DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE BILL NO. 227

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STAFF IN SCHOOLS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Chapter 17, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 1727. Information technology units.

(a) Each school district and charter school must receive 1 information technology unit for every 150 Division I units, including fractional units, that are certified through the annual pupil unit count.

(b) Information technology unit positions must satisfy the following requirements:

(1) They must be used to provide information technology staffing support for public school districts and charter schools. Information technology staff include Information Technology Technicians, Information Technology Specialists, and Information Technology Supervisors.

(2) They must be 12-month positions.

(c) The State share of personnel costs for information technology units must be based on the salary schedule in § 1305 of this title.

(d) Information technology units do not qualify for Division II or Division III funding and are not eligible for cash-in options.

(e) The Department of Education may adopt regulations to administer or enforce this section.

Section 2. This Act is effective July 1, 2025.

SYNOPSIS

This Act creates dedicated information technology units for Delaware public schools. Currently, the State does not provide funding units for information technology employees, leaving districts and charter schools to finance these positions from a variety of funding streams. Information technology personnel are paid across various scales, including the salary scales for educators, custodians, and paraprofessionals. This creates inconsistency and impacts schools’ ability to hire other personnel such as teachers and counselors. For example, if a school or district funds an information technology position using the same unit that funds teacher salaries, that is one less teacher that the district or school can hire. This Act, which stems from the Public Education Compensation Committee’s October 2023 recommendations, prevents this scenario and ensures consistent funding for information technology staff at salary levels that are competitive regionally. This Act is effective July 1, 2025.

Author: Senator Sturgeon