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HB90 • 2025

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

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

Education Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
D. Short
Last action
2025-09-02
Official status
Signed 9/2/25
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on when the changes will take effect or if there are other parts of the law this change might affect.

Act to Change Rules for Sussex County Vocational-Tech High School

This act removes specific tax and student number limits for Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School, allowing the school district to set its own taxes based on state guidelines.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes fixed tax rates that Sussex County Vocational-Tech High School had to follow each year.
  • Allows the school district to decide how much money it needs from property taxes for operations.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Sussex County Vocational-Tech High School District
  • Residents and property owners in Sussex County who pay taxes

Terms To Know

Certificate of Need
A document from the state that sets enrollment limits for the school based on its needs.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify when these changes will start.
  • It is unclear if there are other parts of the law this change might affect.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA 1

1 • D. Short

Passed 4/8/25

Plain English: The amendment changes House Bill No. 90 by removing certain sections related to taxes and adjusting section numbering.

  • Removes lines 1 through 11 of the original bill, which contained tax provisions.
  • Changes 'Section 2' to 'Section 1' in line 12 of the bill.
  • The amendment does not provide details about what specific tax provisions were removed.

Bill History

  1. 2025-09-02 Delaware General Assembly

    Signed by Governor

  2. 2025-05-22 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

  3. 2025-05-15 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Education) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits

  4. 2025-04-08 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 90 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  5. 2025-04-08 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 2 ABSENT

  6. 2025-04-08 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Education Committee in Senate

  7. 2025-03-27 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 90 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  8. 2025-03-26 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 2 Favorable, 12 On Its Merits

  9. 2025-03-20 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 the current specific tax rate and enrollment limitations placed on Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District.
Future tax rates shall be determined by the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District.
The enrollment capacity limitations shall be established by the Certificate of Need determined by the Delaware Department of Education.

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. 90

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.

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.

(a)

(b)

For any school year in which the number of applications for admission exceeds

the number of students to be enrolled,

the District’s allowed student enrollment capacity,

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.

(b)

(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.

(c)

(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.

(d)

(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 the current specific tax rate and enrollment limitations placed on Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District.

Future tax rates shall be determined by the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District.

The enrollment capacity limitations shall be established by the Certificate of Need determined by the Delaware Department of Education.