The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s workforce development affiliate, The Partnership, Inc., announced that New Castle County Councilman Jea P. Street has been honored with the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award for his commitment, leadership, guidance, and contributions to the Delaware education system.
Street is a graduate of Wilmington High School and the University of Delaware.
“Jea Street is an icon among Delaware’s education, community, and government leaders, and his north star has been to provide equal access to safe and high-quality education opportunities for students who were disadvantaged,” says Rick Deadwyler, U.S. Eastern Region director for government & industry affairs at Corteva Agriscience. “The impact and legacy of Jea’s work and his enduring perseverance can be witnessed by the hundreds of thousands of Delaware’s youths – particularly Wilmington’s youth – who have received or are receiving access to quality education and support in our schools and community today.”
Early in his career, Street served as Executive Director of the Parent Educational Resource Center, helping prepare families for school desegregation. He continued this advocacy as chairman of the Coalition to Save Our Children.
Having represented the 10th District by serving on the New Castle County Council since 2004, Street has focused on public safety and community services. According to a release, he has championed causes like fair school funding, preventing city school closures, and securing funding for the Route 9 Library.
Street also served as Executive Director of the Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center for many years, overseeing significant growth and renovations. He currently leads Delawareans for Educational Opportunity, which successfully sued the state for increased funding for disadvantaged students.
Street will be honored with the award at Navigating Delaware Pathways: An Education Workforce Development Summit on April 16 during a lunchtime awards ceremony.
The award is named in honor of Taylor, who began his career as a teacher and then served as the assistant to the superintendent of Wilmington Public Schools.
Taylor later became an editorial page editor for The News Journal before becoming president of the Delaware Public Policy Institute in 2005. Taylor was a founding member of the Vision Coalition, a public-private partnership to advocate for improved education in Delaware.
The award recognizes leaders within the community who have provided sustained leadership in advancing Delaware education and who, by doing so, have also made our community a better place in which to live and work.
