Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Archives

Hoffman Voices Support for $120M Middle School Amid Act 34, Financing Dispute

Hoffman-and-Students — Hoffman Voices Support for $120M Middle School Amid Act 34, Financing Dispute

CHADDS FORD — The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s plan to construct a new $120 million middle school is drawing both support and sharp criticism from residents, with the first public comments from newly appointed Superintendent Dr. Tim Hoffman signaling the district’s intention to proceed — but with an ear to community concerns.

Hoffman, who took over Aug. 1, said he has been involved in the planning process in his prior role as assistant superintendent and supports the school board’s decision to move forward with the design phase.

“I have been engaged with this process as part of my previous role in the district and I am supportive of the board’s decision to move forward with the design phase of a potential new middle school,” Hoffman said. “As we progress, the district will remain committed to our values of providing students and staff with a superior school experience while maintaining fiscal responsibility to our citizens.”

Hoffman added that he has been meeting with parents, residents and staff in recent weeks to better understand both hopes for the project and concerns over its scope and cost.

Questions Over Act 34 Compliance
The strongest criticism has come from longtime Chadds Ford resident Mark Stookey, who has decades of experience in large capital projects. Drawing upon data published by the District, Stookey contends that the total construction cost (excluding site work and demolition) of more than $105 million exceeds the approximate $93 million legal cap set by Pennsylvania’s Act 34. The law requires a public referendum if a project’s costs go beyond that limit.

“There’s a real risk that this project could end up in a referendum or even legal trouble,” Stookey said. “It’s fiscally irresponsible to continue the design process without reassessing whether this plan is viable under state law.”

He emphasized that Act 34 exists to protect taxpayers from costly overreach and to ensure communities can vote on large-scale school construction that exceeds state thresholds.

District Says Plan is Legal
The district disputes Stookey’s claim, citing preliminary figures prepared by Breslin Architects that it says show the project falls within the Act 34 limit. Those figures and other documents are posted on the district’s website.

Outgoing Superintendent Dr. John Sanville, who retired last week, previously stated the district is in compliance and is relying on its financial advisor, Public Financial Management (PFM), to help ensure it meets legal and financial requirements.

Stookey, however, argues PFM’s role is limited to bond financing and does not extend to monitoring construction costs for legal compliance.

Long-Term Financing in Question
Stookey has also raised concerns about the proposed financing structure, which he says would spread bond repayments over 35 years — longer than typical school capital projects — with heavier payments in later years. By his estimate, total taxpayer costs could reach $260 million when interest is factored in.

“The structure pushes major payments into the future to dodge financial budget limits,” Stookey said. “That means the project will ultimately cost taxpayers more than other capital projects have in the past.”

The district acknowledged the $260 million figure represents a “worst-case scenario” that depends on interest rates and final construction costs. Officials say the total could be closer to $190 million if conditions are favorable, and that the bond structure has not yet been finalized.

A Community at a Crossroads
Stookey has urged Hoffman to pause the project until the district’s new architects complete a full Act 34 cost analysis with public input. He also wants more direct engagement with residents, including open question-and-answer sessions and detailed financial explanations.

Hoffman, while signaling support for the project, said listening to residents will be a central part of his leadership. “I’m committed to listening to our community as we move forward,” he said. “This is a significant investment, and we must ensure it meets our educational goals while honoring our responsibility to taxpayers.”

The design contract for the middle school project, one of the largest capital undertakings in district history, was approved in February after a year-long feasibility study. The design phase is expected to continue through mid-2027, with construction slated to begin in August 2027 and conclude by 2030.

For now, the debate shows no sign of slowing, with both sides agreeing on at least one point — the project’s outcome will shape the district’s educational and financial future for decades.

EDITOR’S FACT BOX: What is Act 34?

Purpose: Pennsylvania’s Act 34 of 1973 is a state law designed to give residents a say in costly public school construction projects.
How It Works: The law sets a maximum “project cost” for new school construction or major renovations, calculated using a state formula based on a per-pupil cost limit multiplied by building capacity. “Building capacity” is determined using the number and sizes of classrooms [and other teaching spaces.
Referendum Requirement: If the total estimated construction cost exceeds the state-calculated maximum, the project must be approved by voters in a public referendum before it can move forward.
What’s Included: The Act 34 limit covers construction costs, including architectural fees and fixtures and equipment, but excluding certain expenses such as land acquisition, site costs, and demolition.
Why It Matters: Supporters say Act 34 protects taxpayers from runaway costs and ensures public oversight. School districts say it can add delays and uncertainties to large projects.

Chadds Ford LIVE will continue to follow developments as the community seeks clarity on one of the most significant public investments in UCFSD history.

About George Rotsch

George is the publisher of Chadds Ford LIVE along with DelawareLIVE, MilfordLIVE, and TownSquareLIVE. He is a professional communicator and marketing consultant. He has worked national brand and local non-profits and contribute to editorial strategy and as a reporter from time to time. He can be reached at george@delawarelive.com.

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Letter to the Editor: Sanville must go

Opinion

At the Unionville-Chadds Ford] School Board’s special meeting on Oct. 28, I asked four questions about students attending Unionville-Chadds Ford schools while they resided in their parent’s primary residence that was outside of our district’s boundaries.

UCF Superintendent of Schools John Sanville stated in a letter to me dated Nov. 4, that he decided to treat my queries as a right to know request I was to receive a reply by Dec. 4.

I finally received a “reply” on Dec. 6, stating that I had requested information and not records as required by the RTK law. Dr. Sanville felt the information I requested is beyond what is required of public agencies.

“Consequently, I hereby deny your requests for information,” the letter said.

This would be laughable if the subject matter was not critical to the operation of the district. It adversely effects all UCF taxpayers. I must conclude that Dr. Sanville and this district have something to hide.

The response is completely inadequate, totally unacceptable, and possibly illegal. I again request a meaningful reply to my questions of Oct. 28.

I have also noticed a drastic increase in the number of resignations the district has received over the first four months of this school year. There is apparently much dissatisfaction amongst our employees. Resignations have occurred at all levels from part-time bus drivers and even to school board directors.

There have been 19 resignations reported and approved from Aug. 16, to Nov. 18. The previous school year over the entire 12 months UCF experienced only 18 resignations.

Morale among employees is probably at an all-time low even when compared to Jack Kenney’s term of service. The administration and the school board should immediately start addressing the employees’ concerns.

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s academic accomplishments, as publicly reported, are also declining under the current leadership. The latest published information states that UCF is no longer ranked in the top 10 districts in Pennsylvania.

This is a drastic decline from our recent 1-2 rankings a few years ago. Again, this has a direct and adverse effect on all property values in the district.

This board should start immediately to conduct a search for and hire a new superintendent before the start of the 2014-15 school year. Sanville’s  performance over his three years as superintendent has not been acceptable.

Java John must go.

This Board needs to get the UCF School District back on the right track.

Bruce Yelton
Pocopson Township

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Sanville denies Manzone’s allegations

School & Education

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville said the district does not make deals when it comes to residency violations.

Yet, just such an allegation was leveled at the district administration in Holly Mazone’s resignation letter on Oct. 21. Manzone abruptly stepped down with only one month remaining in her four-year term on the school board.

In the letter, she listed a number of board and administration actions she said were wrong, but said the biggest issue was that a deal had been struck allowing an out-of-district student to attend Unionville High School.

In a telephone interview a day after the resignation, Sanville said he would not breach confidentiality of things discussed in executive sessions, but did say the district follows the letter of the law and investigates “vigorously and aggressively” every time it hears of residency infractions, even to the point of employing private investigators, to confirm legitimate residency.

People must show various forms of proof of residency and sign an affidavit to that effect. Some of the documentation includes leases, mortgages and drivers licenses.

“Residency is complex and it’s not always what you might think. I can tell you we vigorously and aggressively pursue all residency complaints that come to us,” he said, “and we do not strike deals.”

Sanville said the district’s guide on the matter is Pennsylvania state law.

“We do not make deals with anyone,” Sanville said. “What we do is follow board policy and state law.”

He said there were 30 investigations regarding residency issues two years ago and there are about a dozen right now.

“When we know about them, we pursue. Sometimes we find that they’re unfounded and sometimes we find that folks need to register in schools where they live,” he said.

In her resignation letter, Manzone said, “[T]he district administration failed to adequately investigate and pursue a clear violation of our residency requirements, confirmed by investigative reports.”

She said the administration failed to defend the interest of district taxpayers, then dragged its feet and struck a deal without telling school board members.

That deal, she said, “includes forgoing back tuition payments for the period of non-residency and a pledge not to question district residency in the future.”

She went on to say she was denied access to reports justifying the action.

She said state law — Section 1302 of the School Code — provides that a child is considered a resident of the school district where his or her parent resides.

Manzone has represented Region B since being elected four years ago, but previously decided not to run for a second term.

To read the original story on Manzone’s resignation with her full letter of resignation, go here.

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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School board updates bullying policy

School & Education

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District now has an updated bullying policy aimed at empowering students to report incidents and to get school personnel and parents more involved in prevention and resolution.

“The statement this policy makes is that this school district and our school board will not tolerate bullying, or harassment, by anyone against anyone,” said School Board Director Kathy Do.

School Board members passed the amended policy during their Aug. 19 meeting. The change adds new guidelines to the existing policy making it easier for people to report bullying incidents.

“It creates a reporting form so that if someone is being bullied or if someone witnesses a bullying incident, they’re able to report it. They can do it anonymously, or not, but every report is looked at and every report is taken very seriously. Every report is investigated.”

Even before the policy addition, reporting of incidents increased and Do said that’s a good thing.

“That is showing that people are feeling empowered to stand up against bullying,” she said.

For Do, the key factor is getting everyone involved. She likened dealing with bullying to building a three-legged stool, with the first leg being students, the second leg being adults within the school system and the third being parents.

Students need to know what it is when they see it, as either a victim or witness, and even when they are the culprits, she said.

“They have to know what bullying behavior is and we have to work with students to teach them, in the end, to make bullying socially unacceptable. Also to teach kids resilience, to be able to stand up for themselves, to not feel bad about themselves because they’re being picked on, that they’re still a good person despite what somebody is saying to them or about them.”

The second leg concerns adults in the school setting.

“Teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers…They’re equally important because students need to feel they’re supported,” Do said, “But bullying also exists beyond student on student. We see all the time that there are incidents where bullying involves adults, either as victims or perpetrators.”

Do cited several national cases such as the abusive Rutgers basketball coach and a New York state case where students picked on an elderly woman bus monitor.

U-CF and the Kennett Consolidated School District developed an anti-bullying coalition and have held joint discussions on how bullying, in all it’s various aspects, impacts people. Do said at one meeting, students began opening up when the subject of adult bullying arose.

According to Do, sometimes a teacher starts teasing a student, but the teacher doesn’t realize that the student’s self-confidence is being undermined.

“They talked about incidents where it would happen over and over again so that it became a standing joke for an entire year…It could be a derogatory nickname or simply seeing that kid as being different or slow and teases the kid…When a teacher teases, or treats a student inappropriately, it often gives license to other students to pick on or harass that student.”

In that situation, she said, the student-bullies felt as if their behavior was condoned by the teacher.

The third leg of the stool, she said, involves parents.

“If these messages are not being reinforced at home, if we do not have the support of the parents, we can’t take it all the way. We can’t really address the bullying problem effectively unless the parents are on board.”

Do received some initial pushback from parents in the district who, she said, told her there is no problem with bullying in the district. However, Do said the district was not immune to occurrences and that Unionville-Chadds Ford was no better or worse than other districts.

“Every school district is going to have a bullying problem and we can’t keep our heads in the sand,” she said.

While getting all three entities involved is important, another key element of the policy is the development of various programs designed to teach students resiliency, how to respond to situations for their own emotional well-being.

As School Superintendent John Sanville said, “There’s a difference between resiliency and being able to ‘take it.’” It’s a significant feature in a national anti-bullying program.

“Resiliency is a key component in the Olweus bullying policy,” Sanville said. “Resiliency has to do with students being able to stand up for themselves in an appropriate manner and, also, to survive and to thrive when bad things happen.”

One reason for the significance of resiliency is that it goes beyond just bullying situations. It goes to taking responsibility and making the right choices after something negative happens.

“It’s really part of life,” Sanville said. “Bad things happen in life. You face challenges. How well do you respond? How well do you come out on the other side?”

In that respect, being resilient is a matter of attitude and ability to learn from experiences, he added.

The district is planning a number of programs to address bullying and resiliency. Sanville said the programs are still being developed and will be tailored to meet the needs within the individual schools based on experiences there.

About Rich Schwartzman

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School board gears up for new academic year

Local News

It was pretty much a matter of housekeeping and planning for the new school year for the Unionville- Chadds Ford School Board directors during their Aug. 12 workshop — that and the swearing in and welcoming of their new member Leticia Flores

DeWilde.

Flores DeWilde replaced Frank Murphy on the board last month. She was one of six candidates who volunteered to serve through November when the public will vote on Murphy’s regular replacement

Trees and two-way radios dominated most of the discussions.

Rick Hostetler, the director of buildings and grounds briefed the board on the need to upgrade radios used in each of the district’s six buildings. He said 60 to 62 of the 77 units currently in use don’t meet Federal Communications Commission standards.

“We’re out of compliance,” Hostetler said.

That current crop of two-ways consists of 2-watt units that don’t transmit very far and are on wrong frequencies. He suggested replacing the lot with new 5-watt, 5-channel units that would give the district much more flexibility.

With them, he said, the high school, middle school and Unionville Elementary School would have radios with dedicated frequencies, while the other three elementary schools could repeat those frequencies with another channel dedicated for emergency use.

Hostetler estimated the cost to replace all the radios at $18,000.

Trees and tree planting came up when Hostetler updated the board on the stormwater management project at Hillendale Elementary School. He said the work was almost complete and that, even before that completion, runoff has been dramatically reduced despite the amount of rain we’ve had this spring and summer.

About 300-350 trees were scheduled to be planted as part of the reforestation phase of the project, but Hostetler said 600 would arrive by tree planting day, Oct. 12.

An estimated 100-150 volunteers are expected to do the planting and it could become part of an Eagle Scout project.

Other pre-year projects, including building inspections are wrapping up and the schools will be ready for opening day on Aug. 26.

About Rich Schwartzman

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School board chooses interim member; opts in on Raptor Security

Local News

Tending to unfinished business, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board appointed Leticia Flores De Wilde as interim member of the board. She replaces Frank Murphy who resigned in June. Flores De Wilde will serve until the November election when the public votes on the position.

The board also voted on July 15 to accept the Raptor Security system at each of the six school buildings in the district.

Flores DeWilde, 41, is an attorney who lives in Pennsbury Township with her husband and two children. Born in Mexico, she came to the United States in 1977.

She was away on vacation when the vote was taken, but she made herself available for a telephone interview the following morning. She wants to serve on the school board to “give back to the community,” she said. “I found I could contribute my time and experience to the school board.“

Flores DeWilde said there’s nothing specific she wants to accomplish, but added she does want to work with other board members to maintain the district’s “unparalleled academic excellence. I look forward to working with the board for the benefit of our community and our schools.”

The July appointment has her serving until the general election in November when voters will decide who should serve out the remainder of Murphy’s term. She will face at least one person in November, that being Dell Joshi of Chadds Ford Township.

Joshi and Flores DeWilde were the two nominees who the board considered during the July meeting. Flores DeWilde won 5-3. She will be sworn in during the August meeting.

There were originally six candidates and the board held a vote in June. The two highest vote getters that month were Joshi and Carol Biederman, but neither received the five votes necessary. Biederman withdrew her candidacy before the July meeting and Flores DeWilde was nominated. Had no candidate received the requisite five votes, the matter would have gone to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.

In another holdover from June, the board voted 7-1 to accept Raptor Visitor Security System for the district buildings. As previously reported, the cost of the system is $11,200 initially, then an additional $480 per school per year.

Adult visitors to any of the schools would have to show a driver’s license or other state issued ID card that would be scanned and the name run through a sex offender database.

If the visitor’s name is flagged as being that of someone on such a list, texts or other alerts can be sent to teachers and administrators. Policies and procedures on how to handle that type of situation would have to be developed.

The board tabled the June vote so members could get more information.

Board directors agreed that Raptor could not prevent a Sandy Hook type of incident, President Eileen Bushelow and Director Kathy Do said they liked having a uniform check-in system for each of the schools.

Director Holly Manzone was the lone dissenting vote.

About Rich Schwartzman

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School board postpones vote on security system

Local News

Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors were forced to punt on two measures up for a vote during their June 17 meeting. Decisions on a replacement director and on a security check-in system were postponed to July 15.

One of those votes regards the adoption of the Raptor Visitor Security System. That system, recommended by Superintendent John Sanville, requires visitors to show a driver’s license or other state approved ID, which would then be scanned and run through a sex offender data base. Visitors would then be given a pass with their photo.

Sanville has said it adds an extra layer of perimeter security.

As previously reported, the Great Valley School district uses Raptor and U-CF looked at the system there.

Several board members said they wanted more information before they decide.

Kathy Do said the system only looks for one type of person, not people with other criminal records. Citing the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Do said no system could prevent such an incident, but that she would like to know whether the system could be upgraded to look for people with records of gun violence.

Gregg Lindner said the system isn’t practical when a large number of people are visiting a school and that more discussion is needed.

Holly Manzone said she doesn’t know whether Raptor would make people safer.

“It wouldn’t stop [convicted child molester] Jerry Sandusky,” she said. “I want to know more about it. We need more time.”

Another director, Vic Dupuis, agreed that further discussion is warranted, but suggested that Raptor should be viewed as an ID system, not a security system.

Supervisor of Building and Grounds Rick Hostetler, in response to questions from Director Jeff Hellrung, said Raptor does not do a deep background check, but it is possible. Such a check would take longer and it wouldn’t differentiate between minor and major offenses. He also said it can’t be programmed to look for anything specific in that type of mode. It’s designed to check a Megan’s Law database, nothing broader.

Noting that visitors have to be checked in anyway, Hellrung said it’s not a security system, but “It’s an upgrade in what we have now. It’s clearly an improved check-in system and the price is reasonable.”

That price is an initial $11,200 with an additional $480 per school per year.

Board President Eileen Bushelow said there’s no downside to adopting the system, but was willing to postpone a vote. She initially suggested a vote in August, but Hostetler said that would be too late to install the system by the beginning of the school year.

The board did vote on an interim replacement for Frank Murphy who previously announced his resignation from the board effective noon, June 17, but none of the six candidates received the requisite number of votes.

Procedure required nominations followed by a vote, with five votes needed for the appointment. Only three of the six candidates — Dell Joshi, Carol Biederman and Leticia Flores De Wilde — were nominated, but none received the necessary five votes after three tries.

Joshi and Biederman received three votes each and Flores De Wilde received one in the first round of voting. Flores De Wilde was then eliminated — by procedure — and a second vote taken resulting in three votes for Joshi and four for Biederman. The third round had the same result.

By procedure, all six candidates will be back in the running next month.

The other candidates are John Murphy, Lorraine Ramunno and Skip Barthold.

The candidate who is appointed will serve until the November general election.

Sanville said state law requires the appointment be made within 30 days of a vacancy or the matter goes to the Court of Common Pleas.

The vacancy is from Region C, made up of Chadds Ford and Pennsbury townships. Of the six candidates, Joshi and Barthold are from Chadds Ford. Frank Murphy is also from Chadds Ford. He will be running for township supervisor in November.

Other business

• As anticipated, the board approved the budget for the 2013-2014 academic year. The plan calls for $72.5 million in revenue. The new millage rate is 25.73 mills in Chester County and 21.71 mills for the Delaware County residents in Chadds Ford.

Hellrung and Director Keith Knauss voted against the budget. Knauss said the district has for years over anticipated spending and under anticipated revenue. That has resulted in a $4.5 million surplus that Knauss would like to see returned to the taxpayers in the district.

• The board also approved, again, the new teachers’ contract. Members previously approved the deal, but had to vote again when two half-days were changed to full days for teachers and students.

About Rich Schwartzman

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