REMINDER: 4:30 p.m. deadline Friday to file to run in 2025 school board elections

First Staters hoping to get involved and make an impact in their community schools have until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7, to file candidacy in the May 13 school board elections.

Criteria for running for a school board seat includes:

• Be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Delaware and the school district they seek to represent.
• Be at least 18 years old at the time of the election.
• Reside in the nominating district if applicable.
• Not be a paid employee of the school district, as per board regulations.
• Have no prior conviction for embezzlements

“As a local control state, school boards play a critical role overseeing operations in their districts,” said Alison May, public information officer at the Delaware Department of Education. “They hire and supervise the superintendent, who leads the educators and staff of the district. As residents of their districts’ communities, school board members provide important direction to their district administrative teams and help their districts remain responsive to the needs of the families they serve.

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Candidates must also complete a fingerprinted Delaware and national criminal background check and a Child Protection Registry check.

“Sadly, many of Delaware’s school boards place little focus on academics,” said Tanya Hettler, director of the Center for Education Policy at the Caesar Rodney Institute. “This is likely because the schools and districts perform so poorly on the state and national assessments. This has to change. The most important aspect of our schools, academics, is being ignored.”

Instead of focusing primarily on sports, extracurricular activities, referendums, ideologies, and even personal arguments, boards need to insist that schools return to the basics, Hettler said.

“All Delawareans are eager to see student outcomes improve as educators work to help students recover from some of the worst COVID learning loss in the country,” said Julia Keleher, executive director of First State Educate. “One powerful way to drive progress is to run for school board.”

The March 7 filing deadline is rapidly approaching and over tens of thousands of public school families across the state are looking to Delaware’s incredible leaders to step up and turn that vision into reality, she pointed out.

“A school board member is in the perfect position to continually remind the rest of the board and administrators that academics needs to be the main focus,” Hettler said.

She said it’s also essential that teachers receive professional learning on how to do direct explicit instruction rather than what schools have been doing for two decades which is encouraging the teacher to “guide” the student to find the answers on their own.

“This does not work as can be clearly seen from our assessment scores and school board members can help to recommend excellent professional learning based on scientific research,” she said.

Keleher said that Delaware is home to talented, dedicated leaders who care deeply about the state’s schools.

“With 27 seats open, there are ample opportunities for qualified and committed citizens to serve,” she said. “School boards hire superintendents, set policies that shape teaching and learning, and ensure districts are responsive to their communities. The decisions they make today will shape the quality of our education for years to come.

For those ready to step up, Keleher said this is an extraordinary opportunity to make a lasting impact on public education and the future of Delaware’s students.

“School Boards are an opportunity to be part of the solution,” said Britney Mumford, executive director of DelawareKidsCan. “Now more than ever, our students need passionate and informed leadership to help get them back on track. School boards set local education policies, establish curriculum guidelines, and determine how resources are allocated. If you want to ensure students receive a high-quality, equitable education, serving on the board gives you the power to advocate for necessary changes.”

How to file for school board election

• Sussex County: 119 North Race Street in Georgetown – (302) 856-5367 – [email protected]
• Kent County: 100 Enterprise Place, Suite 5 in Dover – (302) 739-4498 – [email protected]
• New Castle County: Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington – (302) 577-3464 – [email protected]

Open school board seats

New Castle County

• Appoquinimink: One at-large seat
• Brandywine: District A, District B, District E seats
• Christina: District A seat
• Colonial: District B, District C, and District D seats
• Red Clay: District B and District G seats

Kent County

• Caesar Rodney: One at-large seat
• Capital: Two at-large seats
• Lake Forest: One at-large seat
• Milford: One at-large seat
• Smyrna: One at-large seat

Sussex County

• Cape Henlopen: One at-large, District B, and District C seats
• Delmar: One at-large seat
• Indian River: Two seats for District 1, one seat for District 2 and District 4
• Laurel: One at-large seat
• Seaford: One at-large seat
• Woodbridge: Two at-large seats