09 Nov DelawareCAN Action Fund Celebrates the Wins of Education Leaders Across Delaware

As the DelawareCAN Action Fund and our partners across the state take stock of the midterm elections, we have a great deal to celebrate. Last night was a big night for electing Delaware education champions. We were successful in 10 of the 12 races that we engaged with. Among the important victories were the reelection of House and Senate leaders Val Longhurst and Nicole Poore, both by large margins. They have worked tirelessly on a core priority for our team: securing funding for student mental health programs across the state. Representative Chukwuocha, a longtime champion and DelawareCAN partner on funding reform and equity in education, will return to the House, as well as Senator Dave Sokola, former Chair of Senate Education who, time after time, has met our call for a student-centered education system that embraces innovative ideas–including co-authoring the 1995 Charter Authorization bill, which continues to pave the way for opening up educational opportunities for families. 

Two of our closest allies, Representatives Kevin Hensley and Mike Ramone, pulled off wins in tight, hard-fought races. Representative Hensley has been working with DelawareCAN on new policy proposals, and we look forward to his continued leadership to drive the needed changes and fund the programs necessary for our children to recover from the pandemic. 

Additionally, newcomer Russ Huxtable won his second close race of the year, after a competitive primary, by engaging the community with our support. We are confident that his work on equity housing will make him a fantastic partner on increasing access to education for Delaware’s most underserved students. We are pleased that wins were also secured by Speaker Pete Schwartkopf, Senator Trey Paradee and Representative Deb Heffernan. Their continued commitment to Delaware’s students is imperative to improving our quality of education.

There’s much to celebrate with these victories, and they could not have come at a more opportune time. The reality is that study after study, and assessment after assessment, have shown bleak results for Delaware students, including the nation’s most extreme learning loss. Yesterday’s elections send a clear message that voters are demanding elected leaders who are ready to do the hard, pragmatic work of building an education system of the future that embraces excellence and ensures our state’s children will be met with the supports, opportunities and options that work for them and their families.

We look forward to new and continued partnerships as we stand together to tackle the challenges we face. While they are immense, with this slate of elected leaders, the DelawareCAN Action Fund is optimistic that the new legislature will make solving the crisis before us a top priority.