June 15, 2011

Unionville Chadds Ford School
Board President Timotha Trigg said during the June 13 school board meeting that
she is personally inclined to change her vote on the 2011-12 school tax
increase.

“I am concerned capping the
[Chester County resident] school tax increase at 0.99 percent does not provide
sufficient revenue to meet all the needs the school district will face in the
future years,” Trigg said. “Administrative and support staff have agreed to
continuing salary freezes for the second year, school district building
maintenance reserves would be depleted by holding to the proposed 0.99 percent
tax increase. Additional funding
for drivers education program and foreseeable increases in employee benefit
expenses also point to a need to increase next fiscal year’s tax increase to
the 1.4 percent Act I limit.”

Under the Taxpayer
Relief Act of 2006, Pennsylvania school districts cannot raise taxes above an
annually set, state-governed limit unless school officials applied for one of
10 state-allowed exceptions. The exceptions are designed to account for cost
increases beyond school district control, including employee pensions and
special education.

Robert Cochran,
U-CF school district director of business and operations, said, “The proposed
final 2011-12 school budget reflects $1 million less revenue and does not
currently reflect the potential funding of $800,000 in FICA tax relief
anticipated by the Harrisburg legislature final vote. The legislature has indicated its goal is to pass a final
budget by June 30, but there is no certainty the Pennsylvania budget will be
approved by that date…Increasing school taxes to the Pennsylvania Act I limit
would generate $213,000 additional revenue.”

Director Keith
Knauss said he appreciated Trigg’s signaling a change of vote, but “Act I
provides exceptions. If the
2012-13 school budget warrants higher taxes than the ACT I limit, we can apply
for exceptions relief at that time.”

Knauss said he
supports the 0.99 percent tax increase reflected in the proposed budget.

Bruce Yelton,
Pocopson Township, said he was “[D]umbfounded the school board has not
considered a 1.2 percent tax increase, which is a compromise between the
initially proposed 2011-12 school tax increase and the 1.4 percent Act I
limit.”

Director Frank
Murphy said Yelton made an “excellent point.”

“However,”
Murphy said, “I don’t want to increase taxes to the Act I limit just because
it’s a round number. We should
review alternative budget proposals and then set the appropriate amount of the
school tax increase.”

Cochran said he
would prepare an alternate budget “reflecting the administration’s final view
and a budget reflecting the Act I limit.”

The board is
scheduled to vote on the final budget June 20, but has until June 30 to do so.
If need be, a special meeting can be set prior to June 30.

The June 20
school board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Unionville High School.

Other business

• Brian Miller,
an East Marlboro Township resident, led a public discussion regarding the
importance of adding driver’s education as a mandatory program at no cost to
students. Currently the Chester
County Intermediate Unit provides an optional program that requires interested
families to pay a fee.

Miller
presented statistical information he said supports the loss of teenage lives
and injuries caused by inexperienced bad driving. He also pointed out the
economic losses caused by teenage driving accidents.

“Up to 15
driver simulators can be provided the high school by the Miller Foundation at
no cost to the school district, if driver education is added as a mandatory
graduation requirement,” he said.

Miller’s
daughter, Abby, was killed in a one-car accident in June 2008 when she swerved
to avoid hitting a deer.

His comments
were supported by JoAnn Bates, of Birmingham Township and Lori Joseph, of Pocopson
who both represented the PTO’s support for adding a mandatory driver’s education
program.

Kenneth
Batchelor, assistant to the district superintendent said it is difficult to
change the curriculum now, because curriculum changes are discussed in
November.

“However, as
the parents support driver’s education, we will see if it can be added,” he
said. “There are a number of issues including hiring an experienced driver’s
education teacher and providing district funding for the program in a very
tight budget.”

•On June 18 the
school district and cafeteria staff are hosting a free breakfast featuring
pancakes, eggs, bacon sausage and scrapple, fruit, bagels, juice and coffee.
The breakfast will be held between 8:30–10:30 a.m. and will provide the
community an opportunity to informally meet the district administration.

* Rich Schwartzman added content for this story.