The application for student membership on the Delaware State Board of Education is currently open. Application requirements and information can be found below and in the application packet.

Applicants for the student Board member position must meet the following requirements:

• Delaware resident;
• 11th or 12th grade student during the 2022-23 school year;
•  Attend a public school located in the State of Delaware;
• Committed to ensuring quality education for Delaware students;
• In good academic and attendance standing and eligible to participate in extra-curricular activities within your school district;
• Recommended by school staff;
• Ability to provide your own transportation to and attend monthly State Board meetings held during this time period. Meetings are usually held at 5pm and last approximately 2-3 hours. Meeting locations rotate throughout the State of Delaware. A proposed schedule can be found here.

The student must submit a full application, including: an application form, confirmation of eligibility form, resume, and answers to essay prompts by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 24, 2022.

Questions about the application process should be directed to sbestudentapplication@delaware.gov. Information about the State Board of Education can be found on the Board’s website at: https://www.doe.k12.de.us/domain/170.

Nominating Applications Due March 4, 2022

The Office of Governor John Carney is seeking candidates to be nominated for Delaware’s Obligatory Seat on the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC). For consideration as a nominee by the Governor for submission to and selection by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a candidate must be a Delaware resident and must complete and submit a nomination application detailing their fisheries background, experience and ability to serve as a council member. NOAA requires that the Governor of each MAFMC state submits at least three nominations for a council seat.

The MAFMC is responsible for managing fisheries in Mid-Atlantic federal waters extending from three to 200 miles offshore from New York through North Carolina. MAFMC members must be prepared to attend six MAFMC meetings a year during a three-year term, with each meeting typically lasting four days. Council members are compensated by the MAFMC for all travel expenses for transportation, hotel and meals, and will also receive a stipend of $519.28 per meeting day.

According to NOAA’s website, nominees’ eligibility for the position is based, in part, on their occupation or other related experience, scientific expertise or training – and they must be knowledgeable and experienced in one or more of the following areas related to the fishery resources within Mid-Atlantic federal waters:

• Commercial fishing, aquaculture or the processing or marketing of fish, fish products or fishing equipment
• Fishing for pleasure, relaxation or consumption, or experience in any business supporting fishing
• Leadership in a state, regional or national organization whose members participate in a fishery in the Council’s area of authority
• The management and conservation of natural resources, including related interactions with industry, government bodies, academic institutions and public agencies
• Representing consumers of fish or fish products through participation in local, state or national organizations, or performing other activities specifically related to the education or protection of consumers of marine resources; or
• Teaching, journalism, writing, consulting, practicing law or researching matters related to fisheries, fishery management and marine resource conservation.

Applications should be submitted to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section by March 4, 2022. For a nomination application kit, please contact the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

Virtual Public Workshop Scheduled for Nov. 16

Delaware communities adversely affected by environmental pollution can now apply for Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF) restoration grants for the 2022 grant cycle through the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

The CEPF was created by the Delaware General Assembly in 2004 through legislation that authorized DNREC to establish a grant fund by withholding 25% of funds collected as penalties for violations of environmental regulations. These funds are returned to the communities where violations occurred through competitive grants to nonprofit organizations in support of community environmental projects. Grants are available to affected communities to fund restoration projects that result in:

• Reduced pollution
• Enhanced natural resources
• Enhanced recreational opportunities

Applicants can identify the drainage basin location of their projects with a mapping tool available at dnrec.delaware.gov.

IRS tax-exempt organizations are eligible for CEPF grants of up to $25,000. These groups include civic and community organizations, educational institutions, counties, municipal governments, state agencies and quasi-state agencies. The application deadline is Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. The projects funded in this grant cycle can begin on July 1, 2022 and should be completed by June 30, 2023.

DNREC will hold a virtual public workshop focused on the CEPF program to assist applicants with finalizing their applications at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. Connection information for the workshop is posted at de.gov/dnrecmeetings, and at de.gov/cepf. Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required for participation.

Recent CEPF projects statewide have included a habitat restoration and scrap tire cleanup, a pollenating rain garden at a school, healthy home and energy assessments, a museum trail project, an energy savings model home for a low income community, a native plantings project to mitigate stormwater runoff, educational signage for a stormwater management site, funding to support plastic pollution education and a floating dock and canoe/kayak project that provides recreational access and helps stabilize canal banks.

The grant application, workshop details and more information about the CEPF are available online at de.gov/cepf.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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The working waterfront at Bowers Beach in Kent County

Application Period Will Be Open from March 22 Through May 5

Saltwater fishery-related businesses that suffered severe revenue declines in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic can apply to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for financial relief from March 22 through May 5, 2021. Delaware was awarded $992,013 in federal CARES Act funds to provide financial relief to eligible fishery-related businesses that experienced greater than 35% decline in net revenue during the March 1 through Dec. 31, 2020 COVID-19 impact period, compared to their historic average revenue.

Delaware saltwater fishery-related businesses eligible to apply for CARES Act funds are:

• Commercial fishing
• Shellfish aquaculture
• For-hire recreational fishing (includes charter and head boats)
• Bait and tackle shops (revenue must come from the sale of saltwater bait and tackle, and 75% of the shop’s revenue most come from those sources)
• Seafood dealers
• Seafood processors

Eligible businesses applying to DNREC for CARES Act funding must complete an affidavit through which the applicant will self-certify the business’s revenue decline. An eligible business must demonstrate on the self-certification affidavit that its net revenue during the 2020 COVID-19 impact period decreased by more than 35% compared to the business’s average annual net revenue during 2015 through 2019. For businesses in operation less than five years, but for at least one full year during 2015 through 2019, the net revenue loss during the COVID-19 impact period will be compared to the business’s average annual net revenue for its year(s) of operation.

The maximum amount of CARES Act funding distributed to an individual fishery-related business will depend on the number of applicants and the amount requested by each applicant relative to total available funding, with a minimum award of $100.

The application affidavit and additional CARES Act information are available at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/fishing/cares-act-funding/ or by request from the DNREC Fisheries section within the Division of Fish and Wildlife, at 302-739-9914.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 65,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Applications for rising 11th or 12th grade student seat are due March 20, 2020 

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney announced on Thursday the application period for the student seat on the State Board of Education is open through March 20, 2020. The application can be found on the State Board of Education website.

Governor Carney appointed the first-ever student representative to the state board last year. Dorcas Olatunji, a Charter School of Wilmington student, was appointed to the Board in May 2019. Olatunji’s term expires July 1, 2020.

Click for State Board of Education 2020 Student Board Member Application.

“When we make big decisions that impact schools in our state, it’s important Delaware students have a seat at the table,” said Governor Carney. “I was pleased to appoint Dorcas as our first student representative, and I thank her for her willingness to serve. I encourage rising juniors and seniors to consider applying for this opportunity.”

Olatunji was selected from a competitive and diverse pool of applicants representing all three counties in the state as well as traditional, vocational technical, and charter schools.

“When I was selected as the student representative, I was incredibly excited to take on the role,” said Dorcas Olatunji, Delaware State Board of Education Student Member. “In my time, I’ve learned from education and policy leaders that are truly invested in transforming Delaware education. There’s still some ways to go with student engagement, but I am ready to empower the next student representative to build on the foundation I’ve created.”

One qualified student applicant will be appointed to the Board to serve as a non-voting member. The student must be a Delaware resident and be enrolled in eleventh or twelfth grade at a Delaware public school during the 2020-21 academic year. Applicants who demonstrate a commitment to ensuring quality education for Delaware students will be given priority consideration. 

“The student voice is an important one in helping the Board accomplish our mission of representing the citizens voice in Delaware,” said Whitney Sweeney, President of the State Board of Education. “We have learned from our first student board member and value the insight that a student brings to conversations regarding policies and programs impacting students at all levels across our state.”

The non-voting student seat was approved by the General Assembly in 2018 with the passage of House Bill 455 – legislation sponsored by Representative Stephanie T. Bolden and Senator John Walsh. The Governor annually appoints to the Board an eleventh or twelfth grade student, and a former State Teacher of the Year who also is a current educator. The applications for the non-voting Former Teacher of the Year seat will open later this spring.

The Board’s regular monthly meetings are open to the public and typically scheduled for the third Thursday evening of the month. The Board rotates its meetings to be held in all three counties.