Formal budget talks are still months away, but Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors are already talking about money issues — including a possible multi-million dollar facilities project.
Rick Hostetler, the director of buildings and grounds, told the board that the project — involving all school buildings, but focusing primarily on Patton Middle School and Hillendale Elementary School — could cost $17 million to $21 million.
Figures discussed are all preliminary and those estimates are not etched in stone, he said. The projects also don’t involve any drastic increase in student population during the next 10 years.
“If for some reason we have an onslaught of students coming in, that could certainly change, but right now we don’t anticipate that based on projections,” Hostetler said.
He added that the work could be paid for during a 10-, 15-, or 20-year period.
Hostetler said each element of the project can be separated from the whole and that it can be accomplished without any significant millage increase to property owners’ tax bills.
There was a general consensus from the board members that they don’t want to put the project on a referendum.
The plan — which was presented for discussion purposes only during the Nov. 11 school board work session — is broken down into three priority levels, with priority one work to be done within three years of adoption, priority two work scheduled for years four through seven and the third priority work to be done within eight to 10 years.
According to Hostetler, Hillendale and Patton have gone the longest without any type of renovation or construction project. There’s been no work at Hillendale since 1987, he said, and nothing at Patton since 1997.
Hostetler presented the board with a three-page spreadsheet detailing elements of the project. A copy of that spreadsheet can be found here. Click on 4B-2 Long Range Plan.
A financial matter of less magnitude is the possible increase in student activity fees. Current fees range inn price from $10 to $75 per student per activity, but the board will consider increasing that to $25 to $100.
Business Manager Robert Cochran said that type of increase would have all participating students paying 10-15 percent of their actual per student cost.
The board will have to consider the increase as a line item for the 2013-2014 budget.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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