February 5, 2009

Governor Markell Briefs School Chiefs on Delaware’s Historic Budget Challenge

NEWARK – Governor Jack Markell delivered his “Reality Check on the State Budget Challenge” briefing to school district superintendents and the directors of charter schools Thursday, encouraging the education leaders to pursue budget cuts aimed at areas outside of classroom instruction.

Despite the historic revenue shortfall Delaware faces, the Governor reminded the superintendents and directors that they cannot forget that the students they teach today will decide the state’s direction tomorrow.

“More than anybody else, you will determine the future of Delaware’s economy over the next 20 to 25 years,” Markell told the audience at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.

The briefing offers an honest assessment of the state’s revenue shortfall and puts the shortfall into a larger national context. The presentation makes clear that in total dollars, the current $606 million shortfall is the largest fiscal challenge Delaware has had to meet in its history. The presentation also lays out the magnitude of difficult decisions the Governor and legislators will have to make as they work to balance they budget.

“We have some bitter budget medicine to swallow, but the only way to ensure our state’s long-term economic and fiscal health is to make those difficult decisions,” Markell said.