Schools in Maryland and Pennsylvania have been targeted

Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden warned school officials to be on the lookout for scam artists who fraudulently promise to facilitate a visit by a professional athlete or other celebrity to their school to speak as part of an anti-bullying program.

“Scammers will do almost anything to make a quick buck, sadly even stealing from our kids.”  Attorney General Biden stated.  “Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take to help ensure you don’t fall victim to this scam, including checking references of previous customers and not paying for a service until it has been provided.”

Last month a Maryland man was arrested on theft charges after promising schools in at least five Maryland counties that a member of the Baltimore Ravens would speak at assemblies.  Shortly before the scheduled appearances the man called the schools to cancel the visit, but kept money that had already been paid.  Nearly 20 schools are reported to have fallen victim to this scam, at a cost of more than $14,000, according to the Annapolis Capital newspaper.

Several Pennsylvania schools have reported to the state’s Attorney General’s Office that they have received calls asking if they would like a celebrity or athlete to appear at an assembly to deliver an anti-bullying message, pose for pictures and sign autographs for students.

Attorney General Biden’s office has conducted free presentations on the dangers of bullying and how to stay safe online to approximately 30,000 students in Delaware schools and to many community forums across the state. If your school or organization would like the Attorney General to speak at an anti-bullying event or schedule a presentation on bullying and online safety e-mail DOJ_Ambassador@delaware.gov or call 302-577-8288.

If your school or organization has received a call that may be part of an anti-bullying scam or any other suspected fraud, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at consumer.protection@delaware.gov or 1-800-220-5454.

To report cases of bullying, you can call the Attorney General’s School Crimes and Bullying Hotline at 1-800-220-5414.

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The Delaware Public Archives is hosting a program entitled “The Tuskegee Airmen”  this Saturday, February 4 at 10:30 a.m. as part of its celebration of Black History Month.  During the Second World War, a question was raised and answered conclusively in a noble experiment that later became known as the “Tuskegee Experience.” Our nation’s first African-American military aviators, the Tuskegee Airmen, are remembered in this presentation designed to tell their story and reveal the significance of their achievements. Presented by Brigadier General Ernest George Talbert (Retired, USAF), this program will also include information about the achievements of other African-American warriors and civilian aviators who preceded the “Tuskegee Experience.”

Brigadier General Ernest George Talbert (Retired, USAF) is the first African-American general in the long history of the Delaware National Guard.  He is the immediate past president of the John H. Porter, First State Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. General Talbert is a Command Pilot with over 6,500 flying hours including combat hours in Operation Desert Storm and the Balkans conflict. Upon his retirement in January 2009 he accepted a state promotion to the rank of Major General.  A product of the Delaware public school system, he received a B.A. in Economics from New York University in 1972 and an MBA from the University of Delaware in 1983.

The program is free to the public.  No reservations are required.  For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@delaware.gov. 

For more information about the Delaware Public Archives, please visit the website at  http://archives.delaware.gov. You can also become a follower of the Archives Facebook page and read the Archives blog  to learn more about events and other items of interest at the Archives.

The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Duke of York Street in Dover. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. On the second Saturday of every month the research room is open from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.  

Applications Being Sought From Schools, Community Non-Profit Organizations — Deadline is February 17, 2012

WILMINGTON – Governor Jack Markell continues his longstanding commitment to improving financial education by announcing a second round of grants available through the State’s Financial Literacy Education Fund (FLEF). Non-profit organizations and K-12 schools throughout Delaware are eligible to apply for funding to increase financial and economic literacy among youth and adults.

A total of over $400,000 is available to support programs that meet criteria established by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner and the Department of Education. The funding is derived from a license fee charged to businesses that make high-cost payday loans and car title loans. Grants were awarded to 13 non-profit organizations in fiscal year 2011.

“It’s been part of my mission since first being elected to public office to help Delaware families get the education and tools they need to live within a budget, borrow responsibly and maximize returns on their savings and investments. We want individuals and families to be able to build their own financial security,” Markell said. “The Financial Literacy Education Fund has already helped hundreds of Delawareans gain the skills they need to better manage their finances.”

Proposals for competitive grants will be considered on the basis of how they improve the financial literacy of Delawareans. The State is particularly interested in funding proactive, preventive, and forward-thinking proposals. Applications for programs and services designed to reach populations or geographic regions within the State that have had limited access to financial literacy programs are encouraged.

FLEF grants will be awarded to schools and other organizations for K-12 financial literacy programs, adult financial literacy programs, and targeted campaigns for residents facing decisions on debt, with special emphasis on reaching out to members of the military, seniors and minority communities. A grants committee will oversee all grant-making.

All schools recognized by the Delaware Department of Education and nonprofit organizations within the State of Delaware that have a 501(c)(3) designation by the Internal Revenue Service are eligible to apply. The Fund has one competitive Program Grant cycle each year.

For fiscal year 2012, grant applications are due no later than February 17, 2012.  Grants must be completed using the form available at http://banking.delaware.gov and sent to Dawn Hollinger (dawn.hollinger@delaware.gov) along with any attachments.

Receipt of grant applications will be confirmed within 3 business days. If applicants do not receive confirmation, they should contact Ms. Hollinger at the Office of the State Bank Commissioner at 302-739-4235 and resubmit their applications.

DOVER –  In his weekly message, Governor Markell talks about the priorities reflected in the balanced budget proposal he unveiled this week.  The proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget invests in jobs and public education, keeps the state’s commitment to critical areas like public health and safety and balances without the need to raise taxes or add new fees.

“Budgets are about priorities – our budget proposal makes clear that our top priorities are encouraging economic growth, making our public schools stronger, and ensuring that we are governing effectively,” said Markell.

With jobs remaining the Governor’s top priority, the budget proposal makes several investments in economic growth, including replenishing the Strategic Fund to help attract new employers and expand efforts to grow small businesses.

“Our focus on getting people back to work is why our budget replenishes the strategic fund so we can have more stories to tell like the expansions at places like Amazon, Mountaire, Johnson Controls or PBF Energy. It’s why we’ve focused the investments in our capital budget on projects that both get people to work building them and improve our quality of life, so our state can remain a great place to build a business and raise a family.”

The budget proposal includes significant investments in education, including additional state funding for 111 new teacher units in schools, step increases for school employees, salary increases for paraprofessionals, and continued efforts to improve early education. The budget also continues years of efforts to govern responsibly by finding ways to cut costs.

“I look forward to working with the members of the General Assembly, particularly the members of the Joint Finance Committee, over the coming months to make progress on these shared priorities and to enact a reasonable, responsible budget, one that rises to meet some of the challenges we face and positions our state well – to help people get back to work, invest in stronger public schools, govern responsibly, and keep Delaware, moving forward.”

About the Governor’s Weekly Message:

At noon every Friday, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form.  The message is available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/RE4BM3HJaYM
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook: www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/governormarkell

Transcript of the Governor’s Weekly Message: Budget Priorities: Growing Jobs, Investing in Education, Governing Responsibly

Someone said to me after my State of the State address last week that it seems like I spend most of my time focused on jobs, schools and governing responsibly. That so much of what we do – whether its budget or policy – seems to focus largely on those three issues.

And they’re right. Those are our primary focus – whether we were solving the largest budget shortfall in history a few years back or pulling together the budget recommendation we unveiled this week.

Budgets are about priorities – our budget proposal makes clear that our top priorities are encouraging economic growth, making our public schools stronger, and ensuring that we are governing effectively.

It’s why we’ve done things like slash the state’s vehicle fleet, renegotiated state leases, cut over 1,000 positions in government, and brought people together to find real savings around our state’s pension and employee health costs.

It’s why we keep looking for ways to save money, and why focusing on curbing the rapidly rising costs of Medicaid will be so important this year, so we don’t lose the ability in the future to invest in areas like education and jobs.

These priorities are why the largest new investments our budget proposal makes go to public schools, including funding for 111 new positions in our schools and classrooms. Great schools are an important factor in our ability to attract new jobs to Delaware.  And great schools that graduate kids ready to succeed are critical to our – and those kids’ – economic future.

Our focus on getting people back to work is why our budget replenishes the strategic fund so we can have more stories to tell like the expansions at places like Amazon, Mountaire, Johnson Controls or PBF Energy. It’s why we’ve focused the investments in our capital budget on projects that both get people to work building them and improve our quality of life, so our state can remain a great place to build a business and raise a family.

I look forward to working with the members of the General Assembly, particularly the members of the Joint Finance Committee, over the coming months to make progress on these shared priorities and to enact a reasonable, responsible budget, one that rises to meet some of the challenges we face and positions our state well – to help people get back to work, invest in stronger public schools, govern responsibly, and keep Delaware, moving forward.