Indian River School Board: Following the Money, the Data, and the Results
By Dr. Michelle Parsons, District 4, Indian River School Board Member
The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent the Indian River School District or the Indian River Board of Education.
At our last School Board meeting, we approved a preliminary $246 million budget, reviewed student achievement, discussed declining enrollment, rising substitute teacher costs, and continued looking at our buildings, energy expenses, and our Ingrams Pond property. My approach on the Board remains pretty simple: when we spend money on a program, I want to know whether it is working. And when we identify a problem, I want to know what solution we can find.
Yes, this is a very long post, but so was the school board meeting!
Student Achievement: Progress and Gaps
There was good news in elementary reading. DIBELS (which measures whether students are on track in reading) improved in every elementary grade last year. Kindergarten jumped from 20% at or above benchmark in September 2025 to 58% by year-end, first grade from 36% to 62%, and third grade from 47% to 52%. Our teachers deserve tremendous credit for these improvements! Now we need to see whether those gains held over the summer and this year's beginning-of-year results should tell us. Stay tuned!
I also really like IRSD's renewed emphasis on literacy across all curriculum. The word literacy comes from the Latin littera, meaning “letter,” and at its core is about writing. And at IRSD, our students are indeed writing—even in cursive—across ALL subjects, not just English. Writing matters because it makes us think. Putting a thought into words forces us to organize an idea and communicate it clearly, which is more important than ever in the age of AI and ChatGPT, which can write almost anything for us, including emails and blogs! I was also very happy to hear that actual novels are back in the curriculum. I've asked for the reading list so I can share it with everyone.
But the districtwide averages also hide some troubling gaps. In Grade 8 math, 30% of IRSD students overall were proficient, compared with just 7% of African American students. In Grade 4 math, it was 44% overall versus 16% of African American students.
Those numbers deserve our attention. When only 7% of a group of students is meeting the standard, we need to ask what's happening much earlier in their education.
When Is It Better to Hold a Student Back?
As wonderful a job as our teachers are doing, teachers can only do so much. Students themselves and families have a role too and need to be held accountable. The Curriculum Committee is discussing stronger summer intervention for younger students, and I want us to continue looking closely at what happens when a child reaches third grade and still cannot read proficiently.
Delaware law already says struggling third-grade readers should not simply be moved on to the next grade. Under 14 Del. C. § 153, a third-grade student who scores below the state reading standard cannot advance without additional steps. The real question is whether we are using those interventions early enough to keep students from reaching that point. Moving a struggling reader on to the next grade without addressing the problem doesn't solve it.
I would like IRSD to take a closer look at our own third-grade students: How many are below the reading standard? What interventions have they received? How many participated in summer intervention? And ultimately, how many should be held back a year?
Decreased Enrollment
Enrollment is down roughly 100 students, from approximately 10,620 last year to about 10,500. Where have all the students gone? Are students being increasingly home schooled, transferring to charter or private schools. We won't know until we also get the data on those schools. Dr. Owens agreed that after the final September unit count we can look at those numbers.
Family Leave is Costing the District, And Students
Substitute costs are climbing. Last year IRSD budgeted $1.6 million for substitutes but spent $1.926 million. This year's budget is $2 million. Family-leave substitutes alone were budgeted at $210,000 but cost $293,279, with $300,000 budgeted this year.
During the School Board meeting, administrators explained that increased use of leave is contributing to substitute demand. This is due in large part because of Delaware's Healthy Delaware Families Act (SS 2 for SB 1), signed into law on May 10, 2022, which created the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave program.
Leave can be particularly costly for schools because when a teacher is out, someone still has to be in that classroom. Unlike many other workplaces, schools often must pay for a substitute to cover the absent employee. As use of leave increases, it is worth tracking both the cost to taxpayers and whether extended teacher absences have any effect on student performance.
I pointed out that we now have “a quantifiable number attached to this law” and suggested lawmakers should hear from school districts about its fiscal impact. But there's another question worth studying: Does increased teacher absence and greater reliance on substitutes correlate with some of the drops in student proficiency we are seeing?
Impact Fees Are Here—But There’s a Catch
We are grateful that Sussex County can finally collect school impact fees to help districts accommodate growth—but there's a catch. IRSD can't simply use that money to fix the schools our children are sitting in today. Some of our schools are more than 100 years old. We already know of at least two roofs needing immediate repair, and 22 of our 36 outstanding work orders involve HVAC. These aren't luxuries. They are the roofs over our students' heads and the heating and cooling systems in their classrooms.
The problem is that collecting impact fees doesn't mean IRSD can spend that money where it is most needed. Minor Capital pays for repairs to our existing schools, including roofs and HVAC. Major Capital pays for big projects such as new schools, additions and major renovations, which go through the state's Certificate of Necessity (CN) process. Impact fees can only be used for Major Capital projects that add capacity for more students, not for ordinary repairs to the schools we already have.
That's the frustrating part for IRSD. We could have new impact fee dollars coming in that we cannot use for some of our most pressing repairs, while the money we can use is already tight. As of August, IRSD had received about $5.76 million in Minor Capital Improvement funding, with $4.11 million spent, $1.17 million encumbered and only about $482,000 remaining, leaving very little cushion when an unexpected repair comes along.
I'm grateful Sussex County now has a way to make new development help pay for the schools that growth requires. But we also have a responsibility to take care of the schools—and the children—already here.
How Much Are We Spending to Keep Our Schools Running?
The district budgets approximately $1.5 million in state energy funding, plus another $485,918 for energy conservation contracts. But are those conservation programs actually saving us money? Mr. Parker is now reviewing the documentation, and I have requested the district's actual utility bills, starting with just one month.
I want to examine what each school and district facility pays for electricity, propane and fuel oil, including the actual rates and additional charges. Before we spend millions replacing HVAC systems or investing in energy efficiency, we should know exactly what we're paying now, where the money is going, and whether our existing conservation programs are delivering the savings promised.
Ingrams Pond
I also presented the Board with the updated forestry plan for approximately 140 acres of district-owned forest at the Ingram Pond Outdoor Education Center. The long-term plan calls for professional management, including thinning diseased and poor-quality trees so healthier, marketable trees have room to grow, followed eventually by harvesting and replanting. Properly managed, the property could improve as a forest, continue serving an educational purpose and potentially generate revenue for the district. Our next step is identifying a professional forester who can help implement the plan.
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
I also asked our Delaware School Boards Association (DSBA) legislative representative whether DSBA had evaluated the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and what it could mean for Delaware students and schools. That prompted a broader Board discussion. I believe we need to understand this opportunity and its potential benefits for our students before deciding whether the Board should take a position. Dr. Owens reported that he had contacted the Delaware Department of Education but was told there was not yet enough information available. I have since requested that we discuss the program further, and it is now on the agenda for our committee meeting this Monday.
Those are the kinds of questions I will continue asking on the Board — and reporting the answers back to you.
Measure it. Record it. Report it. Compare it. Learn from it. Then improve it.
If there is something you think I should be asking about, please contact me at michelle.parsons@irsd.k12.de.us.
***
Our next 38th and Southern Delaware Republican Club Meeting will be held on Monday, October 5th, change of time to 5:30 pm, at Harpoon Hannah's for a $30 dinner menu options, and $20 entrance fee. Bring a basket for our Silent Auction!
***
If you like what we do and would like to help support our mission, please send us a donation. We thank you for choosing to keep the 38th District Republican Club a success and a beaming light of conservative values in Delaware!
Like our logo? Buy a t-shirt or hat here!
*************************************************************************
Do you want to get more involved locally? The 38th District includes Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Selbyville and Frankford. YOU can make a difference! Email info@38thdrcp.com for more information. Also, sign up for the State GOP e-Newsletters here.
Listen to WGMD 92.7 and 98.5 for local news!
*******************************************************
Join the GOP:
Good Ordinary People who have common sense and will put an end to the nonsense!
Join the 38th District Republican Club and Subscribe to our e-Newsletter. If you like what we do and stand for, consider sending us your financial support.
To Donate Make check payable to:
38th DRCP
PO Box 184
Frankford, DE 19945
We meet the first Monday of the month, excluding holidays. For questions please
Email: info@38thdrcp.com
Upcoming Meetings
38th Club Meeting, Monday, First Monday, 6:30pm, South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach
July 38th Club Meeting CANCELLED July
IRSD Committee Meetings, Second Monday of each month, Millsboro Middle, 4pm-7pm
IRSD School Board Meetings, Fourth Monday of each month, 6:30pm, Millsboro Middle
We welcome your support as we support conservative values and responsible government.
Disclaimer and Third-Party Information
This newsletter is intended for informational purposes only. The content provided is for general information and entertainment purposes, and should not be construed as professional advice. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Club. Readers are encouraged to seek professional guidance or conduct their own research when making decisions based on the information provided in this newsletter. The Club does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this newsletter and will not be held liable for any errors or omissions.
The 38th District Southern Delaware Republican Club PAC may share or link to publicly available articles, research, petitions, reports, and other information produced by independent organizations and other third-party sources. The 38th PAC independently determines what information it shares. A link, repost, or reference to material produced by another organization does not indicate that the originating organization has participated in, funded, coordinated, or approved the PAC's communications or political activities. Likewise, the 38th PAC's use or sharing of publicly available material should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the PAC or its candidates by the organization that originally produced the material.
Website paid for by the 38th District Republican Club PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Comments