West Chester Area School District

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Legislative Action Committee

  • Legislative Action Committee

    The West Chester Area School District has formed a Legislative Action Committee. Meetings are held periodically at the Spellman Education Center, 782 Springdale Dr. Exton PA.

    State and federal agencies place many mandates on local school districts through regulations and laws without providing the financial resources to pay for the costs of implementation. These obligations are commonly called unfunded mandates. As school districts struggle to formulate budgets that meet the needs of all students in a fiscally responsible manner, the state and federal governments continue to require the dedication of local funds to address their directives.

    The purpose of this committee is to:

    1. Provide legislators with input on legislation that may have a financial impact on schools.
    2. Educate legislators on the cost of current mandates.
    3. Educate the West Chester community on the cost of current mandates.

    The committee is composed of members representing all aspects of our community, including parents, non- parents, board members, teachers, administrators, and citizens on fixed income.

    Did you know:

    • Since 1980, public schools have had more than 60 new mandates placed on them by the state and federal government.
    • Federal legislation was passed in 1975 to educate children with disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, or IDEA), with a commitment to fund 40% of the costs? Yet the federal government has never paid more than 18% of the cost.
    • The state mandate for students graduating in 2019 and beyond to pass three Keystone Exams in the areas of Algebra, Biology, and English Literature has already cost the West Chester Area School District more than $1,000,000.
    • State mandated retirement contributions added an additional $2.6 million to the West Chester Area School District 2017-18 budget.

    For more information, click on the links below:
    Keystone Exams
    Latest Legislative Email Update
    Latest letter from the Superintendent
    School Board Resolutions

    Important Legislative Resources, click on the links below:
    Contact your Legislators
    How Do I Access Information on PA House and Senate Bills?
    Join our Email List
    PASA
    PASBO
    PSBA

  • Why it's not a good idea to end Pa.'s property tax | Editorial

    From Philly.com - Posted 10/26/2017

    Citizens going into the voting booth in Pennsylvania on Nov. 7 will find a pleasant surprise. They will be asked to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to do away with local property taxes. That's not precisely the wording on the ballot - it talks about raising the homestead exemption on residential properties to 100 percent - but that is its effect.

    Please click here to read Philly.com article

     

    Radnor Township School District asks voters to say no to constitutional amendment | News | mainlinemedianews.com

    The Radnor Township School Board is pulling out all stops to get residents to vote against the proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot. They have yard signs and plan to print up placards to hand out to voters at the polls. School Board Member Amy Goldman, co-chair of the board’s governmental affairs committee, said the board had passed a resolution opposing Senate Bill 76 in February and that this amendment, if approved, would pave the way for Senate Bill 76 or similar legislation to be passed.

    Please click here to read the rest of the article.

     

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