Failed referendums leave Delaware school districts at a crossroads with teacher layoffs, sports cuts and program losses ahead

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The Indian River School District’s bid for $22.5 million in additional local funding was rejected by voters Thursday, leaving the district in a precarious financial position.

Residents voted against the district’s latest referendum by 5,424 to 4,749.

The failure comes just one week after the Smyrna School District referendum was voted down, forcing district leaders there to begin planning for budget reductions.

Now Indian River officials must make similar decisions to determine where cuts will be made, what programs will survive and how staffing will be affected in the months ahead.

Superintendent Jay Owens from IRSD acknowledged the setback in a statement following the vote.

“We are obviously disappointed with the result of the referendum but understand that this is part of the school funding process in Delaware,” Owens said. “We certainly respect the opinions and wishes of our public and understand the uncertainty caused by the recent property reassessment and rising residential energy bills. However, without the passage of a current expense referendum, the district faces difficult decisions regarding staff and programs.”

“Despite this setback, we will continue to strive to provide our students with premier educational services,” he added.

What’s at stake?

The district has warned for months that without additional funding, schools would be forced to cut staff, academic programs and extracurricular activities to close the budget gap.

Owens pointed out that while the district has been stretching funds since its last referendum in 2017, the rising cost of education has outpaced revenue.

“Over the past three fiscal years, our district operating expenses have increased an average of 7.4% per year, while our revenues have only increased 3.5%,” he said. “Similar to what’s happening in our local communities and our homes, things have gone up and we need to generate the revenue in order to be able to keep pace with that.”

If the $22.5 million referendum had passed, $12.2 million would have gone towards general operating expenses, including utilities, classroom resources and transportation. The remaining $10.2 million would have funded teacher recruitment and retention, ensuring competitive salaries to keep schools fully staffed.

Without these funds, the district will not have to find alternative cost-saving measures, which will likely mean staff layoffs, larger class sizes and reductions in student programs.

The reality for teachers and students

For teachers like Jordan Marvel of Sussex Central High School, the referendum failure has intensified concerns about job security, class sizes and the survival of key educational programs.

“If the referendum fails and we lose teachers, we’re going to wind up losing the extra programs that are there because right now we have teachers who teach extracurriculars, [if] they don’t teach the extracurriculars, they coach them,” Marvel said. “I teach psychology. You don’t need psychology to graduate. So psychology might go away so that I could teach more core classes in my department because if we lose a couple social studies teachers then the rest of us have to pick up their students.”

One of the most immediate concerns is the fate of the International Baccalaureate program, which has helped Indian River students earn scholarships and develop critical research skills.

“But I do know that at Central, the IB program is on the chopping block,” Marvel confirmed. “A bunch of our students have gotten scholarships through the IB program and it really does promote critical thought, exploration and research practices.”

Another area of concern is middle school athletics, which may be eliminated to reduce costs.

“Back in 2017, we were unable to pass the first referendum and those are things we were looking at. So unfortunately, it’s a programmatic option, it’s staffing,” Owens said. “In 2017, there was some talk of looking at middle school sports, how that may be impacted. We would look at all of those.”

Marvel echoed these concerns, saying cuts to arts, athletics and enrichment programs could be devastating for students.

“I don’t think sports or the arts should be cut,” Marvel said. “There are plenty of students who only come to school because they’re either in an arts program or an athletics program.”

The uncertainty surrounding the district’s financial future has already led some teachers to explore other options.

“I already know of teachers who have applied for and gotten jobs elsewhere already because they’re either fairly certain they’re going to lose their job or they’re scared enough that they need to make sure that they have a job for next year lined up already,” Marvel said.

Teacher morale has shifted, too.

“Morale is very low. And it’s a shame because in my 11 years teaching at Central up until recent times, morale was relatively high. We were on an upswing for a long time and I remember teaching there and having it feel a lot like a community,” he said. “It’s just a shame that my colleagues and friends even are feeling this way, that they’re feeling insecure about their position, that they’re worried if they’re going to have a job next year.”

What happens now?

In Smyrna, the new Superintendent Judy Deborah said no clear path has been declared, but the district will have to make difficult choices in the months ahead.

“The path requires time and collaboration. We have not had that opportunity yet,” Deborah said in an email. “The turnout was a little higher than anticipated. We will not be able to give our staff raises. That is one outcome of which I am certain at this point.”

While Smyrna begins long-term planning for possible cuts, Indian River is already preparing to hold another referendum later this year with the hope of securing the funding it needs.

Owens and the district’s Board of Education will now determine how to balance the budget until then, a process that may involve layoffs, program reductions and increased class sizes.