Regardless of when Pennsylvania passes its budget, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board will vote on its next budget this June and a tax increase is on the table. A proposed state budget would decrease funding to the district by $1.1 million.

During a school board finance committee meeting prior to the April 11 workshop, board directors shared views on whether to raise taxes 1 percent or 1.4 percent. School boards may increase property taxes up to 1.4 percent without going to a referendum.

Directors Keith Knauss, Paul Price, Timotha Trigg and Frank Murphy each said they favored an increase of no more than 1 percent. Eileen Bushelow, Holly Manzone, Jeff Leiser and Jeff Hellrung said they were willing to go to the maximum increase. Corinne Sweeney did not attend.

Price said the budget crunch would only get worse during the next few years and that the district will face the need for more cuts. Hellrung used that comment to support his preference for the higher increase.

An increase of 1.4 percent “gives us a buffer for future storms to come,” Hellrung said. He continued the storm analogy saying that he wants to put in more stores now before money gets tighter.

Price replied: “With someone else’s money.”

Knauss said an increase of 1.4 percent would bring in about $213,000 more than a 1 percent hike.

There will be public hearings on the budget on May 2, 3, 4, 9 and 31, with the final vote scheduled for the regular June meeting of the board.

At least one resident is on board with a tax increase, but not a property tax increase.

Bruce Yeltin, of Pocopson Township, said the district should implement an earned income tax.

Hellrung said that idea was proposed about 10 years ago, but it failed the fairness test because people living in the district but working in Philadelphia or Delaware would have been exempt.

Trigg, the board president, said the district has to have its budget done even if the state’s is not ready.

The board is looking to cut $1.1 million from the district's budget.

Other business

• District administration will be allowing anonymous comments on budget cuts. Superintendent Sharon Parker asked Rich Hug, the director of technology and communication, to make that option available on the district Web site.

During a conversation on public input on budget decisions, former board Director Karen Halstead said there are district employees who have ideas on what jobs could be cut but don’t want their names associated with those cuts.

• Board members voted 8-0 to approve a Memorandum of Understanding about course approval arbitration. The agreement settles a 2009 complaint by teachers over the superintendent’s discretion on what course they may take and from which schools.

The decision gives Parker discretion over what courses the district will pay for, said sources who asked not to be identified.

Parker went directly to an executive session after the workshop and did not return phone calls.