FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | January 28, 2026
Contact: Sarah Fulton (302) 401-1114
DOVER — Senator Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman and Representative Nnamdi Chukwuocha issued the following joint statement charting the next steps for the Redding Consortium:
“On behalf of our fellow members of the Redding Consortium, we thank Governor Meyer for his recognition of our work during his State of the State address, and for centering educational equity as one of the most important issues currently facing our state.
During his remarks, the Governor said, ‘The Redding Consortium has been focused for years on producing better student performance. The Consortium’s bold recommendations include a historic consolidation of districts. We know there is a lot more work to be done, and we must move forward thoughtfully. Combining districts alone will not deliver more equitable educational opportunity — but done right, this could be a major leap forward for equal opportunity in our communities.’
Since the December 16th vote to propose a bold plan that would consolidate Delaware’s four northernmost school districts, leaders of the Consortium have been working around the clock to prepare for our next steps.
Upcoming steps include:
- Drafting a redistricting “resource, transition and implementation” plan based on the Northern New Castle County Consolidated district model, which responds to our thirteen legislatively mandated stipulations
- Presenting plan drafts during public meetings for feedback
- Voting on a final draft of the plan to send to the State Board of Education for approval
Once the State Board of Education votes to approve the plan, it will come before us in the General Assembly in the form of legislation to be worked through the legislative process.
While we had previously charted a notably tight timeline to take action, we recognize that the work of the Consortium is not happening in a vacuum. Several of our colleagues in the legislature are working on additional education reforms this year, all of which should be taken in consideration as a whole. That said, we have a shared sense of urgency in completing all of the necessary work to put forward a comprehensive, equity-focused district consolidation plan this year.
We express our sincere gratitude to all of our partners in this work — our fellow members of the Redding Consortium and its subcommittees, the various educational equity experts who have shared their knowledge with us, educators and administrators across all of our districts, the phenomenal support staff from the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration and Delaware State University, and, of course, the thousands of community members who have shown up to town halls and workshops to join us in the process to date.
Members of the public are invited to join us at our next meeting on February 12, during which we will establish some clarity around our composition and timeline moving forward. Our work continues, and our doors are open.”
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