The Public Education Funding Commission (PEFC) takes the pressure off its October deadline for delivering funding formula recommendations to the state.

The PEFC was created as the formal body in-charge of composing formal recommendations on 1) should the state build a new funding system from scratch or remodel the current unit count system from the 1940s, and 2) how the state go about doing either.

Consultants for the commission, Michael Griffith of the Learning Policy Institute and Sara Barzee of WestEd, suggested at the body’s first two-day meeting that it should decide which route it wants to take by Monday’s meeting, which several members pushed back on.

Commission Chair and State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Brandywine) ultimately agreed that more information would be needed first before the commission could decide if it wants to recommend remodeling or rebuilding.

“We are not gonna make that decision today. We are not gonna make that decision in 2024. That decision will come later, when it has to be– when we reach that fork, where, ‘okay, which way are we going?’” she said.

The body is set to make formal recommendations to the next governor and General Assembly by Oct. 1, 2025, which several members also raised concerns over, arguing the timeline is too rapid.

Sturgeon announced they will keep the deadline to maintain a sense of urgency, but notes the delivered recommendations do not have to be final or compiled in totality.

“By all means, if we get to final recommendations by October — I don’t want to say that we can’t because I know our children are waiting, our students need for us to move quickly and make sure that we’re funding our schools well and funding them equitably — but I don’t want anyone to feel rushed.”

Sturgeon explains recommendations made by October 2025 would at the earliest be implemented by July 2026, meaning any changes could not be made until the fiscal year 27 budget.

And if recommendations were punted to July 2026, changes wouldn’t be made until the state budget cycles from now in FY28.

The committee began discussing various funding tactics to begin looking into over the course of its meetings, including “hold harmless” — a policy that ensures no school districts receive less funding than they already are while the state reworks or implements a new funding formula — as well as the advantages and disadvantages of reforming the current school referendum system.

The commission’s next meeting will be held publicly on November 13.

Blue Project DE is working to establish “Blue Zones” in the state where communities could implement healthier lifestyle choices

In an effort to promote community wellness, Blue Project DE presented information about their program to Milford City Council. Kim Blanch, BSN, RN, a co-founder and Director of Community Outreach at Beebe Healthcare, began by providing statistics on the health crisis in Delaware.

“I’ve been in the population health department now for 10 years and, in my role, have the responsibility of conducting health needs assessment, a triennial assessment followed by a community health implementation or improvement plan,” Blanch said. “And as much great work is being done out there by numerous agencies and organizations, it is really difficult to move the needle on the health of a population.”

According to data provided, 72.7 percent of Sussex County adults and 33.2 percent of children are overweight or obese. In addition, 24.6 percent of adults have diabetes, 36.2 percent have high blood pressure and 7.1 percent have cardiovascular disease. Mental health is also in crisis in the first state. Statistics show 149,000 adults have a mental health condition with 32.8 percent reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression. When it comes to children, 9,000 between the ages of 12 and 17 have depression.

“When you add to that 11.5 percent of families deal with food insecurity, you can understand why healthcare is in crisis,” Blanch said. “Although the health of our community is critical, the cost of an unhealthy community is staggering.”

Blanch explained that healthcare cost $9.1 billion in 2021, up 11 percent from 2020. Insurance claims for Medicaid in Delaware were $2.4 billion and approximately 40 percent of the total operating budget is spent on healthcare. Prediabetes and diabetes cost Delaware an estimated $1.1 billion annually while the group health insurance plan that covers all state employees, families and retirees spent $1.2 billion.

“This is why we developed Blue Zones, a community-led effort that helps people lead longer, better lives by making healthy choices easier,” Blanch said. ‘It is a about conveying health in a framework that supports sustainability. The Blue Zones are based on six areas of the world where people live longer and have improved health outcomes. Loma Linda, California, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan are the original five while Singapore recently came on board.”

In these areas of the world, people not only live longer, they live better in a healthy way. Blanch explained it was not just about living longer, but about healthful longevity. Blue Project DE achieves this with nine key principals.

“We’ve found that lifestyles of Blue Zone centenarians all shared nine commonalities. They all are moving naturally, and they know how to destress. They also eat wisely,” Blanch said. “In Okinawa, they have s saying ‘hara hachi bu’ which means ‘eat until you are 80 percent full” as it takes some time for your stomach to tell your brain it is full. This is a natural part of their culture. Their diet is also plant slanted, not vegan or vegetarian, but more produce and fewer animal proteins.”

Wine at Five is another of the commonalities among those who live longer in Blue Zones. Blanch stated that this would not apply to someone who did not have a healthy relationship with alcohol, but for those who do, having wine with friends at 5 PM creates an opportunity for social connectedness. The United States Surgeon General recently reported that social isolation is detrimental to health which is why one of the commonalities was having the right “tribe.”

“If your three closest friends smoke, chances are you will be a smoker. If your friends are active, there is a greater likelihood you will be active,” Blanch said. “So, choosing the right tribe and having friends or people close to you who have healthy, positive behaviors encourages you to do the same. It is also important to put your loved ones first and have a sense of belonging.”

Blue Zones work to improve well-being in what is known as the “Life Radius.” Evidence shows that people spend 90 percent of their time within a 20-mile radius of their home. Blue Project DE looks at those areas and tries to identify where improvements can be made, whether it is more bicycle and walking paths, a sense of gathering or more areas to purchase healthier food items at a reasonable cost.

“One of the first Blue Zones created in this country was in Albert Lea, Minnesota, 15 years ago. Since implementing the project, they have seen a 49 percent decrease in medical claims for city workers, 2.9 years added to the lifespan of those who participated, a 48 percent increase in tourism and $40 million in grant funding to support the initiative.”

Beach Cities, California, implemented Blue Zones 11 years ago and have seen a 55 percent reduction in childhood obesity, 15 percent drop in overweight or obese adults, 10 percent increase in regular exercise, 17 percent drop in smoking, 12 percent rice in life evaluation and $72 million in savings of medical cost. Fort Worth, Texas, saw a 31 percent decrease in smoking, a nine point increase in residents who exercise for at least 30 minutes three or more days each week, and an increase of 3.7 points in a well-being score index. The NCH Healthcare System, which implemented Blue Zone policies three years ago, saw a 7 percent increase in overall well-being among employees, 54 percent decrease in healthcare expenditures, $27 million reduction in self-insured medical claims and a 40 percent decline in lost workdays due to injury.

“So, how did they do this? Albert Lea added over 10 miles of new sidewalks and bike lanes where they saw a 38 percent increase in trail usage. Beach Cities secured funds to create a more walkable, bikeable and connected community with students walking 423,000 miles over the course of one school year with the new Walking School Bus Routes,” Blanch said. “Fort Worth received $6.2 million to create Safe Routes to School infrastructure and new tobacco policies eliminated smoking in city parks. Southwest, Florida, implemented 62 policies to improve the environment, reduce tobacco use and increase access to health food.”

Five Sussex County municipalities will participate in the project which will begin with an Ignite Assessment. This is a preliminary community assessment with focus groups and presentations. The next step would be to obtain community input, create a well-being measurement and begin recruiting volunteers. The blueprint for healthy living will be implemented next with an effort ti engage people while also impacting policy to drive change.

“Mark [Whitfield] and I saw this presentation at a SCAD meeting and I wanted Kimberly to come present this to council because, as she said, from our perspective, it is about making beneficial, healthy choices easier and accessible,” Councilman Jason James said. “It’s about enhancing the quality of life for our citizens. Many of the things listed are connective sidewalks, walkability, community gardens established through the city, these are all things we’ve been working on. I believe this would be a great alignment.”

Post Views: 11

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

In Sussex County, Delaware, vast fields of corn and other produce stretch beneath endless skies, with country roads winding past historic barns and family farms. The pace is slow, and the land is rich with agricultural tradition, where farming still thrives as the heart of the community.

But efforts to maintain that rural landscape are being challenged as new developments rise.

Population has boomed in Sussex, with a 68% increase in population since 2000, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. So in an effort to keep the rural character, county leaders have acquired 165 acres of farmland to allow future generations to enjoy the county’s agricultural heritage.

“This particular property, which we are calling the ‘Layfield property,’ is just outside of the town of Dagsboro,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson. “This is about 165 acres of farmland and wooded land and it was purchased for $2.6 million dollars.”

County officials utilized real estate transfer tax reserves to finalize the purchase of the property from Riverview Associates III LLC, which was bought for more than $500,000 below the original sale price.

After thousands of trees were knocked down and limited land protections opened the door to development as thousands moved into the county, Lawson said they’re focused on balancing development with preserving the county’s character.

“It’s a balance between the development that you see in the county as well as the conservation efforts that the council has put forth as a priority,” he said.