Rep. Ed Osienski

This Resolution: 1) Celebrates Senate Bill No. 56 and the immediate investment of targeted funding for student needs; 2) Describes the need for additional action from the General Assembly to update and modernize remaining underlying education funding issues; 3) Requires the Department of Education to report information to help illuminate systemic inequities in the current education funding system to inform future legislative proposals.

This Act does the following: (1) Removes the requirement that applicants for initial and continuing educator licenses obtain a passing score on an approved performance assessment. (2) In place of the performance assessment requirement, requires professional development and mentoring activities include a focus on acquisition of pedagogical knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge to meet student needs and requires the Department of Education (Department) to establish a committee of stakeholders to gather input and make recommendations on how to achieve professional development and mentoring activities that satisfy the requirements. (3) Removes requirements related to performance assessments, including reporting requirements and rulemaking requirements, from Chapter 12 of Title 14. (4) Allows individuals who serve in educator roles that are not teaching positions to receive their Delaware educator license by changing "teaching experience" to "experience as an educator" in § 1210(d) of Title 14 and § 1211(c) of Title 14. (5) Requires the Department to ensure there are a variety of professional development opportunities across different modes that meet a high standard of quality, including evidence-based programs. (6) In place of the performance assessment requirement for participants in alternative routes for teacher licensure and certification programs and participants in alternative routes to certification programs for teachers of students with disabilities, requires an assessment of program participants' abilities to apply pedagogical skills to meet the needs of students and requires the Department to establish a committee of stakeholders to gather input and make recommendations on how to assess the pedagogical skills of program participants. (7) In place of a performance assessment requirement, requires that educator preparation programs assess prospective educators' ability to apply pedagogical skills to meet student needs and requires the Department to establish a committee of stakeholders to gather input and make recommendations on how to assess the pedagogical skills of program participants. (8) Makes corrections, including standardizing references to the educator evaluation system and changing "certificate" to "license" in places where improperly used. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

The minimum wage for employees who receive tips or gratuities has not changed since 1983, when the overall state minimum wage was $3.35 per hour. Tipped wage workers at that time were paid a percentage – 66.67% – of the minimum wage, which was $2.23 per hour. In 1989, the General Assembly changed the hourly wage to a flat $2.23 per hour, where it has remained since. Had the calculation been left unchanged, the tipped wage would have increased along with the minimum wage. Therefore, this bill ensures that employees who receive tips or gratuities also receive a minimum wage increase when other employees in the State receive a minimum wage increase.

The Delaware Code does not currently contain any explicit direction for public schools relating to school absences for observance of religious holidays. This Act requires schools to excuse a pupil's absence for observance of a religious holiday, and further requires districts and charters to have a policy discouraging teachers from scheduling tests, presentations and the like on days where some students may be absent for a religious holiday. A pupil who does miss a grading event must be allowed to make-up the test or otherwise recover credit. The Department of Education is directed to promulgate rules and regulations relating to implementation of this Act, including a list of holidays on which an absence for religious observance must be excused.

This Act allows one excused absence per school year for students grades 6 through 12 to attend civic engagements such as visits to the United States Capitol, Legislative Hall, and sites of political and cultural significance, or participation in a rally, march, protest, or walkout. For a student to attend a civic engagement event, the student’s parent or guardian must provide written permission no later than 3 school days prior to the student’s planned absence. The school shall determine what is acceptable as written permission. If the principal or another school or school district official does not confirm receipt of written permission with the parent or guardian prior to the student’s planned absence, permission for the student to attend the civic engagement event as an excused absence is presumed.

This Act codifies the Opportunity Fund, an additional source of educational funding for Delaware public schools intended to support the increased needs of low income and English learner students, and establishes the parameters for how the funding is to be distributed to school districts and charter schools.

This Bill is the Fiscal Year 2022 Bond and Capital Improvements Act.

This Concurrent Resolution directs the General Assembly to work with DNREC, DSWA, and RPAC to identify funding for the Recycling Grants and Low Interest Loan Program. It also encourages further outreach and education on the importance of recycling electronic devices.

This resolution designates June 2021, as "National Immigrant Heritage Month" in Delaware.

This Act revises Chapter 70 of Title 25, which governs manufactured homes on rented lots in manufactured home communities, by adding disclosure requirements to the right of first offer process when the community owner decides to sell, transfer, or convey all or part of the community.