About 100 teachers walked out of a Brandywine School District board meeting Monday evening.
The show of solidarity from educators, who are donning red shirts in support of their local Brandywine Education Association, comes as faculty continue union negotiations with the school district. Playback of the meeting does not show the walkout itself, but members are heard momentarily distracted as the shuffle begins around 7:30 p.m., just after Superintendent Lisa Lawson’s report.
No solution had been reached as of Wednesday afternoon.
No teachers spoke during the public comment, and the local union provided no comment as of Wednesday. But these teachers have been working on expired contracts after agreeing to extensions through February’s referendum.
“We stand in solidarity with the approximately 900 members of the Brandywine Education Association, who have been working for nearly two years under an expiring contract that was last extended in early 2024 at the request of the Brandywine School District,” said Stephanie. Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association, said in a statement to Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Delaware’s largest education union commented on these ongoing negotiations, while BEA remains an independent organization representing teachers and specialists in their district. Ingram noted that members “negotiated in good faith and showed tremendous patience” throughout the process.
“They deserve a fair employment contract, and we urge the Brandywine School District to act in good faith by pursuing an agreement that respects the dedication and commitment of the educators who serve our students and our communities every day,” continued her statement. .
A district spokesperson said the system “continues to meet with the Brandywine Education Association in an effort to reach a cooperative agreement and ratify it as quickly as possible.” The district has not yet discussed the issues or timeline in detail.
Brandywine voters loudly supported a referendum earlier this year on cost grounds. In fact, in that February referendum, almost four in five voters were in favor. The measure should generate approximately $15.6 million in local revenues to support ongoing operating costs, as previously reported. Some of that promised to strengthen teacher retention.
What’s next for apparently frustrated teachers is not immediately clear.
Negotiations continue. Without a solution, the next step could likely look like further work actions or even public protest.
However, teacher strikes are illegal in Delaware. There could be an injunction from the Chancery Court, with noncompliance resulting in fines against “such offending party, in an amount on a daily, weekly or monthly basis without limitation as determined by the Court,” per state code. This applies to all public school employees.
Earlier in the evening, red-shirted teachers and other attendees gathered at Claymont Elementary School for a different reason. They celebrated a high school math teacher, Janette Madison. The Springer Middle teacher of nearly two decades was once again honored as the 2024-2025 Brandywine Teacher of the Year for “the impact she has had on her students, fellow staff and the entire BSD community.”
However, there was a completely different tone at the end of the meeting.
Education overview: Christina School District sets date for next referendum
Do you have a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191 and follow her at X @kpowers01.
This article originally appeared in Delaware News Journal: Brandywine educators leave meeting in protest of contract progress