Part 2 – Sussex Tech agreed to additional funds in exchange for conditions on their enrollment process

Sussex Tech revenues went up when House Bill 100 was passed and signed into law in May. Sussex Tech agreed to certain conditions in order to receive the additional revenue.

On Sussex Tech’s Admissions Application page, it states the following:

For upper class applicants (10-12), please submit the Sussex Technical High School application only with transcripts showing any and all credits earned in addition to current report card. Upper class applications can be submitted any time.

Choice law requires schools to accept choice applications on or after the first Monday in November and on or before the second Wednesday in January.  Sussex Tech is accepting 10th through 12th grade applications at any time and not during the time period stated in Delaware code. Sussex Tech is not following the law.

Sussex Tech agreed to a random lottery, no mention of the lottery for 10th through 12th grade students. Sussex Tech is not following the law.

Sussex Tech agreed to additional revenue but they agreed not to use grades as a part of their admission process. Why are they requesting a report card when an application is submitted?

House Bill 100 added to language for Sussex Tech to follow when admitting students into their school. (b) For any school year in which the number of applications for admission exceed the number of students to be enrolled, the District shall conduct a random lottery admitting student number “one” and progressing consecutively thereafter until the total number of students to be admitted has been reached. 

(d) The District shall be prohibited from denying any applicant for enrollment whose GPA falls below the 70^th percentile or who has failed any 8^th 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.