UCFSD, teachers head to fact finding, Aug. 25

32 new teachers hired, buildings readied for start of school year By Karen Cresta, Staff Writer, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – Unionville Chadds Ford School District (UCFSD) Board President Vic Dupuis began Monday night’s regular meeting by announcing a Fact Finding Hearing for teacher contract negotiations will be held on Tuesday, August 25, as 32 new teachers begin their three-day induction before...

UCF board goes live on You Tube

Renovations, potential for full-day kindergarten and volunteer policies discussed By Karen Cresta, Staff Writer, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – The Unionville Chadds Ford School District (UCFSD) Board of Education was counting down the days for the start of school while it held its work session on Monday night without any residents in attendance – only the press and some staff members. Donning a...

Divided UCF board adopts final budget

Both sides claim compromise; 5-3 vote for 2.28% tax hike By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH — In the end, it was a compromise, but whether or not it was the right one, as a clearly split Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education debated heatedly at times, may well be argued for some time. The board voted 5-3 at a raucous, crowded meeting at Unionville High School Monday night to approve...

UCF board to consider compromise budget figure

Board to also reconsider IST reduction at Unionville Elementary By Karen Cresta, Correspondent, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – Many residents, teachers, and members of the Unionville Chadds-Ford School District (UCFSD) Board of Education urged those on the board still considering a 2.01 percent increase in the tax rate to reconsider the higher option of 2.5 percent at the work session meeting on Monday...

Letter: Knauss gets it wrong

To The Editor,  Once again, Keith Knauss gets it wrong. At the May 18 School Board meeting, Mr. Knauss stated that the Teachers’ Association is proposing an 4.6% increase in “payroll” each year, as compared to the 2.1% being offered by the Board. Check it out yourself on the Board Video, at time marker 1:35:35.  http://youtu.be/Vh4-P1hNDEs The documents given to me by the Board...

Letter: What does Keith Knauss really want?

To The Editor, In a recent Unionville Chadds-Ford Board meeting, Director Keith Knauss advocated for stalling the negotiations process so that the contract with UCF teachers expires and goes into status quo. Watch the video of Mr. Knauss’s comments here. By entering status quo, the teachers would not receive any salary increases thereby, in Mr. Knauss’s mind, save the District money.  At the same...

Misprint on board meeting agenda, no teacher contract update

Chromebooks pilot approved; Elementary trimester schedule approved; high school student-led study to delay start time ok’d By Karen Cresta, Correspondent, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – Despite the tornado watch Monday night, many attended the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s (UCFSD) Board of Education meeting held at Hillendale Elementary.  Some were there as honored participants of the...

Proposed UCF budget would boost taxes beyond Act 1 limits

Keystone Exams face growing opposition; health care eligibility audit discussed By Karen Cresta, Correspondent, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – Taxes for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District would increase beyond the state’s Act 1 limits, if the Board of Education opts to adopt the $79.2 million proposed budget discussed in some detail during Monday night’s board work session — meanwhile...

Teachers, UCF district face no-win situation

Both sides need to seek lest awful option in contract talks By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times You can’t really call it a war of words — it’s more like a pillow fight of words. The rhetoric of the last week or so between the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association and the UCF Board of Education over the ongoing contract talks has amounted to dialogue only a little elevated beyond the “you’re...

Teachers’ union hits school board over negotiations briefing

Board honors retirees including UHS principal  By Karen Cresta, Correspondent, The Times EAST MARLBOROUGH – Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association President Scott Broomall responded with anger during the public comment portion of Monday night Unionville-Chadds Ford Board of Education meeting, over his surprise at the board’s decision to go public early in the process to negotiate a new...