The problem with a city district, then and now, is that attendance would be overwhelmingly black and Latino while suburban schools surrounding the city become overwhelmingly white. That would certainly lead to an extended and very expensive court challenge. A city charter district is seen as a way to avoid federal litigation because attendance would be based on a family's choice rather than law. This is another version of placing themed magnet schools in the city, open to suburban children but seldom used by them. But there is no such thing as a charter district anywhere in the United States and nobody knows if one would be viable or even legal.
Charter schools are, by their nature, independent.
Setting up a district with only charter schools would be, in effect, having no district at all. Combining the city with one or two suburban districts is probably the smartest option. If the General Assembly opposes that, it might find it has inadvertently re-created the situation that triggered the original desegregation lawsuit. For the first time in more than three months, there is no University of Delaware football game on the horizon. Last week's crushing loss to Georgia Southern University ended an otherwise stellar season for the Blue Hens.