WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017
CHESTER COUNTY PRESS
7A
Chester County Press
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Opinion Letter to the Editor
Editorial
Beautiful fall day in a wonderful small town A person visiting Oxford on Saturday, Sept. 30 would have been in for quite a treat. Some of the best aspects of the town were on full display, centered on activities taking place at the Oxford Memorial Park. At 9:30 a.m., the Oxford Presbyterian Church’s Apple Festival got underway. It is one of the town’s most popular annual events, featuring lots of family-friendly activities for people of all ages. A fall day filled with fun activities is good, but what’s even better is that some of the proceeds from the Apple Festival are used to support worthy causes in the Oxford area. This year, the Oxford Community Preschool was selected as the primary beneficiary of the 2017 festival. The Oxford Community Preschool is a non-profit organization that offers a safe and nurturing learning environment for children in the community. Last year, a donation of about $8,000 was made to the inclusive playground project. At 10:30 a.m. last Saturday, the full results of that playground project were unveiled as a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to officially open the beautiful, inclusive playground that will allow children of all different abilities to play alongside one another. Over the last few years, a large number of individuals and organizations worked collaboratively to raise the funds necessary to pay for the $155,000 playground. That includes many Oxford residents and business owners, school groups, and community groups. Barbara Ross, a 96-year-old resident of Lower Oxford Township, not only donated $50,000 of her own money to the cause, she also spent countless hours making ornaments that were sold to raise additional money. Ross’s wonderful act of kindness and generosity will benefit children in the area for years to come. The Apple Festival and the inclusive playground say a lot about the people of Oxford. The town has always benefited from the kindness and generosity of its residents. Last Saturday was a beautiful fall day in a wonderful small town.
Chester County Press Publisher - Randall S. Lieberman
Steve Hoffman . . . . . Managing Editor John Chambless . . . . Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw . . . . Staff Writer Carla Lucas . . . . . . . Correspondent Nancy Johnson. . . . . Correspondent Brenda Butt . . . . . . . Office Manager Tricia Hoadley . . . . . Art Director Alan E. Turns . . . . . . Advertising Director Christy Larry . . . . . . Assistant Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director Teri Turns. . . . . . . . . Advertising Executive Helen E. Warren. . . . Advertising Executive Stone Lieberman . . . Digital Advertising Specialist
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School boards need to be wary of long-term financial risks Letter to the Editor: The recent article on the proposed $140 million of capital expenditures by the Avon Grove School District harkens back to the trials and travails faced by the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District a decade ago. After two defeated referendums, the U-CF School Board disregarded the will of the taxpayers and proceeded with incur-
ring non-electoral debt. Financial engineering of complex bond funding structures that parallels the underwriting standards used in the housing crash creates long-term risk. The low interest rate environment has helped mitigate the interim period risk. A case of it’s better to be lucky than good. Leveraging the current and projected local tax cash flow provided under Act 1 and future balloon-
debt refinancing in order to currently fund longterm capital improvement projects removes potential operating dollars available for the classroom. Complex interest rate hedging vehicles, available at a cost, can assist in mitigating risk, but a potential for de-funding programs in order to service debt in the future remains a potential possibility. Circumventing the checks and balances of the referendum process should
not be entertained by the current or future School Board Directors of Avon Grove School District. The Administration and Directors need to be transparent and remain cognizant of the long-term financial risk and unintended consequences of financing long-term capital projects with operating cash flow. Glenn L. Best East Marlborough Township
Tax relief is needed Letter to the editor: I live within my means. I have a small family with two kids, a wonderful husband, and a lovely house. I am employed by a nonprofit in Coatesville, a city that I have grown to love. My family rarely goes on vacation, but instead we enjoy each other’s compa-
ny and make do with the things that we have been blessed with. At times, our family has struggled to make ends meet. Instead of looking for loopholes in “the system” to survive, my family wants tax relief! As a middle-class American family, we are the backbone of the U.S. economy.
If the income and business taxes are lowered and the tax code becomes simplified, we will immediately see a higher wage and we will be on firmer ground financially. If President Trump’s tax reform plan gets passed, my family’s first $24,000 in income will not be taxed and we will be able to com-
plete our taxes on a single page. That means no complicated deductions and we won’t have to pay money to H&R Block to get our taxes filed. As a hardworking American, I do not ask for much, but some tax relief is much needed and would be greatly appreciated. Melanie Palmas
Family Caregiving: The toughest job around Pennsylvania Homecare Association offers new resource to help There’s a job that 1.8 million Pennsylvanians do every day that demands 24/7 attention. It is a job that requires putting someone else’s safety and well-being before your own and takes great physical and emotional strength, and many times requires the skill of a nurse. This job is family caregiving. Of the 1.5 million residents in Philadelphia, an astounding 12 percent are over the age of 65. Most of those seniors want to remain in their homes as they age, in the communities where they built their lives and raised their families. But what happens if they need help? Today family and friends provide most of the care, but they are seldom paid and frequently are not trained to do the tasks needed, such as transferring their loved one from the shower to a wheelchair, managing narcotics, or caring for a wound. According to AARP Pennsylvania, this uncompensated care totals $20 billion each year, which
results in savings for our state’s Medicaid program because families are taking care of their loved one at home, rather than sending them to a nursing home. This is important because nursing home care is an entitlement program in this country. If a person qualifies for Medicaid – meaning they have few assets and low income – then Medicaid must pick up the tab for nursing home care, but not for in-home care. Despite the significant financial impact family caregiving has on state and federal budgets, this country still lacks effective policies to address the challenges of long-term care and in particular family caregiving. According to a 2016 University of Pittsburgh report, Addressing the Needs of Caregivers at Risk: A New Policy Strategy, there is a patchwork of small, uncoordinated programs that do not yet meet the current and future needs of this population. Even though family caregivers provide more than 90 percent of the
long-term care received by 12 million Americans, their access to financial support, flexible employment and social supports that would facilitate and enhance the care they provide are extremely limited. For now, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), which represents homecare and hospice agencies that frequently supplement the care provided by families, has developed a resource, Secrets No One Ever Told You About Family Caregiving, which addresses some tough issues that many families are confronted with, such as talking about when is it time to turn to hospice care, how a daughter helps her aging father in the bathroom, or understanding that sometimes forgetfulness or even hallucinations are not connected to Alzheimer’s but rather a urinary tract infection (UTI)? These are just some of the topics covered in PHA’s new publication, Secrets. While homecare, hospice professionals and families
continue to advocate in Congress, and as well as in our state legislature, for better public policy to address our aging population, Secrets is one more way to support family caregivers, like those in Philadelphia, and provide some of the expertise from our healthcare professionals who bring care home to nearly one million Pennsylvanians each year. Secrets is free for family caregivers. Call your local homecare, hospice or home health agency for a copy, or PHA at 1-800-382-1211, ext. 21 or email yourpartner@pahomecare.org. Vicki Hoak, CEO Pennsylvania Homecare Association Lemoyne, PA Vicki Hoak is CEO of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, a statewide organization of more than 700 homecare, home health and hospice providers. To learn more, visit the PHA website at www.pahomecare.org.
Local News
Avon Grove School Board receives annual report from the Avon Grove Charter School
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
The Avon Grove School Board’s agenda for the Sept. 28 meeting included the annual report by officials from the Avon Grove Charter School. Kristen Bishop, the head of school of the charter school, and Donna Archer, the chief financial officer, led the presentation. Bishop noted that a written version of the report had been submitted to the Avon Grove School District during the summer. Bishop explained that the charter school saw an enrollment increase of 55 students—from 1,685 students to 1,740 students—for
the current school year. The enrollment in third grade increased enough to add an extra class, Bishop said. Additionally, the freshman class in the upper school this year has 108 students, which is a significant increase over past years. A total of 244 students were entered into the lottery for a spot in the kindergarten program, and the school has now welcomed 167 kindergarten students, with about half of those students residing in the Avon Grove School District. Bishop detailed some of the facilities planning work that Avon Grove Charter School officials have undertaken. The charter school last year authorized
a $28 million bond issue to refinance its existing debt. The funding will allow for facilities expansions for both the upper school and lower school. A capital campaign was also launched for improvements to the arts wing. Bishop also highlighted the curriculum initiatives and programs aimed at boosting student achievement. One major initiative has been the effort to get a one-to-one Chromebookto-student ratio for grades 4 to 12. Bishop said that students have been very excited about utilizing the computers. The charter school has been looking to add sports at the upper school, and
there are now cross country, men’s soccer, and women’s volleyball teams. They are also looking to add other sports programs based on student interest in the future. Bishop noted that the 2016-2017 school year was significant for the Avon Grove Charter School because it worked for, and received, its charter renewal. The charter school also successfully completed the process of achieving Middle States Accreditation. School board vice president Brian Gaerity noted that there are a lot of similarities between the initiatives of the charter school and the Avon
Grove School District. The similarities include facilities work to meet students’ needs, curriculum initiatives that provide students with the educational opportunities that they need, and significant investments in technology. Gaerity said that it’s a good sign in education when there is general agreement that a school’s curriculum needs to be continually modified and updated to make sure that students are receiving the education that they need to succeed. Bishop agreed with Gaerity, and said that it’s a good thing if better school programs are delivered to students as a result of com-
petition among schools. School board president Bonnie Wolff encouraged residents to continue to sign up for the listening posts that are taking place this fall regarding the Facilities Input Group’s recommendation to spend $140 million to build a new middle school and extensively renovate the high school. Residents can sign up for a listening post on the school district’s website. “We want to make sure that everyone who signs up has a spot,” Wolff said. “It’s important to us to hear what you have to say.” To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.