January 13, 2025

Stop the train! Unionville-Chadds Ford School District continues its headlong rush to approve a $120 million outlay for a new middle school next month, despite a financial analysis that remains deficient. Chadds Ford Live did an excellent job of reporting the concerns I expressed about the district’s faulty numbers at the Jan. 6 school board meeting. Some progress has been made in addressing them, but it is two steps forward, two steps back.

In the presentation on the board’s website, there are two new, major errors. The first is that the annual dollar impact on the typical taxpayer is understated by nearly half. The second is that the cost/benefit of delaying the project by three years is completely miscalculated. The presentation shows that it will cost an additional $10 million (net present value) to delay the project.  The correct number is that there would be a benefit of at least $5 million. This is a $15+ million swing. In my opinion, either of these might be enough to sway the decision.

The administration and board need to pause, regroup, do the analysis, and conduct another public meeting to seek input. Continuing on the current course is irresponsible and disrespectful of residents who deserve the opportunity to have a full understanding of the project, and provide their input before such an important decision is made.

Mark Stookey
Chadds Ford Township

School Superintendent John Sanville wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a new, $120 million middle school. District residents, with decades of experience in finance, have questioned whether the financial analysis underlying Sanville’s recommendation is “incomplete and misleading.” Based on my experience, as a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience and a parent who has been engaged in a multi-year battle with the school district, it is more than fair to question whether Sanville and his lockstep school board are acting in good faith.

Last year, I filed complaints with the Pennsylvania and United States Departments of Education alleging that Sanville, the district, and its solicitor engaged in dishonest conduct, destruction of public records and violations of state and federal law. Rather than exercise appropriate oversight, the school board has already unanimously approved the expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars to shield Sanville from accountability, and those investigations are ongoing. Then, in November, the school board unanimously approved the payment of $73,250 to a district family who claimed that the district violated their son’s civil rights. This conduct is fiscally irresponsible and legally indefensible.

Sanville and the school board are responsible to the public. When citizens who have decades of experience in finance and law raise legitimate questions about the quality of financial analysis underlying a recommendation to spend tens of millions of dollars, or about whether school officials are complying with their legal duties, we deserve transparency, accountability and respect.

Instead, we are patronized, maligned and dismissed.  Something has to change.

Chad Williams
Birmingham Township