Parents express concerns about Hillendale class size

Large fourth grade means classes as big as 28 By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com Mahalet Tegenu, a fifth-grade student at Hillendale Elementary School, was honored by the Board of Education for leading a drive to provide pencils for a school in native Ethiopia. It was the second straight year she led a drive benefitting an Ethiopian school. From left: Hillendale Elementary prinicipal Steve...

Surrendering reason for the sake of a headline and greed

When thinking about the Unionville teachers’ contract talks, it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together UnionvilleTimes.com editorial cartoon graphic. Copyright, 2011. All rights reserved. By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com There’s right, and there’s wrong. If you ask 100 people about the current Unionville-Chadds Ford teacher contract negotiations, you’ll...

Teacher contract talks resume after second rejection of fact-finder’s report

Structure and health care plans seen as major hurdle to new deal By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com PENNSBURY — And so the negotiations continue. After district teachers rejected for a second time the framework of a proposed settlement offered by a state mediator, contract talks between the Unionville-Chads Ford School District and its teachers resumed Tuesday. Although both sides have...

Three local candidates among county-wide slates

County, school board and township officials up for election in 2011 By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com While local and school board candidate slates are still taking shape, it appears that the two major party list of candidates for county-wide office are now largely complete and provide a pretty good idea of who will be squaring off in November. The Chester County Republican Committee announced...

Food service study may be put on ice

Efficiency study likely to be rejected by board, Feb. 22 By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com A proposed study that could lead to privatizing school lunches appears likely to rejected by the Board of Education on Feb. 22 EAST MARLBOROUGH — It looks like the efforts to privatize the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District food service may be as frozen as a decade-old Salisbury steak. While...

Unionville board to teachers: please reconsider

Board members ask teachers union to rethink rejection of fact-finder’s report By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com EAST MARLBOROUGH — The Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education seemed to have one message for its teachers Monday night: please reconsider. The Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association’s rank-and-file members voted down a proposed settlement to the year-long talks...

UCF board moves to keep tax hike under 1% in Chesco

Preliminary budget skips Act 1 exceptions, comes in under limits, cuts overall spending By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com EAST MARLBOROUGH — One might not be a singular sensation when it comes to tax hikes — but if it ends up being the final tax hike for the Unionville-Chads Ford School District’s Chester County taxpayers, it will represent the smallest tax increase by the district...

UCF Food service outsourcing brought into question

Board of Ed. members ask why it makes to sense to tamper with self-sufficient operation By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com EAST MARLBOROUGH — The march to privatizing school district food services — and potentially other services — may hit a bump in the road if the Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education decides later this month not to hire a consultant to look at outsourcing. During...

Updated: Schools fact-finding report seems to support board position

Teachers rejected proposal that skews more closely to district offer on economic issues, union on work rules Updated: Feb. 10, adds comments from teachers’ union. By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com EAST MARLBOROUGH — From a quick read of fact-finder Mariann E. Schick’s proposed settlement between the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education...

Unionville board likely to limit tax hike

Members seem ready to keep increase to Act I limits By Mike McGann, Editor, UnionvilleTimes.com EAST MARLBOROUGH — Barring a last-minute change of heart, the Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education seems prepared to limit the tax increase for the 2011-12 school year to just 1.36% in Chester County and 5.04% in Delaware County — less than half of what state limits could potentially allow for...