Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 15
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
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Avon Grove School Board takes a stance on Pa. public school funding By Colleen Cochran Contributing Writer On Feb. 7, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court decided that the state’s method of funding public schools was unconstitutional because its reliance on property taxes discriminated against students who live in low-income districts. The Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC), made up of 12 legislators from the state house and state senate and
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three officials from the governor’s administration, was charged with determining an equitable method for public school funding. On Jan. 11 of this year, the commission generated two reports, and one that received the most votes of approval identified that Basic Education Funding fell short by $5.4 billion, and it called for that amount to be made up over the next seven years. Both the majority report and the minority report
acknowledge the inadequacy of current education funding, and they offer many similar solutions for tackling the problem. One of the ways in which they differ is that the minority report advocates public funding of non-public schools in that it proposes taxpayer-funded scholarships that allow students to opt to attend non-public schools. It is on that point that the Avon Grove School Board takes issue, and at its March 21 meeting, the board
From weekend astronomers to children with protective eyewear made from paper plates, an estimated 700 visitors crowded Hibernia County Park in Avon Grove names new Coatesville on Monday assistant principal for afternoon to enjoy the rarest
of phenomenons – a total solar eclipse. The event was sponsored by the Chester County Library System and the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation in partnership with the Chester County Astronomical Society and Timmy Telescope Solar Astronomy.
high school...6A
Bouncy Ponies
EmpowHer at Kennett Library on April 28...1B
Photo by Chris Barber
Children were included in the activities at the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point Races on Sunday at the Myrick Center in Pocopson. Here, five-year-olds compete in the “Bouncy Pony” race. Please see Page 1B for a story and photos about the 81st running of the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point Races.
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on that report. We want to make sure we let them know our stance.” In the resolution, the school board stated its reasons for opposing the scholarship program. One reason is because Pennsylvania law already provides for public school choice opportunities in the form of charter schools. Another reason is because the scholarship proposal allows for public funds to go to students who are neither low-income nor residing
within the boundaries of low-achieving schools, and a program already exists in the form of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)/Opportunity Student Tax Scholarship (OSTS) that provides taxpayer supported scholarships for low- and moderate-income students to attend nonpublic schools. In addition, there are no existing studies that indicate that those students who receive public funds from EITC/OSTS Continued on Page 2A
Capacity crowd floods Hibernia Park to witness solar eclipse By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
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voted to approve its Fair Funding Resolution #24-10 in support of constitutional funding of public schools and opposed to funding of non-public schools. This resolution will be sent to legislative officials and the governor’s office. Said Bonnie Wolff, board president, “Although the BEFC adopted the majority report, we don’t know whether the general assembly and Governor Shapiro will ultimately create and approve legislation based
In addition to providing information about eclipses from the GLOBE Observer data collection program, the event included children’s protective wear building kit sessions, sun and moon salutation yoga and telescopes were patrolled by NASA volunteers that allowed the curious to have a better view of the unfolding eclipse. Vehicles started to arrive at the park at about 1 p.m., and within an hour, the designated parking areas were filled with those who began to look for signs that the moon would begin to pass between the Earth and the sun. As the “first contact” was made at 2:12 p.m., the shadow of the moon was seen in the lower right-hand corner of the sun, and within the next few minutes, it was announced that the temperature had dropped from 64 degrees to 63 degrees. By 2:34 p.m. – through the occasional clouds that obstructed the view throughout the day – the shadow of the moon began to fully emerge, appearing to take a considerable chunk out of the sun’s right-facing
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Supported by handmade protective eyewear, this Elverson family joined a crowd of more than 700 at Hibernia County Park in Coatesville to witness a total solar eclipse.
curvature, and by 2:40 p.m., nearly one-quarter of the sun was obstructed, while the temperature continued to dip to 61 degrees. At 3:15 p.m., the sun took on the shape of a very thin letter “C” and soon vanished in a “path of totality” for about four minutes, causing the sky to darken to a soupy gray. By 3:21 p.m., the path of totality began to vanish, and by 3:33 p.m., the sun took on a shape reminiscent of a cheshire cat smile. The eclipse concluded at 4:30 p.m. Pennsylvania was one of 15 U.S. states – as well as parts of Mexico and
Canada – to have the opportunity to view the total eclipse of the sun. The next total solar eclipse is scheduled to occur on Aug. 26, 2026 and will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible in North America as well as Europe, Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. While another solar eclipse is scheduled to appear in the U.S. on Aug. 30, 2044, Pennsylvanians will not likely be able to Continued on Page 2A
Kennett Township FROM OUR LENS renews partnership with Partnering restoration group to with reduce stream pollution Nittany Lions By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Continuing a partnership it first made on Oct. 7, 2020, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors approved a restated, 20-year agreement with the Revolving Water Fund (RWF) to continue improving water quality and reducing pollutants at water sources in the BrandywineChristiana Watershed. RWF will continue to identify and implement strong conservation practices, develop a risk-reduction agenda that will facilitate the projects, and provide regulatory compliance support for the township. Ted Otteni, the township’s public works director, said that the work area will be confined to the Red Clay and Brandywine Creek watersheds to remove pol-
lutants that include total suspended solids, nitrogen and phosphorous. Developed in collaboration between i2 Capital and The Nature Conservancy and headquartered in Washington, D.C., RWF aligns the interests of agricultural producers, scientists, conservationists, corporations, municipalities, state and federal agencies and impact investors to address conservation on a watershed scale. Through its conservation finance program, RWF implements natural infrastructure on agricultural lands to reduce pollutants in the waterways while supporting compliance objectives. The RWF model correlates agricultural conservation practices with regulatory compliance
and other private and public objectives to capture the economic benefits of conservation. By establishing a contract with RWF, the township will continue to meet the regulatory mandates of the federal government, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) that establish sediment reduction requirements and waste load allocations for state municipalities. The investment with RWF will cost the township a total of $79,015 – $67,765.15 for the first five years of operation and maintenance costs, and three subsequent payments of $3,750 every five years to cover additional Continued on Page 4A
Courtesy photo
LCH Health and Community Services in Kennett Square have formed a partnership with Penn State’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) to bolster nutrition education and support in the local community. The collaborative effort is designed to empower individuals and families with the knowledge and resources necessary for maintaining optimal health through nutrition. Pictured from left to right are Monica Mata-Lopez, LCH Program Coordinator; Elizabeth Myers, Penn State Extension Program; Evelyn Fonseca-Beltran, LCH Marketing and Communications Coordinator; and Kate Wickersham, LCH Director of Development.