May 10, 2022 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Big score for BVSPCA

BVSPCA New Campus — The new BVSPCA facility in New Castle is under construction. Of the $1.5 million grant, $1 million will go toward paying for the new building and grounds.

The Brandywine Valley SPCA is about to get the largest grant it’s ever received. Petco Love is giving the organization $1.5 million. Linda Torelli, the BVSPCA’s marketing manager, said $1 million will go toward the new campus in New Castle, Del., while the remainder will be used for various SPCA programs and adoption events, including those in West Chester. They’ll be getting the money this Friday, May 13.

“This lifesaving investment is the single largest grant received in BVSPCA history and is among the largest grants awarded by Petco Love,” Torelli said in a press release.

Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love said, “Brandywine Valley SPCA is an amazing organization. While so many others had to close during the pandemic or had limited operations, Brandywine kept going strong helping animals in their area and from surrounding areas — even down from Louisiana. They consistently are an animal welfare leader in helping pets and communities. We are so proud to support their tireless efforts to help pets in need.”

Added BVSPCA Chief Executive Officer Adam Lamb, “Our partnership with Petco Love demonstrates the best of what can happen at the intersection of business and non-profit. Petco Love has been an essential partner in our transformative impact on sheltering in Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. We appreciate the animal advocates at Petco Love and the incredible work of the Petco Pet Care Centers to raise the funds for lifesaving work at organizations like ours. Every cent donated at checkout truly saves lives.”

About the Brandywine Valley SPCA

Founded in 1929, the Brandywine Valley SPCA is the first open-admission no-kill shelter in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 2021, the BVSPCA cared for nearly 19,000 lost, stray, owner-surrendered, and abused and neglected animals while achieving a 95% live release rate. The BVSPCA provides animal protective services for Chester County and much of Delaware County in Pennsylvania, and it holds a five-year contract with the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare to provide state-wide animal services. Animals are placed through five adoption centers: Dover Campus, Georgetown Campus, New Castle Campus, West Chester Campus, and Plymouth Meeting PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center. In addition, the BVSPCA provides families with a safety net and low-cost veterinary services at its four Animal Health Centers in Malvern, New Castle, Dover, and Georgetown. The BVSPCA also operates the Animal Rescue Center (ARC), a facility dedicated to helping animals with additional needs prior to being ready for adoption, such as cruelty cases, disaster victims, and infants. The website is bvspca.org.

About Petco Love

Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since its founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, the organization has empowered animal welfare organizations by investing $330 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. It has helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide.

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Board revisits school start time

School & Education

Just five years after making a change to school start time, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors are considering another change. However, according to Superintendent of Schools John Sanville, the revisit was delayed because of COVID.

But he added that everything discussed five years ago when the district made the first change to an 8 a.m. start time is still valid, that the older students get more sleep and are better rested. Since then, secondary classes have started at 8, and elementary school days at 9:10 a.m.

“Our kids were sleeping more [after that change], and they were more alert in class,” Sanville said. “That positive data…led us to a board goal to revisit the topic. And then COVID happened. So, it’s been a board goal for two years.”

According to Director of Curriculum & Instruction Michael Audevard, any changes that may be approved won’t be enacted until the 2023-24 school year. And Pocopson Elementary School Principal Cliff Beaver added that a start time of 8:30 or later is what the district thinks is best.

The proposed change is for secondary students at CF Patton Middle School and Unionville High School to begin at 9 a.m. and go to 3:43 p.m. Elementary school classes would begin at 8 a.m. and go to 2:30 p.m., except for kindergarten. Morning kindergarten would go from 8-10:35 a.m., and afternoon kindergarten would be from 11:55 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The district is also considering some afterschool activities for the elementary school kids.

Several directors, including board President Jeff Hellrung, said sleep science continues to verify the benefits of a later start time for teenagers.

Hellrung said he ran into Ken Batchelor, the former U-CF assistant superintendent who is now the superintendent in the Radnor district. Radnor became the first district to go to an 8:30 a.m. start time for the secondary schools. According to Hellrung, Batchelor said the difference was “like night and day.”

Addressing students, Hellrung said, “Everything about your day will be better if you’re well-rested, including your efficiency…Your machine is going to be working better.”

The board will not vote on any change until Aug. 15, though that might be pushed back to September or October as suggested by several directors. Between now and the final vote, the district will be asking for input from parents, teachers, and students alike.

The full proposal may be found here.

Other business

The board will vote on the district budget for the 2022-23 school year during its June 20 meeting. The proposed final budget calls for a total appropriation of $95,401,419. For Chester County property owners, property tax rates would be 30.73 mils and 15.98 mils for Chadds Ford Township property owners. Chadds Ford is the only Delaware County municipality in the district.

Those tax rates reflect an increase of 2.57 percent in Chester County and a 3.36 percent hike in Chadds Ford. That’s a 2.73 percent weighted average increase. (A mil is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 worth of assessed property value.)

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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