WEIC ES Draft 111715 116v39b

Wilmington Education Improvement Commission
REDISTRICTING IN THE CITY OF WILMINGTON

AND NEW CASTLE COUNTY
A TRANSITION, RESOURCE, AND
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO INTERIM PLAN
November 17, 2015
Submitted to
The Delaware State Board of Education
Redistricting in the City of Wilmington & New Castle County: A Transition, Resource, and Implementation Plan
DRAFT November 17, 2015
Executive Summary
Legislation approved in 2015 authorizes the State Board of Education to change or alter the
boundaries of school districts in northern New Castle County in a manner consistent with some
or all of the redistricting recommendations made in the final report of the Wilmington
Education Advisory Committee, provided that the General Assembly passes, and the
Governor signs, a Joint Resolution supporting the proposed changes. In its decision the State
Board of Education shall adopt a transition, resource, and implementation plan developed by
the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission. This plan fulfills that mandate.
The Case for Redistricting
Twenty-three separate governing units, including seventeen located in the City of

Wilmington, now are responsible for delivering public education to 11,500 Wilmington
children with no unified plan, little collaboration, and no requirements for coordination.
The district arrangement imposed by court order in 1976 to improve the education of
black students in Wilmington has failed to achieve its purpose.
Every public education system in the world that has accelerated student learning for all
of its students has a coherent and responsive governance arrangement.
The Action Agenda for Improved Wilmington Student Outcomes

Redistricting is part of a multi-part action agenda for improved outcomes depicted on the
final page of the Executive Summary.
Three streams of action are required: Creating Responsive Governance, Funding Student
Success and Meeting Wilmington Student Needs.
Progress on all three streams together is needed to improve student outcomes and the
Commissions redistricting plan establishes a path for progress along each stream.
Under the enabling legislation, the State Board must act on the plan in its entirety,
recognizing that implementation requires actions by many institutions over four years.
The implementation of redistricting should be contingent upon the provision of the

resources needed to improve student outcomes.
Redistricting Recommendations
Effective July 1, 2018, the boundaries of the Christina School District should be altered so
that it no longer serves the City of Wilmington, and should focus on serving the students
in the western portion of the current district. The Christina Board of Education reviewed
and approved by a vote of 5-1-1 the framework for planning developed by the
Christina administrative staff in collaboration with the staff of the Red Clay Consolidated
School District (Appendix B).
Effective July 1, 2018, the boundaries of the Red Clay Consolidated School District
should be altered to include that portion of the City of Wilmington now served by the
Christina School District. The Red Clay Board of Education has voted 7-0 to support this
change pending the allocation of resources needed for the effective education of its
students, their continued engagement in the process, and an appropriate timeline for
implementation. By a vote of 4-1, the Red Clay Board of Education approved the
interim framework for planning to be part of the Commissions plan to be submitted to
the State Board of Education. That plan and the transmittal letter accompanying it are
included as Appendix C.
Effective July 1, 2018, the schools and students currently served by Christina in the City
of Wilmington should be assigned to the Red Clay Consolidated School District.
All students can choose to remain in their current school as of the end of the 20172018
school year until their program is complete.
The Christina and Red Clay districts will continue to collaborate on the interim
frameworks for implementation already approved by each of their Boards of
Education. This collaboration will ensure the smooth, minimally disruptive, transition of
students, staff, and facilities.
The Colonial Board of Education and the Brandywine Board of Education both voted to
affirm their commitment to continue to serve students in the City of Wilmington within
their current boundaries.
The Colonial School District should consider collaborations and new programs that will
strengthen support for its Wilmington students.
Funding Student Success

The enabling legislation stipulates that the Commissions plan will identify the state, district and
local resources that will be required to support the redistricting transition and provide for the
effective ongoing education of all the affected students, and for the support of schools with
high concentrations of low-income students and English language learners.
The recommendations for 20162017 include:
Establish weighted unit funding to address the needs of low-income and English
language learners and other students at risk. This funding should begin with districts
impacted by redistricting with the long-term goal of expanding statewide.
Provide a transition fund as well as initial capital funding to support immediate costs of
implementation.
Authorize impacted districts to make limited tax rate adjustments to meet operating
expenses related to redistricting.
Invest to sustain and accelerate improvements in early childhood education.
Longer-term recommendations focus on strengthening the revenue base supporting public

education at both the state and local levels, including property reassessment, and
adjustments in the allocation system to fully address the needs of low-income students, ELL
and other students at risk.
Mobilizing Cross-sector Resources

Effective implementation of the Commissions plan requires a broad partnership that mobilizes
the resources and capacity of institutions from all sectors. The Commissions plan aligns with
other education initiatives including Delawares early childhood education strategic plan,
Student Success 2025, the Education Funding Improvement Commission, the Statewide Review
of Education Opportunities and Strategic Plan, and the Access to Justice Commission.
The Commissions plan aligns with and is supported by other education initiatives including:
Delawares early childhood education strategic plan and strategies
Student Success 2025
Education Funding Improvement Commission
Statewide Review of Education Opportunities and Strategic Plan
Access to Justice Commission
The Commission will mobilize cross-sector engagement and support including:
More effective coordination of state programs and services
Enhanced alignment of nonprofit and community support led by the United Way
University of Delaware Partnership for Public Education
Enhanced charter and district collaboration
Increased parent, educator, and community engagement.
Red Clay and Christina Transition, Resource, and Implementation Plan

The Commission, in collaboration with the districts has developed a transition, resource, and
implementation plan that follows a four-year timeline for final implementation:
January 2016 to June 2016
Approval and Confirmation
July 2016 to June 2017
Detailed Program Planning
July 2017 to June 2018
Transition of Responsibilities
July 2018 to 2019
First Year of Full Implementation
The plan addresses the following considerations.
Orderly and minimally disruptive reassignment of students affected by the boundary

change and the reassignment of governance responsibilities
Implications for educators, administrators, and other personnel that may lead to
equitable adjustments to local collective bargaining agreements
Distribution of capital assets
Student transportation
Engagement of educators, staff, parents, district personnel, and community members
Plans for special schools and programs
Choice options and policies
Alignment of technology
Child nutrition services
Alignment of curricular materials
Confirming District Boundaries
The State Board should confirm the existing boundaries of New Castle County school
districts as defined in Part VIII of this Plan.
The State Board should confirm the altered boundaries of New Castle County school
districts, effective July 1, 2018, as defined in Part VIII of this Plan.
Milestones and Measures of Success
The Commission will submit an annual evaluation of progress to the State Board, the
Governor and General Assembly that will focus on milestones and measures of success
for improved student outcomes.
Interim outcomes include: increased attendance, persistence and engagement rates;

reduced student trauma and disciplinary incident rates; and growing participation in
high quality early childhood education programs and other in-school and out- of school
programs that support enhanced developmental progress and learning.
Long-term outcomes include: increased graduation rates; reduced achievement gaps

in standardized tests; improved college and workforce readiness; reduced youth
incarceration and recidivism rates; and greater access to opportunities that result in
productive and rewarding lives.
An Action Agenda for Improved Wilmington Student Outcomes
An Action Agenda for Improved Wilmington Student Outcomes
MEETING
WILMINGTON
STUDENT NEEDS
Align and
Integrate
mobilize
existing public,
cross sector
private, and
initiatives and
nonprofit
resources
services
Enhance
parent and
community
participation
Increase in-school,
out-of-school, and
early childhood supports
FUNDING
STUDENT
SUCCESS
Strengthen the
education finance structure
(both state and local)
Fund
low-income
students, ELLs,
and students
at risk
Provide
sufficient
state and
local
revenue
base
CREATING
RESPONSIVE
GOVERNANCE
Streamline
governance
Fund early
childhood
education and
college & career
readiness
programs
HIGHER QUALITY SCHOOLS

Highly qualified teachers
Improved instruction and learning
Increased resources available to students
Updated facilities
Extended in-school and out-of-school services
IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES
Improve and
sustain
charter
and district
collaboration
Focus responsibility
and leadership for the
education of
Wilmington students

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Wilmington Education Improvement Commission

REDISTRICTING IN THE CITY OF WILMINGTON

The Delaware State Board of Education

The Case for Redistricting

Twenty-three separate governing units, including seventeen located in the City of

The Action Agenda for Improved Wilmington Student Outcomes

The implementation of redistricting should be contingent upon the provision of the

Funding Student Success

Invest to sustain and accelerate improvements in early childhood education.

Longer-term recommendations focus on strengthening the revenue base supporting public

Mobilizing Cross-sector Resources

Delawares early childhood education strategic plan and strategies

Student Success 2025

Education Funding Improvement Commission

Statewide Review of Education Opportunities and Strategic Plan

Access to Justice Commission

The Commission will mobilize cross-sector engagement and support including:

More effective coordination of state programs and services

University of Delaware Partnership for Public Education

Enhanced charter and district collaboration

Increased parent, educator, and community engagement.

Red Clay and Christina Transition, Resource, and Implementation Plan

January 2016 to June 2016

Approval and Confirmation

July 2016 to June 2017

Detailed Program Planning

July 2017 to June 2018

July 2018 to 2019

First Year of Full Implementation

The plan addresses the following considerations.

Orderly and minimally disruptive reassignment of students affected by the boundary

Distribution of capital assets

Engagement of educators, staff, parents, district personnel, and community members

Plans for special schools and programs

Choice options and policies

Child nutrition services

Alignment of curricular materials

Confirming District Boundaries

Milestones and Measures of Success

Interim outcomes include: increased attendance, persistence and engagement rates;

Long-term outcomes include: increased graduation rates; reduced achievement gaps

An Action Agenda for Improved Wilmington Student Outcomes

An Action Agenda for Improved Wilmington Student Outcomes

HIGHER QUALITY SCHOOLS

IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES

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