Christina School district

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The Christina School District is located in Wilmington, Delaware, is the largest public school system in Delaware. It was created on July 1, 1981 from the New Castle County School District. In 2006 the Christina School District held a referendum, which, if successful, would change the entire district starting from the 2006-2007 school year. New middle schools would have opened, Bancroft Intermediate School (currently K-6) would completely turn into a middle school, and many other changes would have occurred. It was predicted and thought that the referendum would be a success. However, on January 26, 2006, the day of the voting, more people voted for it not to be passed. There were three options. On the first option, 7,719 people voted, only 2,921 of them for it.

Invariably, the community's mistrust of the district was reflected in the referendum vote, as cited in the (Wilmington, DE) News Journal in the days following the referendum vote. Illegal financial transactions and a budget deficit of over $12 million were subsequently well documented in the News Journal and several Jacksonville, Florida media outlets over the past two years.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/NEWS03/606150378/1006/NEWS

These issues came to light after new superintendent Lillian Lowery requested a state audit of the district's finances as part of the terms of her agreement to join Christina. The departing superintendent, Joseph Wise, is now the Superindentent of Duval Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida. Wise has dismissed the findings of Delaware State Auditor Jack Wagner and said no deficit exists. http://www.news4jax.com/news/9052513/detail.html

Some in Jacksonville are now questioning Wise's operating practices there:

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020107/opb_7646770.shtml

[edit] Schools Included in the District

High Schools: Christiana, Glasgow, and Newark.

Middle Schools: Bancroft, Bayard, Martin J. Gauger, Wilmer E. Shue, and George V. Kirk.

Elementary Schools: Brookside, Ramon C. Cobbs, Christiana-Salem, John R. Downes, Charles R. Drew, Gallaher, May B. Leasure, R. Elisabeth Maclary, Joseph M. McVey, Casimir Pulaski, Sarah Webb Pyle, Jennie R. Smith, Frederick Douglass Stubbs, Etta J. Wilson, and West Park

Special School: Margaret S. Sterck School for the Hearing Impaired.