She says teachers need adequate daily duty-free planning time, appropriate class sizes to be able to meet each student where they are socially, emotionally, and academically, appropriate case loads for special ed teachers, and natural proportions in inclusion classes.
"These are all things we need to do to continue moving the ball down the field, getting us to our ultimate goal, and that is an education system that works for all students," said Sturgeon, "because teachers are supported, are paid, are given time during the day to take care of all their extra responsibilities, like calling parents, grading papers, and planning lessons, and where teachers know they are making a difference, because their working conditions and their students learning conditions, which are one and the same, are nothing short of excellent."
Delaware State Education Association president Stephanie Ingram also spoke, saying that teachers aren't the only ones who deserve better compensation, recognizing bus drivers, cafeteria workers, secretaries, custodians, and more that are essential to keeping a school running.