The school district is looking for ways to cut some programs that have low enrollment.

By Jim Phreaner

 

Unionville Chadds Ford School District faces at least three years of challenging financial issues that Superintendent John Sanville described as an “economic tsunami.”

The UCFSD Board Finance Committee Meeting held met Monday night prior to the monthly work session was the forum for the grim financial forecast.

During the U-CFSD Finance Committee meeting, Sanville said local revenue forecasts are flat, and that the economy is not generating any increase in real estate transfer taxes and other local revenue sources.

“Even our most conservative budget forecasts,” Sanville said, “indicate next year’s budget shortfall may be $1,500,000.  The shortfall will increase another $1,500,000 in each of the next succeeding 2014-15 and 2015-16 school budgets.  Contributing factors include the spiraling cost of funding pensions and salary and benefit costs.   These projected shortfalls are very significant as our entire budget is approximately $71 million dollars.”

District Business Manager Robert Cochran said the district is looking for ways to asve.

“We are employing a variety of strategies to find educational programs to cut where there is low student enrollment.  Recent examples have been middle school German language and high school consumer science.  We are also collaborating with the transportation and support staff employee groups for suggestions to generate savings.”

Cochran also reported on the recently released homestead / farmstead exclusion calculation, saying “This property relief is generated from designated profits from Pennsylvania gaming activities.  The calculated relief of $223 per property this year is almost the same amount of last year’s property tax relief.  Each school tax bill will reflect a reduction in assessed property valuation which will correspond to a $223 reduction in school tax.”

The May 14 district work session followed their standard business agenda that previewed the monthly school board meeting which will be held at Pocopson Elementary School at 7:30 p.m. on Monday May 21.   School Board Director Kathleen Do led a discussion of student wellness and use of district facility policies for approval on May 21 and the first readings of various board policies.

According to Do, “We live in a rapidly changing technology world and our school district policies need updating.”

She added the district bullying policy remains an important topic of discussion.”

Public comment at the end of the work session featured Birmingham Township resident Harry Miller’s remarks about the Republican administration in Harrisburg obligation to change the public school employee defined benefit pension benefit.

“DuPont, Pfizer and most large corporate employers have abandoned defined benefit pensions as they are noncompetitive and prohibitively expensive.   The private sector employers now have enhanced 401k defined contribution plans.    Governor Corbett’s administration has the support of Republican controlled Senate and legislature to clean up the pension mess created by former Gov. Tom Ridge,” Miller said.