A vision for Wilmington schools
March 6, 2015
Matthew Albright – The News Journal
In a city of 17 square miles and fewer than 80,000 people, a Wilmington student could end up in any one of four traditional public school districts, a vo-tech or 13 charter schools.
Students who live on the same block could go to completely different school districts; and many high school students must ride buses down I-95 to Newark or to northern and western suburbs.
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Elizabeth Lockman, a parent in the Red Clay district who is a member of the committee, said she feels there is a way to give parents a stronger voice.
“When I was doing PTA, I got more involved in doing things like going to school board meetings, and one of the things that became really clear to me is the fact the city is split into pieces has really muted the voice for any advocacy,” Lockman said. “To make any coherent, cohesive change, you have to go to a lot of different people just to have your voice heard.”
As one example, Lockman points to the fact that a Red Clay tax increase referendum passed but a Christina proposal was defeated on the same day. That could likely lead to a situation where one district has more resources than another, which is neither fair nor smart policy, she said.
