Redding’s interim redistricting plan would shuffle schools and students in four districts in north New Castle County.
Some students residing in the city of Wilmington who attend Christina and Colonial school district schools would be transferred mostly to Red Clay and a few to Brandywine, if a redistricting plan championed by the Redding Consortium comes to fruition.
The move would essentially remove Christina and Colonial from the city.
“We believe this is a big first step,” said Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha, D-Wilmington, and a member of the Redding Consortium. “Our biggest challenges that we have…We created these high-need, high-poverty schools that are racially-identifiable, so we have a magnitude of needs within our schools.”
Nnamdi Chukwuocha
Splitting the city schools up into different districts occurred in the aftermath of desegregation in the 1970s.
The Redding Consortium for Educational Equity , created in 2019, recommends policies and practices to the governor and legislators to improve education equity and outcomes in the city of Wilmington and Northern New Castle County.
The consortium defines educational equity as something that “requires safe, secure and student-focused learning environments where every student is intentionally provided access to the support, resources, and opportunities they need to reach their full academic and social potential, in and out of the classroom.”
A final redistricting plan will be presented to the State Board of Education no later than October 2025.
Until then, the plan will be adjusted with feedback from the state board, public hearings and stakeholders like those directly impacted by the redistricting like school boards, the teacher’s union, parents and parent organizations, local elected officials and more.
The report will contain boundary shifts, immediate support for city schools, a timeline and engagement process to develop a final redistricting plan, and ideas to address systemic and systematic change for Wilmington students.
It is not expected to affect the Wilmington Learning Collaborative.
“In order to begin to concentrate and focus our efforts on the needs of our students in our schools, we believe that having one or two district partners to to support our city will be better,” Chukwuocha said, “and then we can greater align in having a true urban education model that meets the needs of these students.”
He said that includes before-school and after-school programming, intense reading and math supports inside of the school’s and parent councils where parents are involved and given a role to play in their students’ education.
“And the biggest thing, I really believe that, is again having the city of Wilmington itself be an investor partner in this process,” he said, noting that the city lost its school district in the late 1970s.
The consortium is pursuing the development of a non-binding interim plan to be presented to the State Board of Education and other stakeholders for feedback beginning within the next three months and continuing over the next six to 12 months, according to Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, D-Wilmington, who is vice-chair of the group.
Eventually, a final plan could be sent to the General Assembly and governor for approval, she said, which would create a binding path forward.
Any timeline for implementation would be determined within that final plan, which is expected to be about three to five years after adaptation.
Proposed Changes to Christina School District
Boundaries : The current Christina School District boundaries in the city of Wilmington will no longer exist.
Schools: The Bayard School, Maurice Pritchett, Sr. Academy, Stubbs Early Education Center,
and Pulaski Early Education Center would transfer to the Red Clay Consolidated School District .
Students: Students currently living within Christina in the city boundaries will either attend Red Clay Consolidated or Brandywine School districts.
These changes would account for around 4,400 fewer students enrolled in Christina.
Proposed Changes to the Colonial School District
Boundaries: The current Colonial School District boundary that extends into the city of Wilmington will move and start at the borders of the city.
Schools: There are no traditional public schools within Colonial in the city boundaries.
Students: Students currently living within Colonial within the city boundaries will attend Brandywine or Red Clay Consolidated consistent with the changes described above.
These changes would account for around 300 fewer students enrolled in Colonial.
Proposed Changes to Brandywine School District
Boundaries: The current Brandywine boundaries in the city of Wilmington would expand to include students residing north and east of the Brandywine Creek, which are currently portions of Christina and Colonial.
Schools: Brandywine would receive no new schools and will keep P.S. duPont Middle School and Harlan Elementary School.
Students: These changes would account for an increased tax base of around 330 students enrolled in the Brandywine. About 125 of these students currently attend their feeder school and the remaining choice outside of their current school district.
Proposed Changes to Red Clay Consolidated School District
Boundaries : The current Red Clay boundaries in the city of Wilmington would expand to include students residing in the city south and west of the Brandywine Creek, which are currently portions of Christina and Colonial.
Schools: Red Clay would receive all Christina schools in the city of Wilmington: The Bayard School, Maurice Pritchett, Sr. Academy, Stubbs Early Education Center, and Pulaski Early Education Center.
Red Clay would keep Lewis Elementary School, Joseph E. Johnson, Jr. Elementary School, Shortlidge Academy, and Warner Elementary School.
Students: The changes would account for an increased tax base of around 4,400 enrolled in Red Clay. About 1,700 of these students attend their feeder school and the remaining choice outside their current district.
For all four districts, the consortium stated in its interim plan that numbers are approximate and subject to change based on district input.
“There is no equity or fairness with students attending Christina right now,” Chukwuocha said. “Students who are in the city are attending the lowest performing schools and again, they get put on the bus to go to low-performing schools out in the suburbs.”
He said once parents understand what the consortium is attempting to do – create a better educational landscape in the city – parents will truly understand and understand that the decisions are made in the best interests of the city to make Wilmington whole again.
“Everyone wants their children to have a true, fair and balanced opportunity where the equity of their students’ needs are being met,” he said.
Essentially, reducing the number of districts and schools in the city will yield more meaningful partnerships and programming for the schools that remain in the city.
Created three years after the consortium, the Wilmington Learning Collaborative has been operating for about a year and a half with the goal of improving student outcomes in the city by breaking through long-standing discrepancies and involving parents and educators in decision-making.
It contains nine city elementary schools in Brandywine, Red Clay – and Christina.
If Redding’s interim plan is implemented, Chukwuocha does not believe Christina will be removed from the Wilmington Learning Collaborative.
“The way I view the WLC is like a support body for the city schools… so if Christina leaves the city, which is our goal and intent, I think in the interim, there’s going to need to be some additional supports,” he said, “and a body that pays attention and helps to address those immediate needs that are presented.”
He said the WLC can play a big role and help in the multi-year transition before the interim plan comes into effect.
Immediate efforts to reach Laura Burgos, executive director of the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, for comment Monday about the plan were unsuccessful.
Read the full interim plan here .
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