HB269 – School Choice Reform

Representative Kim Williams has introduced HB269, which seeks to reform and streamline the school choice process in Delaware.    This Act requires reorganized school districts, vocational-technical school districts, and charter schools to use a standard online application receipt and processing tool approved by the Department of Education that is offered at no charge.

The bill will require that the application deadlines apply to all students, regardless of age or school.   Further, the bill would prohibit schools from asking for additional information that does not directly pertain to an enrollment or program criterion.

HB269 would also make timing uniform throughout the ranked waitlist process. It aligns the sibling preference across all school types.  The bill eliminates the separate charter school April 1st deadline for having its enrollment be 80%, moving the deadline to May 1st to allow for parents to make a final, informed decision. Under this bill, in the event of a mid-year termination of a pupil’s enrollment,  there shall be an agreement between school district or charter school the child is leaving and the school district or charter school the child is going to providing for the pro-ration of student funding based on a formula prescribed by the DDOE.

Now, if you know what any of that means, and how it makes the school choice process easier or streamlined, let us know.  I usually defer to our education experts Pandora and Brian Ess, and await their comment on what the true effect of this bill will be.  It sounds like it is all procedural, rather than a substantive reform.

HB269 – School Choice Reform.
SPONSORS: K.Williams, Sokola, Townsend, Baumbach, Bennett, Briggs King, Keeley, Kowalko, Lynn, Matthews, Mitchell
YES VOTES:
NO VOTES:
ABSENT:
NOT VOTING:
HISTORY: House Education 6/30/17
STATUS: Waiting on consideration in committee