Life Support for the Delaware School Board Association?

By Elizabeth Scheinberg

We are not going to say anything bad here about the folks that run and work for the Delaware School Board Association. However, as an organization, it is woefully inadequate and out-of-touch with the real needs of the traditional public school boards it seeks to serve. It doesn't entirely mean that the entity is irrelevant. But, it is alarming when our legislators are called to the mic and asked what contribution they believe DSBA has provided and their answer is nada.

So, a few years back, while RTTT was being shoved down our throats, a couple Christina board members started saying No to membership. Membership is not free. For CSD, the cost runs just North of $20.000/year. Eventually, the No voters gained a quorum and CSD said goodbye to DSBA. (Excellent ROI decision.)

What I didn't know until recently was the prevalence of districts who were "opting out" of DSBA.

Each district listed below has already withdrawn membership or has messaged to DSBA their strong desire to leave the organization:

Christina School Board

Milford School Board

Indian River School Board

Delmar School Board

Caesar Rodney School Board

DSBA is at a crux. These five districts represent at least $60,000 of lost revenue for the organization. (But, it is a gain for the districts that these boards represent. CSD could buy a para with their savings.) Knowing that its reputation as an advocate "for equity of thought" is waning, the question is out there -

Will DSBA, first assembled in 1946 and chaptered in 1952, be able to adapt to survive the education reform/deform movement of this century?

Should it?

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