Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 21
INSIDE
A school district and a community struggle to find common ground By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
West Chester & Chadds Ford Life magazine
“The mission of the Kennett Consolidated School District is to provide a quality education that increases the achievement of every student in order for all to become successful and thoughtful contributors to society.” A welcome message on the KCSD website On the night of May 8, Maja Murphy, a mother of two children in the Kennett Consolidated School District with a third child to soon follow, stood behind a microphone about 20 feet away from the district’s school board at the Kennett Middle School.
Oxford Police help apprehend a scam artist...6A
Fine antiques at Brandywine River Museum of Art...2B
INDEX Opinion........................7A Obituaries..................10A Calendar of Events......2B Classifieds..................3B
60 Cents
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
She began to speak that language of frustration that many residents have shared -- that the district, while making great strides in assisting in the welfare of its Hispanic population during the current environment of stepped-up deportation efforts by enforcement agencies to arrest and deport undocumented citizens from the United States -- is still falling short of where many believe the school district should be. Immediately to her left was a young man named Rosendo Villafuerte, who stood motionless, his eyes trained on the floor. Murphy called a meeting she recently had with Dr. Barry Tomasetti, the superintendent of the district, a
Photo by Steve Hoffman
In an effort to address the rising concern about deportation and immigration, the Kennett Consolidated School District and the Hispanic community have both initiated programs, resources and ideas.
“positive” one, and said about our children’s educathat she was impressed by tion and safety. how much Tomasetti “cares “However, I still feel there is a disconnect,” Murphy continued. “I am hearing two very different sides to the story, and think bringing this conversation to a public forum might help. Immigrant families, not just Hispanic or undocumented people, make up about half of the student body in Kennett and they do not feel they are being heard. What better way for the school district to teach every student compassion and the true meaning of leadership than to lead by example and help a community in its great time of need?” Murphy then introduced Villafuerte, who told the board that he graduated from Kennett High School in 2012. He also told Photo by Richard L. Gaw them that he is the son of Anne Lertola of Avondale runs along State Street in Kennett Square during Mexican immigrants, and the 28th annual Kennett Run on May 20. For a complete story and additional photos, see Page 1B. is “undocumented, unafraid
Taking it to the streets
and unapologetic.” Villafuerte credited his parents for pushing the value of education as well as Kennett High School -- and his mentor Loretta Perna -- for giving him a learning environment that allowed him to excel in academics. As a result, he received a full-tuition scholarship from Immaculata University, where he graduated in 2016 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry, and is now an abuse deterrent formations technician at NMS Labs. “However, in the current political climate, I fear for the members of my community who have dreams and aspirations, just like me,” he said, referring to the held belief that becasue he is an undocumented citizen, he did not deserve a scholarship. “They dehumanize me by calling me illegal. They insult my Continued on Page 2A
Oxford School Board adopts a $68.5 million budget for 2017-2018 school year Taxes will increase by one-percent
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By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
The Oxford School Board unanimously approved a $68.5 million final budget for the 2017-2018 school year at the meeting on May
16, concluding months of work on the spending plan. A one-percent tax increase is necessary to balance the budget. The millage rate is increasing from 30.84 mills to 31.1484 mills. The average taxpayer in the district
will see a $39 increase in the tax bill as a result of the millage rate hike. Spending increased by more than $2.8 million over the current fiscal year. That’s a 4.38 percent increase in spending over-
all. The item with the biggest impact on the budget is the district’s costs for the state-mandated contribution to the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). These costs are going up by more
United Way of Southern Chester County allocates $800,000 to 26 nonprofits that serve the community By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Officials from the United Way of Southern Chester County (UWSCC) announced last week that the organization will be allocating $800,000 to 26 different programs that work to improve the lives of residents in the community. That’s a $50,000 increase in allocations over the current year. At the annual meeting at the Genesis Building in Kennett Square on May 17, Dave Salomaki, the out-going UWSCC board president, provided an update about the current campaign and explained how several changes were made this year that allowed them to reverse a threeyear trend of declining allocations. Dozens of nonprofit organizations in the com-
munity rely on funding from UWSCC to provide their much-needed services to residents in southern Chester County. The allocations make a real difference in the lives of residents in southern Chester County as funding is utilized for everything from food cupboards to senior centers to adult literacy training to programs that help people in crisis, like the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County. In 2016 alone, more than 18,000 local residents benefited from programs that were funded in part by UWSCC allocations. “We are unique in that we only fund programs in this community. The donations stay right here in southern Chester County,” explained Carrie Freeman, the CEO of the United Way of Southern Chester County. UWSCC provided $385,240 to nine programs
2017-2018 Allocations Summary:
$800,000 Transitioning to Independence through Education Total $234,880 29%
Promoting Stability/Sustainability Total $179,880 22%
Continued on Page 8A
Pot ready to be growing goldmine? By Uncle Irvin
at $1,000. If a current leadership donor boosts a donation by $2,000, for example, the anonymous donor will match it. If a brand new donor makes a contribution of more than $1,000, the anonymous donor will match that, too. “We have an incredibly generous anonymous donor who gifted us $100,000,” Freeman explained. “We’re just thrilled about this.” Freeman noted that one of
Two local men with ties to the mushroom industry -- Enrico Avello, Sr., and Enrico Avello, Jr. – are attempting to get zoning approval from East Marlborough Township for a marijuana growing facility. Both the state of Pennsylvania and the township have passed ordinances allowing the growing and sale of medical marijuana. The Avellos are seeking approval for a nine-acre parcel in an already zoned limited industrial area property on Walnut Road.
Continued on Page 8A
Continued on Page 3A
Crisis Intervention Total $385,240 48%
that deal with crisis intervention, $179,880 for seven programs promoting stability and sustainability, and $234,880 for ten programs dealing with transitioning to independence through education. Freeman explained that UWSCC currently has a rare opportunity to boost donations thanks to someone in the community who has pledged to match all contributions at the leadership level, which starts
than $1.1 million. That’s an increase of approximately 8 percent. The school board also authorized allocating $1,079,300 for the Capital Projects Fund Budget for