The Board of Directors and the members of The Committee of 100 strongly support House Joint Resolution 12, and the opportunity it represents to improve education in Delaware.
The organization of business leaders requested that members of the House Education Committee act favorably on the resolution, and also urged the entire House to vote ‘yes’ when HJR 12 comes to the floor.
According to a release, HJR 12 is a critical step in the sequence of conditions set out last year in Senate Bill 122 for approval of the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission’s (WEIC) Redistricting Plan that allows Wilmington’s parents to better participate in the education of their children.
The legislation passed the House with no dissenting votes. Since then, many public meetings have been held, and hundreds of citizens have participated or volunteered on WEIC committees. They have produced a once‐in‐a‐lifetime opportunity to change the course of public education in Wilmington and Delaware, allowing future generations to free themselves from the grip of poverty, the group stated.
“Education is critical to economic development,” stated Paul Morrill, Executive Director of The Committee of 100. “We are supporting HJR 12 because it represents a historic opportunity to change Delaware for the better.”
Cited were the following
- Without an educated workforce, Delaware can’t compete for 21st-century jobs
- Without strong schools, business owners and parents will look to locate elsewhere
- Without a fair chance at an education, many kids living in poverty will not develop the skills tobe independent and productive
- Without the skills to learn, the odds of a student dropping out of school rises
- Without an education or job credentials, young adults face poor employment prospects ‐ butthe street is always hiring
- Without an alternative to life on the street, many young men end up incarcerated – at theexpense of the taxpayers
- Without the skills to be independent, many single mothers become dependent on social services– at the expense of the taxpayers
- Without an employable workforce, Wilmington will continue to struggle with poverty andviolence
- Without an economically vibrant Wilmington, Delaware cannot thrive“We can pay a little more upfront to save our kids and help them to be productive, or we can pay a lot more later to support them as adults,” added Morrill. “Let’s not do without.”The Committee of 100 is a non‐profit, non‐partisan association of Delaware business leaders that works to promote economic development in the state. Learn more at www.committeeof100.com.
