HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 1

AS AMENDED BY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1

ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO IMPROVE SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING AND LITERACY EDUCATION EFFORTS IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, there is great potential in Delaware to involve more Delawareans in the education of our school children; and

WHEREAS, the thoughtful and effective expansion of Delaware’s school mentoring efforts requires a coordinated effort from both state government and local schools and school districts; and

WHEREAS, good examples exist both in Delaware and around the country of effective school mentoring programs; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has also made strides recently in its efforts to improve literacy education in its public schools, and mentoring can be an effective way to build on these efforts.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 152nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, with the approval of the Governor, that the School Mentoring and Literacy Task Force is hereby established.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is composed of 17 members, as follows:

(1) Two members of the House of Representatives; one member of the majority party who is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and one member of the minority party who is appointed by the House Minority Leader.

(2) Two members of the Senate; one member of the majority party who is appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and one member of the minority party who is appointed by the Senate Minority Leader.

(3) Five members serving by virtue of position, or a designee appointed by the member, as follows:

a. The Governor.

b. The Secretary of Education.

c. The Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families.

d. The Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security.

e. The Secretary of the Department of Technology and Information.

(4) Eight members appointed by the Governor:

a. One member who is a representative of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Exceptional Citizens.

b. One member who is a representative of the Delaware Association of School Administrators, based on the nomination of the Association’s president.

c. One member who is a representative of the Delaware State Education Association, based on the nomination of the Association’s president.

d. One member who is a representative of a charter school in this State.

e. One member who is a literacy coach at a school district in this State.

f. Three members of the public.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that that a member serving by virtue of position who is granted the ability to designate another individual to attend a Task Force meeting must provide the designation in writing to the Task Force co-chairs. An individual attending a meeting for a member serving by virtue of position has the same duties and rights as the member serving by virtue of position.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Task Force choose 2 co-chairs from among themselves at the initial organizational meeting.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force study and report its findings and recommendation on at least the following topics:

(1) The current state of school-based mentoring in Delaware.

(2) Concrete steps that could be taken to expand the number of adults acting as volunteer mentors in Delaware schools.

(3) Steps that would need to be taken with respect to more efficient provision of legally required background checks to ensure that these important child protection measures are as convenient and inexpensive as possible for potential volunteer mentors.

(4) Improved use of information technology to make improve recruitment, training, and retention of mentors, including the creation of a single statewide web site for school mentoring.

(5) The necessary infrastructure at the state level, school district and school level, and among state non-profit organizations to support a quality, expanded mentoring effort.

(6) The integration of evidence-based literacy efforts into both the training of school mentors and routine mentoring efforts.

(7) State funding support, if any, necessary to support the Task Force’s recommendations.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each state agency, school district, and public school shall respond promptly to a request for information from the Task Force or the Task Force’s staff.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education, through its Secretary, is responsible for providing reasonable and necessary support staff and materials for the Task Force.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the co-chairs are responsible for guiding the administration of the Task Force by, at a minimum, doing all of the following:

(1) Supervising the preparation and distribution of meeting notices, agendas, minutes, correspondence, and reports of the Task Force.

(2) Setting a date, time, and place for the initial organizational meeting.

(3) Sending to the Director of the Division of Research of Legislative Council, after the first meeting of the Task Force, a list of the members of the Task Force and the person who appointed them, and
‎ providing notice of any changes in the make up of the Task Force to the Director of the Division of Research of
‎ Legislative Council.

(4) Providing meeting notices, agendas, and minutes to the Director of the Division of Research of Legislative Council.

(5) Ensuring that the final report of the Task Force is submitted to the all members of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Research of Legislative Council, and the Delaware Public Archives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a quorum of the Task Force is a majority of its members.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that:

(1) Official action by the Task Force, including making findings and recommendations, requires the approval of a quorum of the Task Force.

(2) The Task Force may adopt rules necessary for its operation. If the Task Force does not adopt rules or if the adopted rules do not govern a given situation, Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure controls.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the co-chairs, with the assistance of staff assigned to the Task Force, must compile a report containing a summary of the Task Force’s work regarding the issues assigned to it under this Joint Resolution, including any findings and recommendations, and submit the report to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Research of Legislative Council not later than June 1, 2023.