WILMINGTON – In response to the Redding Consortium for Educational Equity’s vote to formally move forward with the Northern New Castle County Consolidated School District redistricting model, Representative Nnamdi Chukwuocha released the following statement:
“Substantial, tangible, positive change for students in Wilmington and New Castle County cannot be achieved with band aid fixes. For decades, these kids have been victims of a districting decision that took place to try to solve a very real problem, but failed to take into account the lived experiences of the students affected. Several actions since then have attempted to address the persistent educational inequities that our students face, but none truly addressed the root issue: school district boundaries that perpetuate division over community, and privilege over equity.
“This evening, the Redding Consortium voted to move forward with the Northern New Castle County Consolidated School District plan. This decision came as a result of intensive research, data collection, collaboration, and feedback spanning back over 25 years, the last 7 of which have been documented in detail thanks to the work of the Consortium.
“Every change comes with anxiety, but I for one am excited. This isn’t a death sentence for Wilmington and New Castle County schools, it is the start of a new era: one where students are viewed as multi-dimensional people instead of just numbers, and community is valued over division. We have a real opportunity in the coming months to develop our final redistricting plan to shape our educational system into something amazing, and I can’t wait to work together to make that happen.
“And to be clear, there are many more steps in between where we are now and achieving the collective vision that we hold for a better, more equitable educational landscape. I look forward to being an active participant in the process as we move to present this plan to the State Board of Education and then to the General Assembly in the upcoming legislative session.”
###
