Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 7
INSIDE
Preliminary Kennett schools budget set at $84.5 million By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
A Kennett Square artist who makes art out of tiny objects that tell a story...1B
Oxford wins Ches-Mont League American Division crown...1C
60 Cents
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
The Kennett School Board unanimously approved the release of a preliminary budget in the amount of $84,510,237 for the 2017-2018 school year on Monday night. By doing so, the board authorized a public notice of the budget, and the spending plan is now available for review by residents on the school district’s website and in the district office. District officials emphasized that the spending plan will continue to be revised during the next few months, with the hope being that some cost savings can be identified to
reduce the potential tax increase. School board member Michael Finnegan, who serves on the district’s Finance Committee, led the budget presentation, outlining how the budget is changing from this year to the next, and what impact those changes will have for taxpayers. The school district’s budget for the current school year is $81.7 million. As in recent years, Kennett’s year-to-year expenditure increases can be attributed largely to the state-mandated contribution to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). Finnegan explained that benefits
Sweet tooth
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Latesha and Dorien Couch of Kennett Square enjoy a few nibbles at the fifth annual Kennett Chocolate Lovers Festival on Feb. 12 at Kennett High School. For more photos, see Page 1D.
costs are projected to increase by nearly $1.3 million for the next year— mostly due to the PSERS costs. He noted that the PSERS contribution rate increased again this year to 32.57 percent, which means that for every dol-
lar spent on salaries, the district must also allocate 32.57 cents to PSERS, an increase of 9 percent. Salaries are increasing by about 3 percent, on average, in the district. Medical and prescription costs are increasing
at less than 2 percent. Tuition costs for students attending charter schools, costs associated with occupational education courses through the Chester County Intermediate Unit, and Continued on Page 2A
U-CF School Board adds new member and approves preliminary budget By John Chambless Staff Writer
County officials collect 8,000 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs...3C
INDEX Opinion........................7A Calendar of Events.....2B Obituaries....................3B Police Blotter..............3C
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Classifieds..................4C
A new member joined the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board at their Feb. 13 meeting, replacing Michael Rock, who resigned from the board over what he said was their insensitivity toward the concerns of minority families. Thomas Day, one of three candidates under consideration, won by a vote of 6-2, and was formally sworn in by board president Victor Dupuis, taking his seat at the table for the meeting. During public comment at the start of the meeting, the simmering issue of a substantial raise given recently to district superintendent John Sanville was addressed by Karen Finley, who works in the district’s transportation department. Sanville’s annual salary was raised to $255,000 last month because the board
wanted to keep him from being hired away by a neighboring school district. He previously made $214,000 per year. “I mean no disrespect to this board, or to Dr. Sanville, but I am disappointed by the extreme amount of money that has been given to Dr. Sanville’s contract,” Finley told the board. “I find it disappointing that we sit in support staff meetings and are told that there is no money for us to have a 2.4 percent raise, which would make us equal with what the teachers get, and that it would take us four years to phase that in, at a tenth of a percent at a time. I understand that you value Dr. Sanville’s expertise and experience, however this is very frustrating to us, as support people, when the amount of his raise is more than I earn in an entire year – along with 95 percent of the support staff.
Dr. Sanville and I get along very well but this is very upsetting,” she concluded. Rick Hostetler, the district’s supervisor of buildings and grounds, outlined a major expense that the board will be voting on in two weeks. Replacing the HVAC units at the Patton Middle School will cost $2,378,700. “This is part of the district’s 10-year plan, and the original budgeted amount was $2.3 million,” Hostetler said. “We worked diligently to get this number down, and we feel it’s a very fair price. This was the most efficient use of our money now, as well as for longterm savings. The units in place now are 18 or 19 years old, and they have a 15 to 20-year life span. We have gotten everything out of them.” Sanville added, “If you talk to anybody who has spent time in the middle
Local officers warn seniors of scams
serving on the committee studying the issue. “We’re looking at a 25-minute shift in the school day,” he said. “That would have middle and high school starting at about 8 a.m., and we feel we can get the elementaries to a 9:10 start and a 3:40 dismissal, which is about 15 minutes later on both ends. We do not have a recommendation yet -- we have a lot of things to look at -- but right now, this is moving forward as the favorite from the committee. “The cost of the plan would be between $30,000 and $40,000,” Nolen continued. “To make the bus runs in the afternoon, we have to possibly add some bus driver time on the runs. It’s not adding new staff or new equipment, but increasing some of the drivers’ time. So it’s not an inexpensive plan, but it’s not as expensive as some of the other Continued on Page 2A
Where’s the money and free parking? By Uncle Irvin
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
The Hon. Judge Daniel Maisano, second from left, moderated a public safety forum on Feb. 14 that focused on phone, computer and exploitative crimes against seniors. Joining Maisano on the panel were, from left, Kennett Square Police Lieutenant William Holdsworth, Kennett Township Police Chief Lydell Nolt and Pa. State Police Lieutenant Richard D'Ambrosio. © 2007 The Chester County Press
school, they will tell you that this needs to be done.” The board will also vote in two weeks on the construction of a new storage building at Hillendale Elementary School, at a cost of $16,639. “This is also part of the longrange plan,” Hostetler said. “Over the past few years, we have eliminated two of three wooden storage facilities at the school, and the third is about to go, so we are in desperate need of some good, long-term storage. We have already been to the township for zoning approval. If this is approved by the board, we would work with the builder to get plans to submit for a building permit.” The ongoing study of delaying school start times to better accommodate the natural sleep rhythms of students was addressed by assistant superintendent John Nolen, who is
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Perpetrators are bilking millions from an entire generation of Americans – those in their 60s, 70s and 80s and
beyond – through scams, fraud and exploitation – and the only means of halting this crime wave is through increased awareness and education. So said three local police
officers at Tuesday's public safety forum, held before 50 residents at the William Penn Auditorium at the KendalCrosslands community in Kennett Square. Sponsored Continued on Page 3A
According to the Kennett Library Board and Kennett Borough Council, a new library and borough administrative building will be built at the corner of Willow and East State streets. The building devotes 30,000 square feet to the new library and 15,000 square feet to the borough -- a total of 45,000 square feet – and will be designed by Lukmire Architects, a Virginia firm with more than 40 public libraries under its belt. The library alone will cost $10 million, and the board claims to have $3 million in hand. There’s no mention of the 5.3-acre site the library purchased on Ways Lane for $500,000, or the disposition of the existing Kennett Library building. Other than a mention of a silent (large donor) capital campaign followed by public fundraising, there is no realistic assessment of raising that kind of money. In addition, the preliminary discussions by the Library Board do not mention the availability of free, public parking. Without parking adjacent to the facility, and a plethora of large donations, this goose will not fly. (Uncle Irvin’s column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)