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In The News

Pennsylvania’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Relies on Faulty Data – Why RGGI is a “solution in search of a problem”

From: CO2 Coalition

The Governor and other officials have relied heavily on the state’s Climate Action Plans and specifically on the 2018 Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan3 in order to support their claims of current and future devastating impacts of continued CO2-driven warming. Assertions in the Climate Action Plan are refuted by the analysis of Gregory Wrightstone, Executive Director of the CO2 Coalition and an expert reviewer for the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 6th Assessment Report (IPCC – AR6).

Because of DEP’s flawed climatic analysis, the agency’s predictions of drought, flooding and other extreme weather events have no scientific basis.

Flooding

DEP’s projection of increased flooding is contradicted by data from the Ohio, Allegheny and Susquehanna rivers that show a decline in the size of flood crests in the last 100 years even though the average precipitation has increased by three inches. Although Governor Wolf makes much of Susquehanna River flooding in 2018, that event ranks 31st in the list of greatest floods at Harrisburg and only slightly more than half of the magnitude of the 1972 flood from Tropical Storm Agnes. The IPCC says it “can discern no connection between a modest increase in temperature and any change in flooding worldwide.”

Droughts

A DEP projection of more drought is unsubstantiated by data showing decreasing aridity in Pennsylvania over the last century while the climate warmed slightly during the period.

Heat Waves

A DEP projection of more heat waves is contrary to data showing a peak in the country’s hot weather occurring in the 1920s and 1930s before CO2 levels began increasing following World War II.

Health Risks from Pollution

DEP’s projection of health risks from air and water pollution are inconsistent with data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showing double-digit percentage decreases in pollution. Air and water today are cleaner than in more than 100 years and getting cleaner every year. According to the EPA, nationally, concentrations of air pollutants have dropped significantly since 1990.

Flooding in Southeastern Pennsylvania from Rising Sea Level

According to DEP’s Climate Assessment, Delaware River Basin communities (including Philadelphia) can expect more frequent flooding and associated disruptions due to sea-level rise that presumably is caused by anthropogenic warming. Fortunately, historical data suggest that is unlikely.

Global sea levels have been rising for over 200 years, long before humans began adding prodigious amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere in the mid-20th century, and oceans are likely to continue to rise whether RGGI is adopted or rejected. Having successfully already adapted to possibly as much as two feet of sea-level rise over the last two centuries, Philadelphia — with modern technology and capabilities — can expect to easily adapt to the projected six to eight inches of rise between now and 2100.

Agricultural Damage

DEP predicts damage to Pennsylvania agriculture, but actual data shows improvements in farm production. Pennsylvania is no different than most of the rest of the globe, which is benefiting from a moderate rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide and natural warming. Over the last 50 years there have been increases in the length of growing seasons and crop production and an overall greening of Earth.

RGGI’s Flawed Use of Climate and CO2-Emission Models

Dr. Patrick J. Michaels, Senior Fellow for the CO2 Coalition and Competitive Enterprise Institute and Past President of the American Association of State Climatologists, found that all but one of 102 computer models used in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) Climate Action Plan “failed dramatically” in representing how the climate behaved in the past. He suggested that it would have been preferable for the state to have used the one model that more accurately reflected past climatic conditions than to have averaged the results of all 102 irrespective of their accuracy.

In addition, the Pennsylvania analysis uses a CO2-emission model that assumes an unrealistic increase in the use of coal that exceeds some estimates of the quantity of recoverable coal reserves. Correcting for the state’s reliance on flawed analyses reduces the predicted warming by 2050 to less than two degrees Fahrenheit from the state’s projection of 5.4 degrees.

Even if Pennsylvania were to reduce its emissions from electricity to zero, Dr. Michaels says any reduction in temperature or in sea-level rise would be too small to measure.
The Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan report, which serves as the basis for Governor Wolf’s RGGI proposal, needs to be dramatically revised, and should no longer be used as the basis for any policy proposals in its present form, concludes Dr. Michaels.

RGGI’s Flawed Economics

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to enter RGGI will be economically damaging and provide no environmental benefits, according to a June 2021 analysis by David T. Stevenson, Director of the Center for Energy & Environment at the Delaware-based Caesar Rodney Institute. The findings are consistent with what Mr. Stevenson found in a 2018 peer-reviewed report published by the Cato Institute.

Mr. Stevenson’s recent analysis says the Wolf administration’s 2020 “Pennsylvania RGGI Modeling Report” predicts economic and environmental benefits on the basis of flawed assumptions. For example, emission reductions are likely overstated in the modeling report because Pennsylvania reductions in fossil fuel use will most likely be replaced by fossil fuel power plants in other states as electric generation and demand from energy-intensive manufacturing shift away from Pennsylvania.

“The assumptions used in the report are flawed as are the forecasted outcomes,” said Mr. Stevenson, author of more than 100 analytic reports. “Using information learned from the decade-old RGGI program it is clear emissions will not be reduced globally, electric rates will rise, and there will be billions of dollars of economic damage if Pennsylvania joins RGGI.”

Mr. Stevenson projects tax losses of $282 million from the economic damage to exceed the $261 million in estimated receipts from the sale of emission allowances. The losses break down as follows: $92 million in corporate income taxes, $102 million in personal income taxes and $88 million in utility gross receipts taxes.

According to the 2018 Stevenson report, RGGI had no effect on carbon dioxide reductions — nor any supposed health benefits when other factors are considered: the effects of regulatory and market forces and the quantity of emissions exported to other states by the importation of power into RGGI states.

The conclusions of the Stevenson report include the following:

  • RGGI does not lower global emissions. Any cuts in Pennsylvania will likely show up in other nearby states as electric demand is expected to remain constant across the region.
    Pennsylvania — now a large exporter of electricity — could lose as much as $2 billion a year in electricity sales to other states at a cost of 1,400 jobs in electric generation.
    Lost coal and natural gas production could total $1.1 billion a year at a cost of 3,500 jobs a year.
  • Based on the experience of RGGI states, higher electricity prices from Gov. Wolf’s carbon tax could result in a loss of approximately 17,000 jobs in the energy intensive manufacturing sector.
  • Total loss to the Pennsylvania economy from the state’s participation in RGGI could be as high as $7.7 billion a year and more than 22,000 jobs, with the economic loss between 2022 and 2030 over $50 billion.
  • There would be a net loss in tax revenue as the estimated $261 million generated by the sale of RGGI emission allowances would be more than offset by $282 million lost in lower collections of the corporate income tax, personal income tax and utility gross receipts tax.

 

Consequences of The Quest for Zero Carbon

From: Thomas Jefferson Institute For Public Policy

Virginians may be finally waking up to the consequences of the headlong rush to adopt utopian energy policies under our previous governor. The issues are getting more attention than ever before, and now people need to realize all the issues are really just one issue.

  • A California regulatory board’s decision to ban new gasoline vehicle sales by 2035 is finally being widely reported as binding on Virginia. This has angered many but was actually old news.  Under a 2021 Virginia law, our Air Pollution Control Board had already imposed the future sales restrictions, and it was some new amendments that sparked the news coverage.   Various political leaders have now promised to stop it but a bill to reverse it died in the 2022 General Assembly when Democrats rallied to save the mandate.
  • Our dominant electric utility has finally acknowledged that its planned $10 billion offshore wind facility is a gigantic financial risk and is now refusing to build it unless the State Corporation Commission (SCC) places 100 percent of the construction and performance risk on its customers.  Dominion Energy Virginia knows many things about this proposal it has not told us.
  • Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) is trying to remove Virginia from an interstate compact that mandates a carbon tax on electricity, imposed under former Governor Ralph Northam (D).  Advocates for the tax are pushing back and will fight, delay and likely sue to preserve the tax, which costs Virginians $300 million per year at current levels and will continue to rise.  Without explanation, the Governor did not keep his initial promise to promulgate an emergency regulation that could remove it quickly, so the tax lingers.
  • Governor Youngkin has opened the process for developing a revised statewide energy plan document, a political process to produce what in the past has been merely a political document.  The public comment portal has already become an ideological showcase. Northam’s 2018 plan had no engineering or economic detail.  It simply praised the legislative efforts to erase fossil fuels which had been adopted to that point and outlined the next steps his administration would take (couched as recommendations.)

Legislation also signed by Northam demands that the Youngkin plan now address far more issues in that plan than Virginia has addressed to date, issues not raised in the 2018 document.   He is required to produce a plan:

that identifies actions over a 10-year period…to achieve, no later than 2045, a net-zero carbon energy economy for all sectors, including the electricity, transportation, building, agricultural, and industrial sectors.

That instruction is not highlighted on the website about the new planning process, which merely mentions “environmental stewardship.”  Yet if the plan fails to chase net-zero to the satisfaction of those who claim carbon dioxide is an existential threat (rather than just plant food), expect additional litigation.

That state law is the common thread running through all pending issues, and also wraps around the rising energy prices for your home and car and business.

The Virginia General Assembly, during the short period of total Democratic control, voted narrowly to bind the state to California’s aggressive effort to remove gasoline and diesel vehicles.  It did so in line with that overarching policy imposed by the code, and that mandate is what needs to be examined, debated and considered for repeal along with the auto regulations.

The Virginia General Assembly, during that same short period, voted to require Dominion to propose the offshore wind installation, a risky expense that would never be considered reasonable and prudent otherwise, as the SCC itself has implied.  Again, the justification is compliance with that net-zero policy demand, based on claims that failure to act is a path toward some onrushing climate catastrophe.

The carbon tax under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is justified as a means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions but has the added attraction of raising dollars that politicians can then dole out with ribbon cuttings and press releases.  If Virginia were to reverse the underlying policy and decide a net zero economy is neither possible nor desirable, RGGI is clearly just another tax and spend regime.

The debate as Virginia approaches its next round of legislative elections in November 2023, should be about that net zero statutory mandate and the evidentiary claims behind it.  The offshore wind boondoggle, the abdication of sovereignty to California, and the RGGI tax are all trunks growing off that one taproot.

If the root remains embedded, if that law remains on the books, then what has been going on in the electricity and transportation sectors will expand into mandatory building code restrictions and the elimination of natural gas, heating oil and propane as common fuels. The net-zero vision for agriculture includes the elimination of many fertilizers and limits on production of livestock.  If you doubt that, read about what is going on in Sri Lanka and The Netherlands.

Imagine Delaware with no in-state electric power generation

From: Caesar Rodney Institute

Delaware generated 78% of its electricity in-state a decade ago, but it will likely be down to 33% this year.  By 2023 it may be close to zero!  That means lost jobs, lost state and local tax revenues, higher electric rates, and possibly lower power reliability for Delaware. The demand for electricity hasn’t changed, so what is happening?

A hidden tax is driving the change.

In 2009 power companies had to start buying allowances to emit carbon dioxide for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which passed on as a hidden cost added to electric bills.  At first, the allowances only cost a few dollars per ton. The electricity wholesale prices were higher than today. However, the latest auction price was $13 a ton. That means Delaware natural gas power plants have to bid 20% to 30% higher than average to cover the tax, so they lose the bid and don’t generate power.

Delaware’s lone emitting coal-powered plant in Millsboro must bid 40% to 60% higher in prices as it emits twice as much per unit of power as natural gas. NRG Company has announced a plan to close the facility next year. It only operates about 15% of the time and can’t cover the overhead.

The graph below shows how generation goes down at natural gas-fired power plants as allowance prices rise with a very high correlation of 0.83 (0 is no correlation, and +/- 1 is perfect correlation). The trend shows generation may go to zero if allowance prices rise to $16 a ton, which could happen as early as 2023. The RGGI organization forecasts prices as high as $24 a ton by 2030. How long before those natural gas-fired facilities close?

PicDave.Electric..png

Now you might think closing carbon dioxide emitting power plants is a good thing.

However, generation simply shifts to power plants from other states that emit as much or more carbon dioxide, especially when long-distance electric transmission losses are considered (0.43 tons/MWh compared to 0.48). Delaware has the second highest rate of transmission losses at 11%.

Perhaps you prefer wind and solar power?

Did you know Delaware has been mandating wind and solar power in addition to providing subsidies for both for over a decade? In 2021, the mandate required 21% power from wind and solar, increasing to 40% by 2035. So far, 90% of the wind and solar mandate is being met with out-of-state generation, with only 2% of electric demand met by in-state solar. At night, when it’s cloudy, and in winter, when solar power drops 40% compared to summer, reliable power is needed for backup.

Rooftop solar and offshore wind are three to four times as expensive as utility-scale solar and existing natural gas and coal-fired power plants. Importing power adds cost to cover the greater transmission distances and congestion at key transmission sub-stations.

The loss of in-state electric power generation could lower Delaware’s GDP by $250 million a year in lost electric generation and natural gas sales compared to 2016. Well-paying jobs at the power plants would be lost, and reduced GDP has secondary impacts on the economy. Local power plants are needed to maintain voltage stability for reliability, and longer transmission lines could face more likely storm damage and outages.

Delaware has not considered the cost of its renewable power mandate or RGGI.

It’s time for Delaware to join Virginia in pulling out of RGGI. Some might argue the revenue the state receives from the sale of the RGGI allowances is too important to give up. There won’t be any revenue if all the power plants close.

The Virginia Public Utility Commission recently looked at the cost of moving to just 60% wind and solar power by 2035 and found electric prices would rise 60%. Using alternative assumptions, electric bills might actually more than double. Virginia’s Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin will likely review the law calling for that much wind and solar power. He has already announced he will withdraw from RGGI, which could save almost $60 a year on residential electric bills.

The 10 most polluted states in the US

From: The Hill

(NEXSTAR) — How clean are the air and water in your state?

Using 2021 data, U.S. News and World Reports’ feature on the “Best States” has ranked U.S. states on several metrics, including economics, education and health care. The listing also measures natural environment, which is based on a state’s air/water quality and pollution levels.

Pollution was determined based on air and water emissions from industry and utilities, and overall measures to long-term human health effects, using information from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Below are the most polluted (no. 50-40) and least polluted (no. 10-1) in U.S. News’ Pollution Rankings.

States with the worst pollution

50. Louisiana

49. Nevada

48. Indiana

47. Delaware

46. Utah

45. Ohio

44. Oregon

43. Tennessee

42. Illinois

41. Alabama

40. Texas

Louisiana ranks dead last, coming in as the most-polluted state in the U.S., according to EPA information.

A January 2022 study by Tulane University found very high incidences of cancer in Louisiana, the second-highest in the U.S. At least 85 cancer cases per year in the state were due to exposure to high levels of air pollution, the study found. Authors included data for neighborhoods in an area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which is locally known as “Cancer Alley.”

The state of Nevada ranks as the second-most polluted state, according to EPA information. Just last year, Nevada ranked among the “unhealthiest” states for air quality in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report.

At that time, Melissa Ramos, manager of the Nevada ALA’s Clean Air Advocacy, said the Classic Car loophole was partly to blame for the state’s high emissions. Under the state’s Classic Vehicle Insurance policies, vehicles bearing certain license plates are exempt from emissions testing. Some tightening of the laws on classic vehicles is coming Jan. 1, 2023, however.

The least polluted states

10. Idaho

9. Colorado

8. Maine

7. Rhode Island

6. California

5. Wyoming

4. New Mexico

3. South Dakota

2. New Hampshire

1. Vermont

The state of Vermont is aware of its relatively good bill of health.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources writes that “Vermont’s air quality is considered to be among the best in the nation.” The agency notes, however, that Vermont’s air is not pollutant-free.

Interesting: Even though California ranks sixth among the least polluted states, many of its cities rank among America’s most polluted. Research from the American Lung Association ranked cities by ozone pollution, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution. California areas that ranked in the ALA’s top 10 most polluted cities in all three pollution categories include Los Angeles-Long Beach, Bakersfield, Fresno-Madera-Hanford, and Sacramento-Roseville.

Pollutants

Six common air pollutants identified and regulated by the EPA are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also called “particulate matter”), and sulfur oxides. Other air pollutants include asbestos, fuel oils and kerosene, and benzene.

 

RANKING THE STATES ON FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Every state except Idaho and Michigan requires its elected officials and other significant policymakers to submit annual public financial disclosures. In Massachusetts, these disclosure forms are called Statements of Financial Interest (“SFIs”). Such disclosures are an essential tool for the public and press to protect against the potential intrusion of conflicts of interest into public policymaking.

Pioneer developed this data application to compare how states make these financial disclosures public.  The goal of this project is to encourage the public to demand that their states institute practices that will lead to greater transparency.  We applaud the nine highly-transparent states with perfect scores: Alabama, Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia.

Pioneer ranked each state based on attributes weighted as follows:

Attribute: Weight
Proof of Identification of Requestor Not Required 30%
Agency Not Required to Notify Filer of Requestor’s Name 30%
Posted Online 10%
Posted Online and Free Open to View Without Establishing Account 10%
Requestor’s Name and/or Personal Information Not Required 10%
Filer Must Submit Disclosures Electronically 5%
Electronically Searchable Disclosure Form Available 5%
TOTAL 100%

We used a color scale to compare state scores with dark green being highly transparent and red meaning inadequate public access. You can hover over each state to view the detail of the scoring

The data is as of April 2019. Pioneer Institute intends to update this data annually.

Transparency advocates push for campaign finance reform

From: Delaware Live

With weeks to go before the first votes are cast in Delaware’s 2022 election cycle, advocates for government transparency are pushing for better campaign finance reporting.

Common Cause Delaware, a nonprofit group that lobbies for open, honest and accountable government, has called for more frequent and detailed reporting of campaign funds collected when candidates run for office.

“It’s common knowledge that people work for the person who pays them,” said Claire Snyder-Hall, executive director of Common Cause Delaware. “That’s how it often works in politics as well. Studies show that elected officials are more likely to govern in accordance with what their donors want than with public opinion.”

Under current law, campaigns are only required to file three spending reports: at the end of each year, 30 days prior to an election, and eight days prior to an election. If the candidate has a primary election, they’d file five reports.

Snyder-Hall wants to keep those reports, but also require candidates to file four additional quarterly reports.

“When voters are trying to decide who to vote for, one thing they can do is look at campaign finance reports to see who’s funding the candidate,” she said. “If a candidate receives a lot of money from police unions, for example, or teachers unions, that can say a lot about what they stand for, and voters have a right to know that information.”

Because everyday voters don’t follow campaign finance reports closely, having additional data and more time to disseminate it before an election will go a long way in improving transparency, Snyder-Hall said.

“It’s only 30 days until the election, and so that doesn’t leave a lot of time for people to be able to learn and digest that information,” she said. “Whereas if it was quarterly reporting, they would know earlier.”

Having quarterly reports would also level the playing field between candidates who have primary elections and those who don’t, she said.

For example, in Delaware’s 6th Senate District, there are two Democratic candidates: Jack Bucchioni and Russ Huxtable.

They are required to file their reports 30 days and 8 days before the Sept. 13 primary election, but Republican candidate Rep. Steve Smyk, who doesn’t have a primary challenger, won’t have to file his reports until 30 days and 8 days before the Nov. 8 general election.

“So voters now know who’s funding Russ Huxtable and Jack Bucchioni, but they don’t have any idea who’s funding Steve Smyk, because he doesn’t have a primary opponent,” Snyder-Hall said. “That gives him an advantage.”

Another way to increase transparency in elections is by requiring campaign contributors to reveal their employer and occupation when they donate to a campaign, said John Flaherty, board member with the Delaware Coalition for Open Government.

That would increase transparency in two ways, Flaherty said. First, it would help identify instances where companies ask employees to donate to a particular candidate and reimburse them for their donation. That’s a way for companies to circumvent campaign finance laws that limit the amount one can donate to a campaign.

That’s not unprecedented in Delaware.

In 2011, Christopher Tigani, the former president of a major Delaware beer distributor, pleaded guilty to illegally funneling more than $200,000 in campaign donations by compelling employees, family members and friends to make donations, then reimbursing them.

The other way it would increase transparency, Flaherty said, is by showing donor trends. If a candidate has numerous donations from workers in the fossil fuel industry, for example, one could deduce that those employees feel that candidate is more friendly to fossil fuels.

“The public can then decide for themselves whether, in fact, that donation was meant for the candidate, or whether it was meant to help propel the interests of the company,” Flaherty said. “I think the more disclosure we have, the better it is when it comes to campaign finances here in Delaware.”

Donors are already required to reveal their employer and occupation when they donate to candidates for federal office and in 38 states across the country.

When a bipartisan bill was introduced in Delaware’s General Assembly this year that would have required just that, it died in the House Administration Committee after House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, raised objections.

“I don’t support this bill and I’ll tell you why,” Schwartzkopf said. “I don’t know what the problem you’re trying to solve is.”

He said pass-through donations like the ones Tigani pleaded guilty to are already illegal and House Bill 366 wouldn’t have stopped them from happening.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Glasgow, disagreed.

“I think it quite possibly could have helped catch that,” Morrison said. “When you’re looking through these reports, you will be able to see that, ‘Hey, this one employer, people from their company are donating over and over again, especially in $600 checks,’ which we don’t often see.”

Schwartzkopf said he also worries that in such a divisive political climate, employers could seek retribution against employees “because they donated to the wrong candidates.”

“There’s no protection for those people,” Schwartzkopf said. “They could be fired the very next day.”

Flaherty, Snyder-Hall and Morrison all say that’s bupkis.

“That doesn’t really make sense because you can already do that,” Snyder-Hall said. “If you were a business owner and you wanted to see who your employees were donating to, you know who they are, so you could just put their names in and search to see if they donated.”

Snyder-Hall said it’s no surprise the bill didn’t make it across the finish line.

“I believe it’s the wealthy interests that want to maintain their advantage and candidates who are receiving big money from certain industries that they don’t want publicized,” she said.

Rep. Danny Short, R-Seaford, agreed with Schwartzkopf.

“There’s a whole host of issues you have to follow up on with regard to the checks so you can make sure you comply with the current situation,” Short said. “I don’t know that it helps the cause of those that are trying to run any election, irrespective of who they are, irrespective of the party, to publish that information.”

Rep. Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, said he thinks it would be intrusive to have donors include their employer information.

“On the other hand, the person who challenges [that donation] could remain anonymous,” Dukes said. “I don’t think you should have it both ways, in my opinion.”

The bill was tabled in committee and never brought back for a vote. Because the legislative session ended June 30, the bill will need to be reintroduced in 2023.

“We’ll have to bring it up again next year,” Flaherty said.

Lockdowns Should Never be Allowed Again

From: Caesar Rodney Institute 

In the early days of COVID-19, Delaware’s Governor John Carney expressed his desire to avoid a legacy of being an example of “What NOT to do.” With New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as his guidestar, he proceeded to do just that. Delaware’s economy has suffered some sectors deeply, particularly its students, small businesses, the healthcare sector, and the hospitality industry.
Delaware’s COVID-19 response began with an Emergency Order on July 24, 2020, fully three months following the peak of COVID-19 deaths, which has since been extended 26 times, some as “modifications.”
Despite there being no emergency, the Governor just renewed the order. Each renewal is time-limited, but no consequence for repetition. For the last year and a half, a “bill” requiring the Governor to get legislative approval to renew the Emergency Order stayed idle. The Legislature still has not considered this “bill.”
The original intent of a lockdown was to limit the spread of disease in order to keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed, in particular, beds and intensive care unit utilization.
Neither problem happened. Neither the mask mandate nor the lockdown decreased the spread of COVID-19, as CRI’s Health Policy Center predicted.
Cloth masks are useless and have become a fashion statement, while paper masks merely collect bacteria from the wearer. Masks are the angstrom particulate equivalent of trying to stop a mosquito with a chain link fence.
Lockdowns to prevent the spread of disease were discredited in the 7th Century with the Justinian Plague. The resurgence of these techniques is simply epidemiologic malpractice. However, the adverse consequences of these policies are undeniable.
For two years, our school-age children were denied an education and the socialization that accompanies in-person schooling.
This disproportionately injures those who cannot read, which would usually be 1st grade and below but in Delaware, that extends up to half of the third graders. Socialization of behavior defaulted to internet games, replete with violence and pornography. Marijuana, alcohol, drug use, and suicide attempts increased shockingly. Parents without childcare at home were relegated to computer babysitters and supervision.
The feared shortage of hospital beds never occurred.
The Christiana Care Center for Advanced Joint Replacement 30 beds specialty unit was commandeered for COVID-19 and never used. The population was terrified to seek medical care in a hospital for fear of contracting COVID-19. This attitude was widely prevalent among the disadvantaged and older population. People deferred routine medical care and are now sicker. The backlog of people waiting for elective treatment has risen.
The economy now broadly suffers from lockdown-induced supply chain issues severely hamstringing building and construction.
Both new and used automobiles are simply not available as inventories of many goods have dried up. When the government picks winners and losers, like you’re “essential” and “non-essential,” things go badly. How do the people feel about being told you’re “non-essential?”
Small businesses closed in droves. The hospitality industry and tourism simply disappeared. Restaurants closed or barely limped along with draconian ineffective regulations about masks, social distancing, and outdoor dining or takeout. Regulations on top of regulations is madness.
In short, there was no justification for a lockdown, and the desired result of slowing the spread and ‘bending the curve’ simply did not happen.
The health experts driving the policies focused on the number of new cases instead of the number of hospitalizations and their disparate impacts on older patients. The proven notion of herd immunity and natural immunity was laughed at. It was and still is an uninformed policy that yielded predictably bad results, however well intended.
Lockdowns should never be allowed again, and a thoughtful Legislature should temper the authoritarian mandate from a chief executive going forward in a timely fashion to prevent ongoing harm.

Who’s running, updated: Delaware’s Sept. 13 primary

From: Delaware Live

With Delaware’s primary election just days away and early voting underway, time is running out to answer any questions you might still have.

If you’re unsure who’s running in your district — or even what district you’re in — you’ve come to the right place.

To find your polling location, click here. Scroll down for a list of candidates by district.

The primary election will be held Tuesday, Sept. 13.

The 151st General Assembly comes to an end in November, meaning all 21 Senate seats and 41 House seats are up for grabs. The deadline to file for election has passed.

Three of the state’s executive offices — attorney general, treasurer and auditor of accounts — will also be on the ballot. Each office’s incumbent is running for re-election, including embattled State Auditor Kathy McGuiness, who is the only one with a primary challenger.

RELATED: How to vote in Delaware’s upcoming elections

Six state representatives and senators are not seeking re-election: Sens. Ernie Lopez and Bruce Ennis, and Reps. David Bentz, John Kowalko, Andria Bennett and Steve Smyk, who is running for state Senate.

The House district previously represented by Gerald Brady, who resigned in Feb. 2022, will no longer exist after November. During redistricting, a new district was created in the Long Neck and Oak Orchard area of Sussex County to reflect population growth there.

The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Some candidates have been running for months while others were only nominated by their party last week.

Those include: Justin Brant, R-RD 30, Brent Burge, R-RD 10, Chris Dalton, L-SD 21, Joan Godwin, R-RD 24, Benjamin Gregg, R-RD 12, Alexander Homich, R-RD 5, Ade Kuforiji, D-RD 34, Mark Parks, N-RD 5, Brittany Ramone-Gomez, R-RD 23, Daniel Schmick, R-SD 5, Jason Stewart, R-RD 31, and Shane Stoneman, R-RD 7.

In most cases, those candidates were nominated by their political parties because no other candidate had filed to run.

Below is a list of each statewide seat, Senate and House seat, and county office along with the candidates who have filed and the voter registration totals by political party. Click a candidate’s name to view their campaign website. If you’re not able to click a candidate’s name, they don’t have a campaign website listed with the Department of Elections.

Also listed are voter registration totals by political party. The first figure represents the number of Democrats registered in the district, the second figure shows the number of Republicans and the third figure represents voters belonging to a third party or no party.

An asterisk (*) indicates a candidate is an incumbent. If there is more than one candidate listed for a given party, there will be a primary election for that seat. If there isn’t, that candidate will advance directly to the general election. Voter registration totals are not available for county races.

Not sure what district you’re in? Click here to find out.

Statewide candidates


Primary election delaware

United States Representative (At-Large)

  • Democratic candidate: Lisa Blunt Rochester*
  • Republican candidate: Lee Murphy
  • Libertarian candidate: Cody McNutt
  • Nonpartisan candidate: David Rogers
  • Declared write-in candidate: Edward Shlikas (unaffiliated)
  • Statewide voter breakdown: D – 362,002 / R – 209,358 / other – 189,428

Attorney General

  • Democratic candidate: Kathy Jennings*
  • Republican candidate: Julianne Murray
  • Statewide voter breakdown: D – 362,002 / R – 209,358 / other – 189,428

State Treasurer

  • Democratic candidate: Colleen Davis*
  • Republican candidate: Greg Coverdale
  • Statewide voter breakdown: D – 362,002 / R – 209,358 / other – 189,428

Auditor of Accounts

State Senate filed candidates


State Senate Candidates

CHARLIE MEGGINSON/DELAWARE LIVE

Senate District 1

  • Areas Served: Wilmington North, Carrcroft
  • Democratic candidate: Sarah McBride*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 22,116 / R – 7,376 / other – 8,662

Senate District 2

  • Areas Served: Wilmington Manor, Southbridge
  • Democratic candidate: Darius Brown*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 24,210 / R – 3,273 / other – 5,990

Senate District 3

  • Areas Served: Wilmington
  • Democratic candidate: Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 21,876 / R – 3,143 / other – 6,237

Senate District 4

  • Areas Served: Hockessin, Greenville
  • Democratic candidate: Laura Sturgeon*
  • Republican candidate: Ted Kittila
  • Voter breakdown: D – 15,066 / R – 11,656 / other – 10,113

Senate District 5

  • Areas Served: Brandywine Hundred
  • Democratic candidate: Kyle Evans Gay*
  • Republican candidate: Daniel R. Schmick
  • Voter breakdown: D – 17,693 / R – 9,292 / other – 8,838

Senate District 6

  • Areas Served: Rehoboth, Lewes, Milton, Dewey
  • Democratic candidates: Jack BucchioniRuss Huxtable
  • Republican candidate: Steve Smyk
  • Nonpartisan candidate: Gwendolyn “Wendy” Jones
  • Voter breakdown: D – 18,686 / R – 15,593 / other – 11,342

Senate District 7

Senate District 8

  • Areas Served: Newark
  • Democratic candidate: Dave Sokola*
  • Republican candidate: Victor Setting II
  • Voter breakdown: D – 12,958 / R – 7,569 / other – 7,975

Senate District 9

  • Areas Served: Christiana, Brookside
  • Democratic candidate: Jack Walsh*
  • Republican candidate: Brenda Mennella
  • Voter breakdown: D – 16,330 / R – 7,109 / other – 8,886

Senate District 10

  • Areas Served: Middletown, Odessa, Glasgow
  • Democratic candidate: Stephanie Hansen
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 18,102 / R – 9,721 / other – 9,671

Senate District 11

  • Areas Served: Glasgow, Newark
  • Democratic candidate: Bryan Townsend*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 19,993 / R – 6,164 / other – 8,766

Senate District 12

  • Areas Served: Delaware City, New Castle, St. Georges
  • Democratic candidate: Nicole Poore*
  • Republican candidate: Bill Alexander
  • Voter breakdown: D – 20,497 / R – 8,553 / other – 9,513

Senate District 13

  • Areas Served: Bear
  • Democratic candidate: Marie Pinkney*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 22,058 / R – 5,291 / other – 7,907

Senate District 14

Senate District 15

  • Areas Served: Harrington, Hartley, Kenton
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Dave Lawson*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 11,728 / R – 13,943 / other – 10,128

Senate District 16

  • Areas Served: Dover, Frederica, Bowers Beach
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidates: Colin Bonini*Eric BucksonKim Petters
  • Voter breakdown: D – 14,231 / R – 11,614 / other – 9,857

Senate District 17

  • Areas Served: Dover, Camden, Wyoming
  • Democratic candidate: Trey Paradee*
  • Republican candidate: Ed Ruyter
  • Voter breakdown: D – 18,346 / R – 7,252 / other – 8,652

Senate District 18

  • Areas Served: Milford, Lincoln, Bridgeville
  • Democratic candidate: Billy Devary
  • Republican candidate: Dave Wilson*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 12,799 / R – 14,064 / other – 9,344

Senate District 19

  • Areas Served: Georgetown, Long Neck
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Brian Pettyjohn*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 13,716 / R – 15,409 / other – 9,382

Senate District 20

  • Areas Served: Ocean View, Millsboro, Bethany, Fenwick Island
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Gerald Hocker*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 14,234 / R – 19,367 / other – 10,134

Senate District 21

  • Areas Served: Laurel, Seaford, Gumboro
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Bryant Richardson*
  • Libertarian candidate: Chris Dalton
  • Nonpartisan candidate: Sonja Mehaffey
  • Voter breakdown: D – 11,851 / R – 14,999 / other – 8,402

State House filed candidates


House of Representatives Candidates

(CHARLIE MEGGINSON/DELAWARE LIVE)

Representative District 1

Representative District 2

  • Areas Served: Wilmington
  • Democratic candidates: Stephanie Bolden*, James Taylor
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 12,398 / R – 1,509 / other – 3,431

Representative District 3

  • Areas Served: Wilmington
  • Democratic candidate: Sherry Dorsey Walker*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 12,081 / R – 1,586 / other – 3,143

Representative District 4

  • Areas Served: Millsboro, Long Neck, Oak Orchard, Angola
  • Democratic candidate: Keegan Worley
  • Republican candidates: Bradley LayfieldJeff Hilovsky
  • Independent Party candidate: Amy Fresh
  • Notes: District will move from Wilmington to Long Neck in November.
  • Voter breakdown: D – 7,596 / R – 8,744 / other – 5,309

Representative District 5

  • Areas Served: Bear
  • Democratic candidate: Kendra Johnson*
  • Republican candidate: Alexander Homich
  • Nonpartisan candidate: Mark Parks
  • Voter breakdown: D – 11,544 / R – 2,070 / other – 3,501

Representative District 6

Representative District 7

  • Areas Served: Claymont, Arden
  • Democratic candidate: Larry Lambert*
  • Republican candidate: Shane Stoneman
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,532 / R – 3,589 / other – 4,014

Representative District 8

  • Areas Served: Middletown
  • Democratic candidate: Sherae’a Moore*
  • Republican candidate: David Thomas
  • Voter breakdown: D – 10,120 / R – 4,828 / other – 5,009

Representative District 9

  • Areas Served: Odessa
  • Democratic candidate: Terrell Williams
  • Republican candidate: Kevin Hensley*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,625 / R – 5,756 / other – 5,098

Representative District 10

  • Areas Served: Brandywine Hundred
  • Democratic candidate: Sean Matthews
  • Republican candidate: Brent Burge
  • Voter breakdown: D – 8,490 / R – 5,576 / other – 4,735

Representative District 11

  • Areas Served: Townsend, Kenton, Hartley
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Jeff Spiegelman*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 6,546 / R – 6,436 / other – 5,162

Representative District 12

  • Areas Served: Greenville
  • Democratic candidate: Krista Griffith*
  • Republican candidate: R. Benjamin Gregg
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,768 / R – 6,732 / other – 5,601

Representative District 13

  • Areas Served: Elsmere
  • Democratic candidates: Larry Mitchell*, DeShanna Neal
  • Republican candidate: Carlucci Coelho
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,528 / R – 3,258 / other – 4,656

Representative District 14

  • Areas Served: Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach
  • Democratic candidate: Pete Schwartzkopf*
  • Republican candidate: Carl Phelps
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,573 / R – 7,046 / other – 5,314

Representative District 15

  • Areas Served: Red Lion, St. Georges
  • Democratic candidate: Valerie Longhurst*
  • Republican candidate: Michael Higgin
  • Voter breakdown: D – 11,055 / R – 3,842 / other – 4,759

Representative District 16

  • Areas Served: New Castle, Minquadale
  • Democratic candidate: Franklin Cooke*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 12,377 / R – 2,201 / other – 3,644

Representative District 17

  • Areas Served: Delaware City, Wilmington Manor
  • Democratic candidate: Melissa Minor-Brown*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 11,070 / R – 3,056 / other – 4,414

Representative District 18

  • Areas Served: Christiana
  • Democratic candidates: Martin Willis, Sophie Phillips
  • Republican candidates: Gloria Hope Payne
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,905 / R – 3,107 / other – 4,289

Representative District 19

  • Areas Served: Stanton, Newport
  • Democratic candidate: Kim Williams*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 8,799 / R – 4,231 / other 5,238

Representative District 20

  • Areas Served: Milton, Lewes
  • Democratic candidate: Stell Parker Selby
  • Republican candidate: Dallas Wingate
  • Voter breakdown: D – 8,308 / R – 7,630 / other – 5,377

Representative District 21

  • Areas Served: Pike Creek
  • Democratic candidate: Frank Burns
  • Republican candidate: Mike Ramone*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 8,498 / R – 5,123 / other – 5,395

Representative District 22

  • Areas Served: Hockessin
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Mike Smith*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 8,456 / R – 6,866 / other: 6,050

Representative District 23

  • Areas Served: Newark
  • Democratic candidate: Paul Baumbach*
  • Republican candidate: Brittany Ramone Gomez
  • Voter breakdown: D – 7,353 / R – 4,294 / other – 4,450

Representative District 24

  • Areas Served: Newark
  • Democratic candidate: Ed Osienski*
  • Republican candidate: Joan Godwin
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,342 / R – 3,438 / other – 4,705

Representative District 25

  • Areas Served: Newark
  • Democratic candidates: Cyndie RomerEdward Klima
  • Republican candidate: Lynn Mey
  • Voter breakdown: D – 7,285 / R – 3,270 / other – 4,169

Representative District 26

Representative District 27

Representative District 28

  • Areas Served: Smyrna, Leipsic
  • Democratic candidate: Bill Carson*
  • Republican candidate: No candidate filed
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,159 / R – 4,332 / other – 4,710

Representative District 29

  • Areas Served: Cheswold
  • Democratic candidate: William “Bill” Bush*
  • Republican candidate: Marc Wienner
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,438 / R – 5,317 / other – 4,859

Representative District 30

  • Areas Served: Harrington, Felton
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Shannon Morris*
  • Libertarian candidate: Justin Brant
  • Voter breakdown: D – 5,827 / R – 7,658 / other – 5,326

Representative District 31

  • Areas Served: Dover
  • Democratic candidate: Sean Lynn*
  • Republican candidate: Jason Stewart
  • Voter breakdown: D – 9,090 / R – 3,236 / other – 4,046

Representative District 32

Representative District 33 

  • Areas Served: Frederica, Milford, Magnolia
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Charlie Postles*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 6,492 / R – 6,616 / other – 5,088

Representative District 34

  • Areas Served: Camden, Wyoming, Woodside
  • Democratic candidate: Ade Kuforiji
  • Republican candidate: Lyndon Yearick*
  • Nonpartisan candidate: William McVay
  • Voter breakdown: D – 8,104 / R – 6,114 / other – 5,297

Representative District 35

  • Areas Served: Bridgeville, Greenwood
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Jesse Vanderwende*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 5,951 / R – 7,202 / other – 4,224

Representative District 36

  • Areas Served: Milford, Slaughter Beach
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidates: Bryan Shupe*Patrick Smith
  • Voter breakdown: D – 6,436 / R – 6,481 / other – 4,683

Representative District 37

  • Areas Served: Georgetown
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Ruth Briggs King*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 5,625 / R – 6,130 / other – 3,838

Representative District 38

  • Areas Served: Bethany, Millville, Fenwick Island
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Ron Gray*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 7,675 / R – 11,505 / other – 5,780

Representative District 39

  • Areas Served: Seaford, Blades
  • Democratic candidate: Susan Clifford
  • Republican candidate: Danny Short*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 6,040 / R – 6,502 / other – 3,908

Representative District 40

  • Areas Served: Laurel, Delmar
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Tim Dukes*
  • Voter breakdown: D – 5,596 / R – 7,773 / other – 4,234

Representative District 41

  • Areas Served: Millsboro, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Gumboro
  • Democratic candidate: No candidate filed
  • Republican candidate: Rich Collins*
  • Nonpartisan candidate: Joseph DiPasquale
  • Voter breakdown: D – 6,657 / R – 8,607 / other – 4,601

Countywide candidates


County Candidates

New Castle County 


County Council District 1
County Council District 2
  • Democratic candidate: Dee Durham*
  • Republican candidate: Jamie Collins
County Council District 3
  • Republican candidate: Janet Kilpatrick*
County Council District 4
  • Democratic candidate: Penrose Hollins*
County Council District 5
  • Democratic candidate: Valerie George
County Council District 6
  • Democratic candidate: David Carter*
Register of Wills
  • Democratic candidate: Ciro Poppiti III
Recorder of Deeds
  • Democratic candidate: Michael E. Kozikowski Sr.
Sheriff
  • Democratic candidate: Scott Phillips*
  • Nonpartisan candidate: John Machurek

Kent County


Levy Court District 2
  • Democratic candidate: Jeffrey Hall*
  • Republican candidate: Anthony Egipciaco
Levy Court District 4 
  • Democratic candidate: Dennis Norwood
  • Republican candidates: Morgan Hudson, Robert Scott
Levy Court District 6
  • Republican candidates: Mitch Denham, Paul Hertz
Levy Court At-Large
  • Democratic candidate: Terry L. Pepper*
  • Republican candidate: Jason Bonner
Sheriff
  • Democratic candidate: Brian E. Lewis*
  • Republican candidate: Norman R. Barlow
  • Nonpartisan candidate: Aarika Nelson
Recorder of Deeds

Sussex County


County Council District 4
  • Republican candidate: Doug Hudson*
  • Democratic candidate: Nathan Mitchell
County Council District 5
Sheriff
  • Republican candidate: Robert T. Lee*
  • Nonpartisan candidate: James Brittingham
Register of Wills
  • Republican candidates: Greg Fuller, Ellen Magee*, Candice Green Wilkinson
Recorder of Deeds
  • Republican candidates: Alexandra Reed Baker, Scott Dailey*

* Indicates the candidate is the incumbent

This report will be updated following the Sept. 13 primary election. 

 

Delaware schools need 500 teachers. Here’s where

From: Townsquare Live!

As the academic year gears up, Delaware schools still have more than 500 teacher vacancies to fill.

“We think about it as a perfect storm of conditions,” said Stephanie Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association.

Schools expected to have a higher than normal number of retirements, partly because of the stresses of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, that’s been coupled with an increase in student enrollment of more than 7%, Ingram said.

At the same time, “We have fewer graduates from the educator programs than our surrounding states, which leads to the teacher shortage in our schools,” she said.

Some education officials believe that schools themselves — and even the media — are to blame for the teacher shortage.

Bradley Layfield, principal of Sussex Central High School, said school leadership plays a role in attracting and retaining teachers.

“As an administrator, I think that we bear some of this in how we treat our teachers and how we support our teachers to then support students,” he said.

Kendall Massett, executive director of Delaware Charter Schools Network, said more attention should be paid to the teachers who do decide to work in the First State.

“While of course we need to get more teachers in and we want to bring more teachers to Delaware … I really wish we weren’t talking about that,” she said. “We need to talk about the fact that we have so many amazing educators that are staying. We are not talking about them.”

Massett said the perception that there is a teacher shortage is caused, in large part, by how the media talks about it.

“When you focus on the bad and when you focus on the challenges, that’s what you’re going to get,” she said.

The situation frustrates districts in many ways.

“As a superintendent, we’re promising and guaranteeing that children are getting a quality education, and you’re doing everything you can to provide the best quality education you can,” said Jeff Menzer, superintendent of Colonial School District.

“The more you string out these vacancies and the longer these vacancies appear and occur, the harder it is to say that to the public,” he said. “That’s really going to be the struggle over the next several years.”

Delaware isn’t alone in grappling with a teacher shortage. States across the country are experiencing the same thing.

The teacher shortage has been building for a decade, Menzer said.

“There’s really not a lot of teachers that are coming out of school with those certification areas or that are out there working right now in those fields,” he said.

A list of Delaware’s vacancies shows that teachers are needed for every grade level, particularly in math, science, special education and world languages.

Charter schools aren’t experiencing as many vacancies as district schools, Massett said, in part because charters have more flexibility and fewer layers of bureaucracy than traditional public schools.

For example, she said, some charters have a co-teaching model where two teachers are present in the classroom, which allows charters to make a flex schedule and have some of the co-teachers cover other classes.

Districts are coping with the shortages in different ways, Menzer said.

A shortage doesn’t necessarily have to result in teachers taking on additional students, he said.

The state has in recent years increased the number of grow-your-own teacher residency programs and alternative routes to certification to help prospective teachers get experience at a young age or obtain their certifications in a nontraditional way.

The state has also established a 15-member Education Compensation Committee to look at how teachers are paid, partly because surrounding states are significantly increasing teacher pay, and Delaware doesn’t want its teachers poached.

In 2020, Delaware teachers earned a mean salary of $64,853, which ranked 20th in the nation.

The average starting salary for a Delaware teacher with a bachelor’s degree is $43,092. In Pennsylvania, that number is $44,674, in Maryland it’s $47,961 and in New Jersey, it’s $44,258.

The compensation committee and the teacher academy pathways programs are an important step toward solving the problem, Layfield said.

But “there are many things we can do and it’s not all about pay,” he said. “It’s about making teachers feel supported.”

Layfield said many teachers have told him they choose where to work based on the level of administrative support.

Menzer said a major challenge for superintendents is finding creative ways to meet the demand without burdening teachers with more students.

Some districts with vacancies distribute students to different teachers while they wait to fill positions, but Menzer said Colonial didn’t want to do that.

“You leave those classes in the schedule, and as a superintendent, you find creative ways to fill the positions and get students in front of qualified educators in a qualified educational program,” Menzer said, “and the class size won’t change a bit.”

The majority of Colonial’s vacancies are at William Penn High School.

However, Colonial’s “bench” is all dried up, Menzer said. It doesn’t have the normal pool of candidates waiting months or years for a spot to open up to get into the district.

Layfield and Menzer said more teachers are earning their certifications in nontraditional ways in recent years.

“We’ve gotten some very good teachers in the last couple of years that have come to us from the private business world that can bring that real world experience,” Layfield said.

“Now we need people in those programs,” Menzer said.

Massett said charters are able to offer a variety of teacher residency programs and also can be flexible with employees’ availability.

“Sometimes you have somebody that doesn’t want to work full time,” she said. “Schools can flex the schedule to allow that person to be part-time and they fill in the gaps in other ways.”

DSEA’s Ingram said there are lower retention rates for educators in urban schools, “which is a huge contributing factor to some of the shortages we’re seeing.”

The real impact of the unfilled positions will be felt by other teachers, she said.

“If we had the adequate staff then we can have smaller class sizes which we know is a definite leading factor in the success of our students,” she said. “We also know that it’s very difficult for an individual teacher who has a larger class to make sure that they’re providing the individual attention each student needs.”

Having additional students in every class means a teacher will need to spend more time grading papers and tests, coming up with lesson plan materials, spending individual time with students who need academic or emotional help, and other daily responsibilities.

“It is a trickle-down effect into every aspect of the school system,” Ingram said. “When you have these vacancies, everyone has to do more, which puts more on their plate, which overloads a system that’s already stressed out.”

In addition to a teacher shortage, many schools still need a deeper pool of substitute teachers.

Red Clay, for example, said it needs an additional 18, the most of any district.

Many people might be qualified to substitute and just don’t know it, Menzer said.

Menzer suggested that concerned citizens approach their local district and see if they have, or can earn, the certifications to teach.

All open positions in Delaware schools can be found through a portal published on the state’s website, which is updated daily.

Here is a roundup of vacancies in Delaware school districts and charter schools. Each district classifies their needs differently. Some filter the openings by grade level, some do it by subject, and some do a combination of the two.

District Schools

Appoquinimink, 62 openings 

Appo’s vacancies include two math teachers, an English teacher, two social studies teachers, three science teachers, four psychologists, a world language teacher, and seven special education workers.

Brandywine, 25 openings 

Brandywine’s openings include six student supporters, two elementary school teachers, a middle and high school teacher, four subs, and two paraeducators.

Caesar Rodney, 63 openings 

Caesar Rodney needs 14 elementary school teachers, seven middle school teachers, five student support workers, 23 athletic coaches, and three paraprofessionals.

Cape Henlopen, 58 openings 

Cape Henlopen’s vacancies include an elementary school teacher, two paraeducators, nine substitute teachers, and three special support workers.

Capital, 131 openings

Capital’s openings include 20 elementary school teachers, 21 middle school teachers, 23 high school teachers, 27 student support workers, and 20 paraeducators.

Christina, 120 openings

Christina’s vacancies include 18 elementary school teachers, 15 middle school teachers, 23 high school teachers, 27 student support workers, seven school nutrition workers, and six paraeducators.

Colonial, 38 openings

Colonial needs three elementary school teachers, five middle school teachers, nine high school teachers, seven paraprofessionals, and four student service workers.

Delmar, 28 openings

Delmar’s vacancies include seven middle school teachers, 10 high school teachers, seven substitute teachers, and two school nutrition workers.

Indian River, 37 openings

Indian River’s openings include one elementary school teacher, two middle school teachers, two high school teachers, four paraeducators, nine special support workers, and five substitutes.

Lake Forest, 38 openings

Lake forest needs six early childhood workers, three middle school teachers, eight high school teachers, five student support workers, and a substitute teacher.

Laurel, 72 openings

Laurel needs four elementary school teachers, seven middle school teachers, eight high school teachers, 11 student support workers, and six substitutes.

Milford, 19 openings

Milford’s vacancies include four elementary school teachers, three high school teachers, three subs, and five student support workers.

New Castle VoTech, 12 openings

New Castle VoTech needs a sub, a school nutrition workers, three paraeducators, six high school teachers, and a custodian.

POLYTECH, 7 openings

POLYTECH needs a high school teacher, a substitute teacher, a child nutrition workers, an administrative supervisor, an athletic trainer, a custodian, and a tech worker.

Red Clay, 84 openings

Red Clay needs 11 elementary school teachers, 15 middle school teachers, 10 high school teachers, 11 student support workers, 18 subs, and a bus driver.

Seaford, 36 openings

Seaford’s vacancies include three elementary school teachers, three middle school teachers, nine high school teachers, four paraeducators, six subs, and a school constable.

Smyrna, 15 openings

Smyrna needs two elementary school teachers, four high school teachers, four subs, a school nutrition worker, a secretary, and three custodians

Sussex Tech, 7 openings

Sussex Tech needs a custodian, a tech worker, three substitute teachers, a student support worker, and a high school teacher.

Woodbridge, 30 openings

Woodbridge’s openings include two elementary school teachers, four middle school teachers, eight high school teachers, three paraeducators, three school nutrition workers, and a substitute teacher.

Charter Schools

Academia Antonia Alonso, 11 openings 

Academia Antonia Alonso’s vacancies include two elementary school teachers, two middle school teachers, two school nutrition workers, a custodian, and a bus driver.

Academy of Dover, 4 openings

Academy of Dover Charter School needs a paraprofessional, a middle school teacher, an elementary school teacher, and a cafeteria worker.

Campus Community, 9 openings

Campus Community needs two elementary school teachers, two middle school teachers, a sub, three paraeducators, and a custodian.

Charter School of New Castle, 12 openings

Charter School of New Castle needs three elementary school teachers, seven middle school teachers, a sub, and a student support worker.

Charter School of Wilmington, 8 openings

Charter School of Wilmington needs three high school teachers, a substitute, a secretary, a girls volleyball coach, and two administrative workers.

Delaware Military Academy, 3 openings

Delaware Military Academy needs a boys lacrosse coach, an ROTC instructor, and a science substitute teacher.

Early College High School at Delaware State University, 1 opening

Early College High School at Delaware State University needs a high school math teacher.

EastSide Charter, 13 openings

East Side Charter is fully staffed but is looking to deepen their workforce by hiring five elementary school teachers and eight middle school teachers.

First State Military Academy, 2 openings

First State Military Academy needs a boys soccer coach and a math teacher.

First State Montessori Academy, 1 opening

First State Montessori Academy needs an elementary school teacher

Freire Charter School Wilmington, 2 openings

Freire Charter School Wilmington needs a high school Spanish and high school special education

Gateway Lab School, 2 openings

Gateway Lab School needs a paraprofessional and a substitute teacher.

Great Oaks, 9 openings

Great Oaks needs four high school teachers, two middle school teachers, a paraeducator, a student support worker, and an administrative worker.

Kuumba Academy, 11 openings

Kuumba Academy needs six elementary school teachers, four middle school teachers, and a student support worker.

Las Americas Aspira Academy, 3 openings

Las Americas Aspira Academy needs two special education paraprofessionals and a high school nurse.

MOT Charter, 11 openings

MOT Charter needs one middle school teacher, two high school teachers, four subs, a school nutrition worker, and three athletic coaches.

Newark Charter, 4 openings

Newark Charter needs three long-term subs and a school psychologist.

Odyssey Charter, 17 openings

Odyssey’s vacancies include an elementary school teacher, two high school teachers, three subs, three school nutrition workers, and a custodian.

Positive Outcomes Charter, 0 openings

Providence Creek Academy, 15 openings

Providence Creek Academy’s openings include two elementary school teachers, a middle school teacher, and two subs.

Sussex Academy, 7 openings

Sussex Academy needs a high school teacher, two subs, and four athletic coaches.

Sussex Montessori, 7 openings

Sussex Montessori needs four elementary school teachers, a paraeducator, a student support worker, and a reading specialist.

Thomas A. Edison Charter, 9 openings

Thomas A. Edison Charter needs six elementary school teachers, two middle school teachers, and a student support worker.

Youngkin admin seeks to withdraw Virginia from RGGI without new legislation

From:13NewsNow

NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is aiming to withdraw the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) by the end of 2023 without legislative action from state lawmakers.

Travis Voyles, the acting Virginia secretary of natural and historic resources, presented the withdrawal plans to the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board during its Wednesday meeting.

If it goes through, the state would no longer be part of the auction-based carbon emissions reduction program alongside 10 other East Coast states.

Voyles’ presentation lines up with Youngkin’s ninth executive order, which ordered administration officials to propose a regulation that would repeal the state’s participation in RGGI.

“RGGI is a bad deal for Virginia,” Voyles told board members. “Whether you agree with the framework and principles of the cap and trade system, the way RGGI has been implemented in Virginia does not work as an effective means for greenhouse gas reductions.”

Voyles opened his presentation by arguing that RGGI passes costs onto Virginia consumers “as a tax” without incentivizing any change in behavior from electricity providers because of the way it was set up.

He also claimed that Virginia’s participation allows northeastern states to dictate the state’s energy policies, as opposed to Virginians and elected officials.

Voyles concluded his opening argument by saying Virginians don’t need “a regressive energy tax through RGGI” to fund programs that address climate resiliency and energy efficiency.

After explaining where the administration stands on RGGI, Voyles said officials will soon introduce a notice of intended regulatory action repealing the state’s participation.

Under Virginia law, those notices should describe the planned regulation and allow at least 30 days for the public to comment.

Voyles said the regulation would allow the state to leave RGGI by the end of 2023, coinciding with the end of the program’s three-year compliance period and contract with the organization that manages the program. He added that waiting to withdraw would provide regulatory certainty.

Despite these steps, it’s legally ambiguous if Virginia can leave the program without new legislation because of provisions in the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act.

The 2020 law directed the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to incorporate regulations that created the carbon dioxide cap and trade program and authorized the department director to create and manage a program “consistent with the RGGI program.”

Following Voyles’ presentation, the Southern Environmental Law Center said the action taken by the Youngkin administration wasn’t legal, and the program is beneficial for Virginians.

“RGGI has already proven it reduces pollution at the same time that it brings in desperately needed resources,” SELC Senior Attorney Nate Benforado said in a statement. “But instead of supporting this popular program to reduce carbon pollution, the Youngkin administration has consistently sought to take unlawful action to end Virginia’s participation in RGGI — despite the fact that neither the governor nor regulators have the authority to do so.”

Benforado attended the presentation and spoke to the board following Voyles’ presentation, saying it doesn’t matter what he, board members or Youngkin think about RGGI.

“The General Assembly decided this policy for us in 2020,” Benforado told board members. “They wrote a law that mandates we participate in RGGI.”

RGGI is comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. These states have a regional cap that limits carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, a limit that will get stricter over time.

Within the program, regulated power plants have to acquire carbon dioxide emission allowances for every short ton they emit, which are distributed at quarterly actions.

The idea behind a cap-and-trade program, such as RGGI, is to encourage power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and invest in clean energy production.

Voyles’ presentation to the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board came the same day that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the 2021 State of the Climate report, which found greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea levels and ocean heat levels all hit record highs last year.