Yes, Virginia, there will be a tax hike in the Unionville
Chadds Ford School District next year, but it’s too soon to tell how much they
will go up.

The school board’s Dec. 12 work session featured a detailed
discussion of the preliminary proposed 2012 – 2013 school district budget with
Superintendent John Sanville and Robert Cochran, director of business and
operations, making a joint presentation.

“The preliminary proposed budget is best described as a
maintenance budget,” Sanville said. “The last two school year budgets pared
many jobs and trimmed expenses.
The 2012 – 2013 budget will allow the district to digest the previous
reductions, while not adding any new programs or further deleting education
related programs.”

Sanville said he ‘s looking forward to fielding questions on
the budget and will hold a Community Conference on Feb. 29, 2012 at 7 p.m. to
invite public comment and discussion.

Currently there are too many unknowns to develop accurate
projections on the budget. Uncertainties include Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed
2012 -2013 state budget contribution to public education, which will not be
announced until Feb. 7. The state
legislature will then deliberate the actual state budget in which actual commonwealth
public education funding will be set for the 2012 – 2013 academic year.

Health care costs remain uncertain as of early December,
according to Cochran.

“Dr. Sanville and I will be meeting with our health care
advisors early next year when a few more months of district health care costs
are known. There are new health plans and the district cost experience may
either positively or negatively impact the final 2012 – 2013 budget.”

Cochran also said that on Dec. 9, the Pennsylvania Department
of Education announced the district’s contribution percentage to the Public
School Employee Retirement System as 12.36 percent of payroll. The budget presentation documents as
submitted to the school board directors are found on the internet at http://www.ucfsd.org/boff/budget/index.html

The eight School Board directors present at the December 12
work session voted unanimously to approve the $71.6 million proposed
preliminary 2012 – 2013 budget which will allow the District to meet the
timeline criteria to either apply for exception to the PDE for increased PSERS
contribution costs and to allow time to determine if there will be financial
need for a voter referendum on the April 24, primary election day ballot. None
of the board directors present endorsed significantly higher school taxes,
which would require voter referendum support. School Board Director Jeff Leiser
was not present.

The next school board meeting will be held Monday Jan. 23, at
7:30 p.m. an the C.F. Patton Middle School auditorium.

Other
business

Unionville High School 2011 inductees This year, Five UHS
alumni were honored in a Wall of Honor ceremony at Unionville High School on,
Dec. 6, during a luncheon and student assembly. They are:

Cleopatra Andreadis, Class of 2002 - Emmy winning producer of
ABC's Good Morning America; Becky Baily, Class of 2006 - local dairy farmer;
Allen K. Forssmark, Class of 1971 - community volunteer, Boy Scouts of America
Leader; Karl J. Kuerner, Class of 1974 - artist, teacher, philanthropist; and
Paula (Francisco) Ott, Class of 1968 - judge, Pennsylvania Superior Court