Legislation Positively Impacting Children is Making Progress in the Legislature
Dozens of advocates for Delaware's children voice their support on the steps of Legislative Hall
For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 26, 2009
Dover - On Thursday, dozens of children and advocates for children gathered on the steps of Legislative Hall in support of five bills currently in the legislature that would positively impact Delaware's children. The five bills make up Lt. Governor Matt Denn's Legislative Agenda for Children.
"It is very important for us to show decision makers and the public who these bills help -Delaware's kids," said Lt. Governor Denn. "There are only three legislative days left until the end of session, and we're here to continue the momentum behind these five bills by rallying support from legislators so that these bills are not lost in the shuffle."
Governor Jack Markell offered his support as well, "Delaware's children are our state's most precious resource. These pieces of legislation will help our children have a better future."
Three of these bills make up the Markell-Denn education reform proposal-they would replace the DSTP, create a pilot academic achievement awards program, and direct more public funds into the classroom. The fourth bill would allow parents to purchase coverage from the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, by paying a premium that matches the cost to the state of providing that coverage. The fifth bill would require private insurance carriers to cover developmental screening for infants and toddlers, to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of disabilities.
Advocates for Delaware's children voiced their support of the Lt. Governor's Legislative Agenda for Children, including Wendy Strauss from the Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, and George Meldrum from the Nemours Foundation.
The prime sponsors of the bills also urged their fellow legislators to continue the momentum behind and pass the bills before June 30th, the end of this legislative session.
Rep. Teresa L. Schooley, who also is director of KIDS Count in Delaware, said that the package of bills would go a long way toward opening doors for children today and into the future.
"The education bills signal our commitment to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to succeed in school and in life," said Rep. Schooley, D-Newark. "We also want our children to receive quality health care and screenings. If we can get our kids screened early on, we can address developmental delays as soon as possible so children can receive the assistance they need and fully realize their educational potential.
Schooley continued, "Additionally, a lot of parents can't get insurance for their kids because many major insurers don't allow people to only cover their children. They often have to buy insurance for their entire family, which can cost more than $1,000 a month. With House Bill 139, every child in the state would be able to be covered."
"We're going to have a new comprehensive assessment system and it's going to be a system that has more flexibility," said Sen. David Sokola, D-Newark North. "It can be utilized multiple times during the year and it can be administered much more quickly. It will give feedback immediately to teachers so they can make use of the information from the test."
The five bills on the Lieutenant Governor's Children's Agenda are:
Senate Bill 68 (sponsored by Senator Sokola): replacing the Delaware State Testing Program with a statewide test that will be more useful to teachers, less stressful for students, and more helpful in charting student progress. Senate Bill 68 passed the Senate last Thursday and was released from the House Education Committee yesterday, and is on the House Agenda for today.
Senate Bill 151 (sponsored by Senator Sokola), creating a pilot Academic Achievement Awards program that gives large financial rewards (paid for by federal stimulus dollars) to the schools that make the most progress in educating at-risk kids. This will be Delaware's first state run program where schools receive substantial financial rewards for excellence in educating students. S.B. 151 passed the Senate last Tuesday, was released from the House Education Committee on yesterday, and is on the House Agenda for today.
House Substitute 1 for House Bill 119 (sponsored by Representative Schooley), putting procedures in place to direct more public dollars into the classroom and less into administrative overhead, while simultaneously giving schools more financial flexibility. H.S. 1 for H.B. 119 passed the House last Tuesday, and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 139 (sponsored by Representative Schooley), allows parents whose income exceeds the current limits for the Children's Health Insurance Program to purchase coverage for their children by paying a premium that reflects the actual cost to the state of covering those kids. The program has no cost to the state, but will provide an opportunity for many parents with uninsured kids to get their kids insured. H.B. 139 passed the House last Thursday and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 199 (sponsored by Representative Schooley), which will require insurance carriers to cover developmental screening for infants and toddlers. This has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, to improve our early detection of developmental problems in small children and allow for more effective treatment. H.B. 199 is on the House agenda for today.
The education bills were drafted after Lt. Governor Denn and Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery hosted a dozen "Back to School" briefings to get public input across the state, and drew hundreds of participants in person and online. The briefings started a statewide dialogue on education reform that has resulted in legislation with public input that, with legislators support, has a chance to pass this legislative session.
