Why Should Delaware Care?
School referendums are the only time that Delawareans can have a direct say in their taxation rate, but they also make it harder for school districts to meet rising costs. One year after the Smyrna School District’s referendum attempt failed, and eight months after staff members began picketing board meetings, the district and Smyrna Education Association have come to an agreement regarding staff pay increases.
A yearlong standoff between the Smyrna School District and its union of teachers and other school staff has ended with a small pay raise for employees.
Following the agreement last week, the two sides released a joint statement saying the deal “serves both parties fairly.”
The statement also noted that the district will likely ask voters to increase school taxes in the near future. If successful, the referendum would fund staff retention and recruitment, as well as other items, according to the statement.
“The parties look forward to a successful operating revenue referendum in the near future and will work collaboratively toward this goal,” the district and union said in the statement.
The statement comes in sharp contrast from what was months of turmoil in the district that sits along the Kent and New Castle county line. Sometimes it was obvious to the public with protests outside of school board meetings. Other times, a quieter tension existed as the two sides engaged in months in mediation or other formal negotiations.
Now, with a deal secured, employee raises will be based on their years of experience. The newest workers will receive a $150 raise per year, while the most senior employees will get $420 increases, according to a memorandum obtained by Spotlight Delaware.
The increases take effect immediately, and carry forward into the 2027 fiscal year beginning in July, but there will be no additional increases.
Those raises cannot exceed 4% for any employee, according to the memorandum.
Smyrna Board of Education President Jonathan Snow told Spotlight Delaware that the board has not planned when the district will hold its next referendum vote, but conversations about future referendum plans will start this summer.
“Given our financial situation and the escalating cost associated with running schools in the state of Delaware at the moment, another referendum will have to happen,” Snow said.
What led to this?
The deal resolves what has been an ongoing fight between the district and its employees’ union since a referendum request failed last year, leaving schools struggling to pay their bills.
More than half of the $5.4 million that could have been raised by the 2025 referendum in its first year would have paid for staff salaries, with teachers receiving raises during the subsequent two years.
It also would have funded extracurricular activities, technology upgrades, utilities costs, and the hiring of additional school constables.
Still, nearly 60% of district voters rejected the referendum last year. In their joint statement last week, school officials did not say how they will try to convince voters to approve a referendum next time.
In the wake of the vote last year, school staff claimed the district backtracked on promised pay increases, while district officials said they needed to ensure their schools remained financially stable.
While the Smyrna Education Association is not legally allowed to strike, union members picketed district board meetings last fall, with dozens of teachers wearing black shirts, and some holding signs that said “Worth More Than 0%.”
The signs referenced the district’s decision to not increase the educators’ pay scale.
In October, the Smyrna Board of Education released a statement in response to the ongoing protests, stating it would be “fiscally irresponsible” to provide raises with “non-sustainable funding.”
The board also cited recent inflation in its statement, saying Smyrna schools will have to spend $750,000 more this year just to maintain the level of services they previously provided.
In Delaware, educators’ salaries are funded by a combination of state and local tax revenue, with the state paying approximately 70% of an individual’s total salary.