Brandywine board approves new teacher contract; reviews student growth data and finances

The Brandywine School District Board of Education on Monday approved a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the Brandywine Education Association, ending a contract lapse that began June 2024 and that, board members said, had left teachers without an agreed-upon contract for part of the school year.

Superintendent Dr. Peter Lawson and district negotiator Miss McIntyre told the board the district and the union reached a tentative agreement in February and that the Brandywine Education Association ratified the agreement earlier the same evening. Miss McIntyre said the agreement covers local salary provisions and working conditions “from February through February” and remains in effect until a successor agreement is adopted. Board President Ackerman said he supported the contract and urged earlier starts to future negotiations so teachers would not be left waiting. “We should have started in January,” Ackerman said.

Why it matters: the contract settles outstanding labor terms for the district’s educators and has budget implications for the current fiscal year. At the same meeting the board also heard the superintendent’s midyear Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) results and received monthly financial reports that project the district’s year-end balance and note several budget items for follow-up.

Details of the contract vote and related board actions The board took a formal vote to approve the contract after a motion and second; the motion passed. Miss McIntyre thanked members of both negotiating teams. She named BEA negotiators James Fitzhugh (chair) and David Davis (DSEA UniServ representative) and listed district negotiators including herself and former CFO Jill Flore.

Votes at a glance - Approval of contract between Brandywine School District and Brandywine Education Association (affiliate of DSEA/NEA): approved (motion and second; roll call). The district presented the tentative agreement reached in February; BEA ratified the agreement earlier the same evening. - Personnel matter 25-007: approved (motion and second; roll call). - Monthly personnel report: approved (motion and second). - Motion to table matter 25-013 until March: approved (motion and second). - Student matters a, b, c: approved (motion and second). - Consent agenda: approved (motion and second). - Financial condition report (Feb. 1): accepted (motion and second). - Monthly financial reports (December and January): accepted/approved (motions and seconds).

Superintendent’s report and student outcomes Superintendent Dr. Lawson presented midyear MAP (NWEA) results in reading and math. He said MAP is administered from kindergarten through 10th grade and is used in the district to measure growth relative to national peers. Lawson highlighted notable gains in kindergarten after changes to curriculum and instructional practice, and said first grade also showed strong growth. He said the district will do deeper analysis of second grade and fifth-grade reading, as well as high school MAP performance, and noted a hypothesis that some high school assessments are taken by students with lower perceived relevance and may not be taken as seriously.

Recognition and MTSS awards The board recognized two district educators who received presidential awards for excellence in mathematics and science teaching: Dr. Michael Reitmeier (Mount Pleasant High School) and Maria Cobb (third-grade gifted teacher). The Delaware Department of Education also presented Phase 2 (and for one school, Phase 4) recognition for implementation of the Delaware Positive Behavior Support (PBS) framework to Hanby Elementary and Carcroft Elementary.

Financial highlights and follow-up items Interim CFO Daniel McCoy (introduced at the meeting) and finance staff reported a projected June 30 ending balance of $7,279,581, a figure close to the previous projection prepared by former CFO Jill Flore. The district increased its reserve by $500,000 to align with board policy 3.04 (targeting roughly 5% of current expense). The finance presentation noted federal funds are loaded and projected to fund district activity through the 2025–26 school year; staff said federal funding was not expected to stop this year and that carryover and prior-year funds leave the district in a stable position.

Staff also flagged that the student support services appropriation shows pressures compared with last year, largely because alternative-education spending previously paid from ESSER funds is now in a different appropriation. The finance team said it will work with the incoming CFO to review where expenses are recorded and will bring any recommended technical changes back to the board; staff said services would continue and that the items under review are accounting/appropriation placements rather than program cuts.

Employee complaint procedure discussion Board members reviewed proposed language to add a complaint procedure to the employee handbook covering employees not represented by collective bargaining agreements as well as those covered by agreements. Miss McIntyre said the draft references current board policies and Delaware reporting guidelines, includes confidentiality and anti-retaliation language, and contemplates possible anonymous reporting with the caveat that highly anonymous tips may limit investigatory follow-up. Board members suggested clarifying alternate contacts if a complaint involves a human-resources employee and ensuring the new language does not conflict with collective bargaining agreements.

What’s next The board set a March 17 regular meeting and a March 31 workshop; a number of items discussed at the February meeting — including recommended technical budget adjustments, continued analysis of MAP results, and final edits to the employee complaint procedure — were identified for follow-up.