WCASD postpones elementary school upgrade project

WESTTOWN — The West Chester Area School District has put the brakes on a proposed $120 million upgrade to its 10 elementary schools, owing to unfavorable rates in the long-term bond market.

At the same time, the board Monday decided to keep the current level of 10 elementary schools — effectively saving Penn Wood Elementary from being closed.

Mark Reber, president of the Home and School Association at Penn Wood, praised the board's decision, saying it took courage to "make a decision in tough times."

"It wasn't the least expensive option," Reber said.

The decision leaves the parents and students at Westtown-Thornbury still uncertain about whether their school will be torn down and a new one built on the Bayard Rustin High School site, however.

In August, the school district had proposed three options for improving the elementary schools. The first option, called the nine-school option, would close Penn Wood and Westtown-Thornbury, and build a new elementary school at Bayard Rustin. Option two, a 10-school option, would keep Penn Wood and close Westtown-Thornbury and build a new school. Option three would entail no new construction, instead doing renovations at all 10 schools.

Eight of nine school board members deliberated on the issue at a combined property and finance and elementary education committee meeting Monday.

Three of the eight members endorsed option two, including members Jeffrey Seagraves, Terri Clark and Rogers Vaughn. Three members of the administration including Superintendent Alan Elko, Cheryl Ash, director of elementary education, and Rob Partridge, director of communications, also issued a statement endorsing option two.

Board member Jim Smith endorsed option three and board members James Davison, Ricky Swalm and Gail Tomassini didn't indicate a preference for either option two or three.

Following a presentation by the district's financial consultant, however, board members said they wanted to wait until the market improved.

Glen Williard, managing director of The PFM Group, said the only segment of the bond market that is close to normal is the short-term bond market.

"I'm very uncomfortable, with the current economic crisis, doing any kind of construction and borrowing," said Clark. "I'd be happy putting this back a year or one-and-a-half years."

"I could not make a move to borrow any more money," said board member Susan McCarty. "We're wrestling with the 2009-2010 budget now."

According to the budget forecast model that is done every month, the district is anticipating a decrease in revenue from earned income taxes and real estate transfer taxes, as well as a decrease in property values.


Source: dailylocal.com