Laura Burgos and the WLC governing council are negotiating benefits and salary.
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative still doesn’t have an executive director.
Laura Burgos, who was tapped by the Collaborative’s governing council to take over, has yet to sign her contract, the council was told Tuesday night.
That detail was a bit surprising because in Brandywine’s school board meeting Monday, council chair the Rev. Shanika Perry – who’s also a Brandywine board member – said she expected Burgos to sign her contract at the Tuesday night meeting.
“We will vote to officially make an offer to her so that she can start on Wednesday,” Perry said. “Hopefully it all goes well so her official start date will be July 19.”
Wednesday morning, councilwoman Alethea Smith-Tucker said the council is making sure that the coordination of the offer, benefits and memorandum of understanding, are in alignment as a well-crafted contract and that the benefits provided are properly looped in for congruence.
“This is the last leg of dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s,” she said.
The executive director job description said the role will pay an annual salary between $156,257 and $175,616.
In her role, Burgos will oversee the 15-person governing council’s business and affairs and administer the budget and relay financial information to the treasurer. She’ll be able to discuss and introduce initiatives, but will not have voting power.
Not having an executive director in place is one reason the board of the collaborative, designed to improve social and academic outcomes of students in nine Wilmington elementary schools in Brandywine, Christina and Red Clay districts, asked for an extension of planning time.
An amendment being voted on by the school district boards would allow the 2023-2024 school year as an additional planning year.
Tuesday, the council also appointed Aje English-Wynn, Red Clay’s board member who represents the city district, to the collaborative.
English-Wynn is taking over for Adrianna Bohm, who retired from her seat on the Red Clay board.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
