Unionville Chadds Ford School Board directors heard reports on three items concerning facilities that are up for a vote at next week’s regular meeting. They also resumed the budget talks for the 2024-2025 school year during the board’s almost four-hour-long Jan. 8 work session.
Director of Finance Joe Deady gave the presentation on the preliminary budget, which estimates revenues of $106,728,061, and expenditures of $106,740,256.
“It’s a relatively balanced budget at just a $12,000 budget deficit,” Deady said.
Estimated millage rates are 33.17 mils for Chester County property owners and 18.89 mils for properties in Chadds Ford, the only Delaware County municipality in the district. Those figures represent an increase of 3.82 percent in Chester County and 12.98 percent in Chadds Ford. (A mil is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.)
Deady said Chadds Ford property owners will provide 21.337 percent of the real estate revenue for the district if current numbers hold up through the rest of the budget process. The preliminary budget includes $600,000 to implement full-day kindergarten, he added.
The board is scheduled to vote on the final budget on June 17. The numbers will likely change between now and then, with budget hearings held in May.
School district Director of Facilities James Whitesel reported on the facilities items, saying a new tractor the district is considering buying will more than $50,000, but added that the purchase is in this year’s budget. The new John Deere tractor would replace a 30-year-old Ford tractor and a 28-year-old John Deere that the grounds crews have been using.
“Both of them have operational issues,” he said, “but both will be used as trade-ins to help offset the cost.”
The trade-in will take $11,000 off the cost of the new tractor, Whitesel added. “The final cost will be $39,834.” The contract, if approved next week, would go to Robert E. Little, Inc.
Also up for consideration at next week’s meeting is the need to upgrade various pieces of playground equipment at Unionville Elementary School. Whitesel said three new pieces of equipment are involved, including a new rope climbing system, a volta spinner, and new swing sets for a total cost of $52,808. The recommended equipment provider is Recreation Resources.
Whitesell said a similar proposal will be considered next month for Pocopson Elementary School. Playground equipment at Hillendale and Chadds Ford Elementary schools has already been upgraded.
The other agenda item listed as being a voting item for next week is the consideration of new school “clean” buses as part of an EPA clean bus rebate program. However, Whitesell told the board that the district has not gotten any grants from the first two rounds for applications to upgrade the bus fleet. Grants from the first two rounds would have provided $350,000 for each bus, which would cover the cost of a new bus. A third round for grant applications is upcoming with some different forms, he said, and grants from round three would provide $200,000.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., next Tuesday, Jan. 16 at C.F. Patton Middle School.
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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