AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUSSEX COUNTY VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

Education Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: D. Short
Last action: 2025-03-20
Official status: Stricken 3/20/25
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill was stricken (removed) from consideration on March 20, 2025. It did not become law.

HB28: Changes to Rules for Sussex County Vocational Technical High School

This bill proposes removing limits on property taxes, student enrollment numbers, lottery requirements, and admission rules for the school.

What This Bill Does

Removes yearly caps that limit how much property tax the Sussex County Vocational Technical High School District may levy for school purposes.
Eliminates maximum student enrollment numbers currently set for grades 9 through 12.
Deletes rules requiring a random lottery to select students when applications exceed available spots.
Removes restrictions that prevent denying applicants with GPAs below the 70th percentile or those who failed eighth-grade courses from entering the admission process.
Changes current laws so Sussex County Vocational Technical High School has similar rights and privileges as Polytech in Kent County and New Castle Vo-Tech.

Who It Names or Affects

Sussex County Vocational Technical High School District
Students applying to or enrolled at the school

Terms To Know

Levy taxes: The power to collect money from property owners based on the value of their land or buildings.
Enrollment cap: A legal limit on the total number of students allowed in a school at one time.
Random lottery: A method used to pick winners by chance when there are more applicants than available spots.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill was stricken in the House on March 20, 2025, meaning it will not be considered further.
No effective date is listed because the legislation did not pass into law.

Bill History

2025-03-20 Delaware General Assembly
Stricken in House
2025-01-22 Delaware General Assembly
Tabled in Committee
2024-12-19 Delaware General Assembly
Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUSSEX COUNTY VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.
This bill removes certain limitations placed on Sussex County Vocational Technical High School, thereby allowing the school district the same rights and privileges as Polytech (Kent County) and New Castle Vo-Tech.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. D. Short & Rep. Dukes & Sen. Pettyjohn

Reps. Hilovsky, Morris; Sens. Hocker, Huxtable, Wilson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 28

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUSSEX COUNTY VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend § 2601, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 2601. Power of county vocational-technical high school districts and county vocational-technical school districts to levy taxes for school purposes [Effective until fulfillment of 80 Del. Laws, c. 19, § 2].

(a) Any county vocational-technical high school district or county vocational-technical center district may, in addition to the amounts appropriated to it by the General Assembly, levy and collect additional taxes for school purposes upon the assessed value of real estate in such district, as determined and fixed for county taxation purposes, however:

(1) The amount to be raised by taxation for current expense must not exceed

26.50 cents on each $100 value of real property in Sussex County for the tax year 2021, 27.50 cents for tax year 2022, 28.50 cents for tax year 2023,

29.50 cents for tax year 2024 and all years thereafter.

Section 2. Amend § 2605, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 2605. Enrollment in the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District.

(a) Enrollment for the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District must not exceed 1,300 students in grades 9-12 for school year 2021-2022, 1,350 students for school year 2022-2023, 1,400 students for school year 2023-2024 and 1,450 students for school year 2024-2025 and all years thereafter.

(b) For any school year in which the number of applications for admission exceeds the number of students to be enrolled, the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District shall conduct a random lottery admitting student number “1” and progressing consecutively thereafter until the total number of students to be admitted has been reached. However, the number of students admitted from any 1 Sussex County school district shall not exceed the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District’s enrollment, outlined in subsection (a) of this section, as a percentage of Sussex County’s total eighth grade enrollment.

(c) The Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District may only provide preferences in student admissions to any of the following:

(1) Siblings of students currently enrolled at the school.

(2) Children of persons employed on a permanent basis for at least 30.0 hours per week during the school year by the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District.

(d) The Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District is prohibited from denying any applicant for enrollment whose GPA falls below the 70th percentile or who has failed any eighth grade course from its lottery for admission, unless the student does not remain academically eligible for promotion according to the standards set by the Department of Education.

(e) Except in cases of expulsion subject to the provisions of § 4130 of this title, the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District shall be prohibited from removing a student from its enrollment for disciplinary reasons without the consent of the student’s parents/guardians and the student’s school district of residence.

SYNOPSIS

This bill removes certain limitations placed on Sussex County Vocational Technical High School, thereby allowing the school district the same rights and privileges as Polytech (Kent County) and New Castle Vo-Tech.