Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The district’s property and finance committee unanimously voted for a preliminary budget with no tax hike.
Could West Chester Area School District taxpayers see no tax increase in 2013-14? They will if the district’s property and finance committee have anything to say about it. The committee on Monday unanimously got behind a preliminary budget that will keep tax rates right where they are, according to the Daily Local. “I think we are in a somewhat unique position for my tenure on the board that I would like to see us get to a 0 percent budget,” committee chairmen Sean Carpenter told the paper. “But at the same time I don’t think that’s going to require a reduction in our programs and services … I think that will be a win-win for the community.” According to the paper, the current property tax rate for the district is 18.67 mills. The adoption…
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
By a unanimous vote on Monday, West Chester district said no to Whole Life Charter School.
The West Chester Area School Board has rejected the application of a charter school that focuses on students with learning disorders, the Daily Local News is reporting. According to the paper, the district received Whole Life Charter School’s application on Nov. 15, then held a pair of hearings on Dec. 17 and Feb. 4 to discuss the proposal. Ultimately, the charter’s bid to educate West Chester students was rejected by a unanimous vote on Monday at Stetson Middle School. The district’s concern, reportedly, was stability. According to district business affairs director Suzanne Moore, Whole Life would have had a $1.5 million deficit in year one, and the figure would balloon to $9.6 million by year five. “We find the best opportunity for …
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The West Chester School Board voted to continue to use the novel "Water for Elephants" as part of some of the district's curriculum on Monday.
The West Chester School Board voted to continue using the novel “Water for Elephants” as part of the curriculum for some of the district’s sophomore students on Monday. At last month’s school board meeting a parent called the book inappropriate for district’s students and even read aloud one of the more explicit passages at the meeting. “I think that the district’s continued use of this book is sheer lunacy,” said Mary Jo Zengel, the parent who originally objected to the book’s content and made a statement on Monday. Zengel went on to say that she didn’t understand why students had to read this book, and not a different book with similar themes like “The Grapes of Wrath.” Another parent, Amy Ludwig said that “Water for Elephants” is well …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The West Chester School Board approved a new three-year contract with the district's secretaries and teacher's aides on Monday.
The West Chester School Board voted on Monday to approve a new three-year contract with the West Chester Area Education Support Professional Association (WCAESPA) that will save the district an estimated $753,786 over the live of the deal. The WCAESPA consists mainly of the district’s secretaries and teacher’s aides. This is the second contract negotiation the district has completed after the school board signed a similar deal with the West Chester support staff late in 2012. The West Chester teachers’ union is still negotiating a new contract. “This contract was built on a shared willingness to compromise in order to do what is right for our students,” said school board president Vince Murphy in a statement he read during Monday’s …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The West Chester Area School District maintains the highest credit rating possible as the district readies for 2013.
The West Chester Area School District learned that it will maintain its AAA bond rating for 2013 after the district refinanced some of its bonds saving the district an estimated $500,000. “The district received a Aaa bond rating once again,” said a financial representative for the district. “This afforded you guys a lot of savings.” School Board Property and Finance Committee president Sean Carpenter added, “I would like to thank everyone for this tremendous result. Our savings has been much higher than we expected.”
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Karen Miller is named the new vice president of the West Chester School Board.
The West Chester School Board held its annual reorganization meeting on Monday, and the board elected Karen Miller as its new vice president. Vince Murphy was elected to another term as the board's president. Also during the meeting, the board assigned members to different committees. Those committees break down in the following way: Education Committee Chair: Dr. Maria Pimley Heidi Adsett Sue Tiernan Linda Raileanu Pubil Services Committee Chair: Linda Raileanu Dr. Maria Pimley Heidi Adsett Sue Tiernan Property and Finance Committee Chair: Sean Carpenter Maureen Snook Ed Coyle Karen Miller Personnel Committee Chair: Karen Miller Maureen Snook Ed Coyle Sean Carpenter
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The West Chester School Board agrees to a three-year deal with the district's support staff union.
The West Chester School Board voted to approve a three-year contract with the district’s support staff on Monday night. A concession by the support staff union on health care will save the district an estimated $380,000 over the life of the contract. “This contract represents the true spirit of compromise,” said board president Vince Murphy. “The West Chester Service Support Professionals recognized that it was financially necessary for us to make changes with our insurance plan offerings and other benefits, and they worked with us to make this contract a reality.” Still, board member Heidi Adsett voted no on the contract; the only member of the board to do so. “I cannot support any contract that involves forced unionism,” Adsett said…
Monday, December 3, 2012
The West Chester School Board will hold its annual reorganization meeting on Monday, Dec. 3.
The West Chester Area School Board will hold its annual reorganization meeting on Monday, at 7 p.m. as the board prepares to move into 2013. The reorganization meeting allows the board to elect a new president, vice president and reassign the board’s committees if need be. While appearing not all that important, the reorganization meeting can lead to a shift in the tone in how meetings, particularly committee meetings are run. In committee meetings, the president can allow the meeting to act as a kind of dialogue with the public, or the president can limit comment until designated time periods. Either way, the president ultimately has control over how the public interacts with the board. This meeting, unlike other recent board meetings, …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The newest proposal from the school board provides a $2,500 raise over the two years of the contract.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
The following is a press release from the West Chester Area School Board. Hoping to overcome the gridlock that salary talks have yielded during the last nine months of contract negotiations, the West Chester Area School Board Negotiating Team has introduced a revised proposal which provides each teacher with a $2500 increase in pay over a two-year period. The new plan was presented to the West Chester Area Education Association (WCAEA) this evening during a 2-hour bargaining session. The newest salary proposal breaks down as follows: Teachers who receive an “unsatisfactory” rating in any one year will receive no compensation increase. The School Board’s newest plan actually provides more equitable pay increases that the Union’s current …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Services honoring the former coach, teacher and school board member will be held Saturday.
- SCHOOLS
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The following is a press release from the West Chester Area School District. James T. Smith, former educator and West Chester Area School District school board member, passed away over the weekend from complications following kidney surgery. Jim was 74 years old. Jim was an active member in our community for more than 40 years. He taught social studies in the WCASD and was one of the first to teach at East High School when it opened in the mid-1970s, moving there from B. Reed Henderson High School. At both schools Jim also guided young student-athletes as a football coach, and was a strong supporter of school athletics as a way to help students learn more about themselves and their potential. Jim Smith was a member of the West Chester Area…
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