Wilmington City Council takes first step in reclaiming education power

<p>Wilmington city government is taking its first step into regaining influence and control over its schools. The city's new budget for 2025 establishes the Office of Educational Advocacy, which will serve as a division within the City Council. The purpose, according to city legislation, will be to serve as an advocate for the educational needs and rights of the youth of Wilmington, including educational resources and support. It will also develop and support evidence-based legislative solutions to address such educational needs and rights. The new office will have three employees. The director of the office will have a salary of $110,000, according to city legislation. It will also have a consultant for technical assistance and research and an administrative assistant. The City Council approved the amendments for the new budget on Jan. 16. City Council President Ernest "Trippi" Congo said he does not see the office staying at that size for long, hinting at expansion. For Congo, an arm for city government to influence educational policy within its borders is critical to Wilmington's future. He said his goals go beyond raising test scores; improving education could increase public safety and attract more businesses to the city. "We cannot continuously be told that Wilmington cannot have a voice in the way our children are being educated," he said at a press conference on Jan. 15 in Wilmington City Council chambers. "We want our children to be prepared for life here in the city of Wilmington, and if they travel and if they move abroad, we want them to be even more prepared." Numerous organizations pledge to be working to improve Wilmington's education. The Redding Consortium, the Wilmington Learning Collaborative and the Parent Information Center of Delaware are just a few organizations taking different approaches to improving student outcomes. The Redding Consortium is particularly influential and is developing plans to redistrict Wilmington's schools. One "River Plan" proposal would leave just two districts teaching Wilmington students, but membership remains mixed. Sens. Elizabeth "Tizzy" Lockman and Nnamdi Chukwuocha are members of the Redding Consortium and were both at the conference promoting the new office. Lockman is a co-chair. "I believe that this initiative represents a missing piece in our broader reform efforts," she said at the press conference. Wilmington with two school districts? Delaware’s latest redistricting vision to take shape Incoming Mayor John Carney was instrumental in the creation of the Wilmington Learning Collaborative. In a statement, he said he appreciates the council's commitment "to a better education system." "One of the reasons I decided to run for Mayor was to continue my work as Governor to improve the schools and the achievement levels of students in the City of Wilmington," he said. "To do that, I worked hard with the school districts that serve Wilmington to create the Wilmington Learning Collaborative which provides hyper focus on achieving these objectives in Wilmington schools. It’s really important that we work together to achieve what’s best for our students and their families.” But none of these have included the city government's direct support and funding. Laura Burgos, executive director of the WLC, said the new office is a "step in the right direction" in activating the decision-making power of city leaders to "establishing guardrails" for Wilmington students. In an statement, she said the WLC looks forward to aligning their efforts. For now, Congo said he doesn't have concrete solutions. This office will bring in organizations and stakeholders throughout the city's educational landscape. He does not want the office to duplicate services provided by others or simply regurgitate data. He said the city needs to be willing to spend the necessary money to fund and invest in city schools and programs. The city's involvement in its schools' futures matters. Shannon Griffin, senior policy advocate with ACLU-DE, said the office is about catalyzing results promised for Wilmington kids, as well as increasing accountability in the future. Legally, it may be informal in its inception, but who knows where it could go from there. Future legislative action could give it more legs. "Passing laws is only one part of the process," she said. "The real work begins with ensuring those laws are enforced and followed through in a way that meaningfully impacts outcomes for our students. This office can be an engine for that change, driving systemic improvements and holding all parties accountable to the shared goal of bettering education in Wilmington." "I think the first thing is just kind of talking to people and getting and getting those marching orders from the people who know better than us," Congo said. Chukwuocha said this office looks to combine each organization's goals into one greater mission. He said proper funding is necessary for the city to take back some of the power he said it has lost. "This is the epicenter of need throughout our state, and I'm sure that's recognized throughout the state," he said. "We have challenges here there that are just as unique. And nowhere in the country do we have a city divided between four school districts other than Wilmington. So this is a man-made travesty and it's time for us to begin to address it." Kelly Powers contributed to this story. Shane Brennan covers New Castle County with a focus on Newark and surrounding communities. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at [email protected]. Follow @shanebrennan36 on X, formerly Twitter . This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington City Ccouncil takes first step toward education power</p>