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Our Children’s Future is Under Siege, and the Time for Polite Silence is Over.

May 4, 2026

Gene Truono, Chairman, Delaware Republican Party


Dear Fellow Delawareans,


Our children’s future is under siege, and the time for polite silence is over. Delaware’s public schools are failing our kids at an alarming rate—despite pouring more money into the system than almost any other state in the nation.


This is not a partisan crisis; it is a Delaware crisis that touches every family, every neighborhood, and every pocketbook across our small state. As your Chairman, I refuse to accept a status quo that condemns another generation to mediocrity while Democrats continue their one-party stranglehold on education policy.


The data is irrefutable and demands our attention:

  • Delaware ranks in the top ten states nationally in per-pupil spending, investing approximately $20,577 per student—more than Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

  • Yet we rank 46th in the nation overall for education outcomes, with student proficiency rates that have stagnated or declined for years.

  • Only 26% of Delaware fourth-graders read proficiently. As many as 45% score below basic. Eighth-grade reading scores hit a 27-year low in 2024, and just 34% of students in grades 3–8 are proficient in math.

These are not abstract numbers—they are the direct result of decades of one-party Democrat rule that has prioritized bureaucracy and excuses over results. For too long, Delaware families have been told more funding would solve everything. It hasn’t. As Ben duPont and State Senator Darius Brown powerfully state:

“Let us stop pretending this is mainly a funding problem. It is a performance problem. Performance problems do not get fixed by writing larger checks to systems that are not held accountable.”


This crisis does not discriminate by party, ZIP code, or political affiliation. It affects every Delawarean—Republican, Democrat, and Independent alike. When our children cannot read or do math at grade level, the consequences ripple outward: lower workforce participation, stagnant economic growth, higher costs for corrections, healthcare, and social services that every taxpayer ultimately bears.


The op-ed co-authored by longtime Delawarean and philanthropist Ben duPont and State Senator Darius Brown (D) lays this failure bare in stark, unflinching terms. Titled “Delaware keeps failing our kids. It has to stop,” the piece rightly notes:


“Delaware looks prosperous on paper. Our GDP per capita ranks near the top nationally. But from 2000 to 2024, Delaware's real GDP per capita grew just 1% — dead last in America.”


It further highlights:

“Delaware now has 54,000 prime-age adults who have left the labor force. State research estimates that costs us roughly $450 million a year in lost earnings, productivity and tax revenue. Every Delawarean pays twice: once when schools under-deliver, again when the consequences show up in corrections, homelessness, emergency healthcare, thinner tax base — and the dignity of a job.”


And the authors deliver a clear call for real change:


“Delaware does not lack plans. It lacks consequences.”


“A target without a consequence is not accountability. It is public relations.”


“The excuses are exhausted. Delaware deserves better.”


They point to Mississippi and Louisiana, which turned around their schools through science-based reading instruction and genuine accountability while spending less per student than Delaware. Their conclusion is powerful and non-partisan.



The Delaware Republican Party will be shining a relentless spotlight on this issue in the coming weeks and months. We will host town halls, release detailed policy proposals, and build the conservative coalition needed to deliver real education reform—reform centered on parental choice, teacher accountability, phonics-based reading, and measurable results.


But talk alone will not save our schools. The 2026 Midterm Elections are our moment of truth. Delaware’s small size gives us a unique advantage: when Republicans and conservatives unite, we can defy national projections and flip seats that Democrats take for granted. One-party rule got us here; only a powerful, activated conservative movement can get us out.


Your action matters now:

  • Share this letter and the duPont/Brown op-ed with your neighbors, friends, and family

  • Register to vote and make a plan to cast your ballot for candidates who will put Delaware children first

Together, we are building a Delaware where every child—regardless of background—has the tools to succeed. We are forging a conservative coalition that refuses to accept failure as our children’s destiny. The eyes of the nation are watching our small state. Let’s show them what determined, principled leadership can achieve when Republicans stand united.


The future of Delaware’s children is worth fighting for—and fight we will.


Gene Truono

Chairman,

Delaware Republican Party





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