HB 455 Summary

• Increases State Board of Education from 7 to 9 members: 7 voting members appointed by the Governor with Senate confirmation and 2 non-voting members (one former Delaware State Teacher of the Year and one current 11th or 12th grade public school student).

• Establishes that the Governor appoints one voting member as President serving at the Governor's pleasure, while the other 6 voting members serve staggered 6-year terms with no more than 2 terms expiring in the same year.

• Creates a dedicated Executive Director position selected by State Board majority to coordinate meetings, provide reports and data, support member training, and produce meeting minutes and digital recordings.

• Requires State Board to digitally record all regular monthly public meetings and post recordings to the Department of Education website within 7 business days, with written transcripts available within 7 business days upon request.

• Adds new removal authority allowing the Governor to remove board members for gross inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance, including if a member misses 3 consecutive meetings or attends less than 50% of meetings in a calendar year.

• Requires State Board to rotate regular meeting locations among the 3 counties and permit public comment on agenda items before voting, with specified exceptions for formal administrative processes.