Pattye Benson

Community Matters

T/E School District’s Tax Study Group Kicks Off Earned Income Tax Process

September 15, 2011
27 Comments

The T/E School District held its first meeting of the newly created Tax Study Group. Thank you to Ray Clarke for attending and providing Community Matters with his personal observations and comments. I spoke at length with Ray in regards to the meeting. Based on our conversation and Ray’s notes below, it looks like the Tax Study Group could use the assistance of a tax attorney. If there is someone living in Tredyffrin or Easttown with that expertise, perhaps they could offer their assistance in the school district’s EIT project.

Below are Ray Clarke’s comments from the Tax Study Group meeting:

The kick-off meeting for the TESD Tax Study Group (TSG) was held on Thursday. It was a long meeting, focused on bringing the TSG up to speed on basic district financial and demographic information. The TSG clearly has a long way to go, but at the end some organization emerged that leaves me hopeful for the outcome. I think it will be important that they formalize a way to get direct community input. Some observations:

  • The TSG was supported by Art McDonnell and the same consultant from the PSBA that worked on the 2006 exercise. A majority of the Board was in the audience, plus Tredyffrin Supervisor Mike Heaberg and about half a dozen community members.
  • The core of the meeting was a presentation of basic district data by the consultant. Hopefully the large binder will be a good reference, but more focus might have helped. Also, much of the data was dated and there were a disappointing number of mistakes – one important one alertly caught by Ed Stevens of the TSG. But, good info on the district’s personal income and assessed values, both trends and distribution, which will definitely be important factors in the analysis.
  • My selection of good TE rules of thumb and factoids for armchair analysts (it was stated that the materials will be available on the TESD web site):

– $2.3 billion of personal income

– $5 billion of property assessment, distributed according to the 80/20 rule.

– Median household income for Tredyffrin ~$100,000, for Easttown ~$130,000

– 25% of the TE population under 18;

– 16% over 65 (both percentages higher in Eastown and lower in Tredyffrin).

– Huge bubble in earned and personal income in 2007 – up more than 30% over the previous year.

  • TSG organization: William Mullin emerged as the organizing force.
  • No meeting on September 29th; other meetings will last from 7 to 9:30pm. Possible final presentation to the community on November 3.
  • The objective of the TSG was reinforced many times: to present a set of Pros and Cons to the Board for consideration. In my opinion the TSG will provide the greatest service if it ensures that the set is driven by data and analysis, not anecdote.
  • One important area for up-to-date, authoritative data: what will be the impact of an EIT on Philadelphia workers? Can TE levy an EIT on those wages, or otherwise get any benefit (gaming revenues?). Under what conditions, and what are the (quantified) odds of those conditions applying? This will have an important impact on the possible revenues and the number of residents affected.
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Thank You House Tour Homeowners, Volunteers, Sponsors & Visitors!

September 14, 2011
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The 7th Annual Historic House Tour is next Saturday, September 24. As President of Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust and Chair of the annual historic House tour, I would like to personally thank this year’s special homeowners who have allowed us to showcase their beautiful homes. It is wonderful to live in a community that has people who cherish their historic homes and then allow others the opportunity to enjoy them.

I thank the many House Tour visitors who will visit these beautiful homes on House Tour day. Please know that your ticket purchase furthers the effort of historic preservation in our community. Tickets may be purchased at the Trust website, www.tredyffrinhistory.org or click here for ticket order form.

I thank the individuals, organizations and the companies for their generous financial support of the Trust and historic preservation through their sponsorship of the House Tour. The economic climate of today’s world has forced many of us to re-think our priorities, particularly as it relates to charitable giving. In that regard, it is important to give a special thank you to those who do place an importance on our local history and preserving our historic resources.

On behalf of the Trust, I thank the following House Tour sponsors for their generosity. If you are interested in joining the list of House Tour sponsors, click here for information.

Supporting Sponsors
AroundMainLine.com
Michael & Michelle Kichline
Main Line Neighbors
Penn Medicine

Contributing Sponsors
Golden Valley Farms
Montessori Children’s House of Valley Forge
Paul Olson
Period Architecture, Ltd.

Patron Sponsors
Jim & Janet Bruce
BeThereOnline.org
Cottage Industries
Michael Heaberg
Tom Hogan & Victoria Silbey
State Rep Warren Kampf
Glenna LaSalle Keene
Kristen Mayock
Liz Mercogliano
MJ Monahan Builders, Inc.
Pete & Bonnie Motel
James & Nancy Sanborn
Victoria ‘Tory’ Snyder
Strategic Realty Investments, LLC
Susan Levin Design
Tredyffrin Township Historical Commission
Warren Claytor Architects, Inc
Wise Preservation Planning
Murph Wysocki

I thank the Trust board members and the many volunteers who help make the annual House Tour a success – please know that your time and talents are greatly appreciated!

Historic homeowners, Trust board members, volunteers, sponsors and visitors . . . I thank you all!

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Finally . . . Contract Agreement between Unionville-Chadds Ford School District & Teachers Union – Any lessons for T/E?

September 13, 2011
40 Comments

The Unionville-Chadds Ford (UCF) school district and their teachers union have finally agreed on a contract. The UCF School District teacher’s contract expired June 30, 2010. Based on UCF contract results, any lessons for T/E school district?

I have posted periodically about UCF and the ongoing saga between the school board and the teachers union. Unable to resolve their contract issues, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board appointed attorney Mariann Schick in late December 2010 to help with the bargaining impasse through a fact-finder report.

Students from the UCS and T/E school districts enjoy similar academic performances – both top performing school districts. On the SAT and PSSA performance, both school districts score in the top 1% statewide. T/E School District ranks #2 for SAT scores and UCF is ranked at #5 on the SAT. Due to the similarity of the academic performances in the UCS and T/E school districts, I have followed UCS school districts contract negotiations.

This is the last year in the T/E school district teacher contract . . . will there be similar conflict between members of our board and the teacher union? The teachers of UCF worked for over a year without a contract as negotiations played out. Do you think that there is any relationship between teachers working without a contract and the academic performance of the school district?

So what did the UCF school board and teachers union finally agreed to? Terms include:

  • Year 1 (2010-11) no pay increase for 2010-11
  • Year 2 (2011-12) 1% increase on the pay schedule, step movement, prep level movement
  • Year 3 (2012-13) $300 in each cell on the matrix, $700 one-time bonus, step movement, prep level movement

One of the sticking points in the UCF school board – teacher contract negotiations had been healthcare. In the agreement, the teachers will contribute 7.5% in 2011-12 and 10% in 2012-13 toward their healthcare costs.

The agreement has an interesting component for UCF high school teachers — they will be required to participate in one open house plus an additional event per year (second open house, parent conference, field trip, school performance, etc.) I found it interesting that this element was included in the contract – it would seem that teacher’s dedication to their students would dictate their involvement in activities with the requirement that a contract forcing them to attend.

To read Unionville-Chadds Ford school district tentative teacher’s contract, click here.

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7th Annual Historic House Tour – Saturday, September 24 – Tickets Available Now!

September 12, 2011
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Old houses tell wonderful stories, and the houses of Tredyffrin Township have many tales to tell. On Saturday, September 24, the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust’s 7th Annual Historic House Tour will open doors to Tredyffrin’s past. The tour will spotlight Tredyffrin’s neighborhoods by opening the doors to eight grand historic homes. Featured houses span 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and offer visitors an opportunity to experience Chester County history through original, restored and historically significant homes.

The Trust is delighted the Montessori Children’s House of Valley Forge (MCHVF) www.mchvf.org will be the featured ticket pick-up point for this year’s House Tour. One of the sponsors for the tour, MCHVF is one of the only schools located in a U.S. National Park; it officially opened the doors to its new school, located with Valley Forge National Historic Park last year. The school spent $3.8 million to renovate the 3.5-acre property known as Ivy Hollow Farm, circa 1750. The Ivy Hollow farmhouse has been converted into a beautiful parent meeting room and a residential apartment for a staff member and the barn has been transformed in the school building. Both the farmhouse and the barn will be available for visitors during the House Tour.

The houses on the House Tour are as diverse as their owners. Visitors will enjoy the 19th century summer home in Malvern of the Gretz beer brewing family. During Prohibition the family turned to dairy-farming but their basement is rumored to have been the local speakeasy. The House Tour includes a grand 1892 Queen Anne home with porte-cochere called ‘La Carne’. This property illustrates adaptive reuse of a historic home; as it is now the law offices of a local firm. In Strafford, visitors will tour two houses, a 1908 stone home with Colonial and Federal Revival trends including the use of a full porch with columns and entablature plus massive paired gable-end chimneys and Foxmead, a 1911 colonial revival style stone house designed by the famous Philadelphia architect Charles Barton Keen.

Visitors will see two ‘rubble stone’ homes from the early 20th century in Berwyn. Walking distance of each other, the two showcase very different lifestyles of their owners. One house began its life as a twin. The owner purchased one twin in 1993 and when the other twin became available in 2008, purchased the other side. With great effort, the exteriors of the two sides blend to create the appearance of a large single-family home. Down the street, the rubble stone house, circa 1916 is now home to ‘empty-nesters’. Rather than downsizing to an apartment, condominium or a senior community, the owners show visitors how a historic home can be the perfect choice for retirement-living.

Another not to be missed stop on the 7th Annual Historic House Tour is Cold Spring Farm, an 18th century English-style farmhouse in Malvern. A neglected property for decades, the owners had a clear vision of its potential. Working with the expertise of the design team from Period Architecture of West Chester, no detail was overlooked in the renovation and expansion of this property.

The historic homes and gardens will be open from 12 Noon to 5 PM on Saturday, September 24, rain or shine. Knowledgeable guides staff each home on the tour and house tour admission includes individual house history with map and parking details. Tickets are $35 and advance purchase is necessary, as there will be no tickets sold at the door.

Tickets are available online at www.tredyffrinhistory.org using your credit card or download an order form and mail with your check to Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust, PO Box 764, Devon, PA 193333-0764.

This year’s House Tour would not be possible without the generosity of our many sponsors. Sponsors are listed on the Trust website and will be listed on Community Matters in an upcoming post. Your purchase of a House Tour ticket will support historic preservation in our community!

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