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√ Brandywine
may again delay
seeking a tax-ceiling increase
MEMOS
AT RANDOM
The Brandywine school board most likely will enact a
preliminary $134.5 million fiscal year budget that opens a good
possibility the district might again push back the next tax referendum
by a year until the spring of 2012.
Saying that another delay will be a "subject of discussion" this autumn,
superintendent Mark Holodick told a meeting of the district finance
committee that he's "more optimistic than I [previously] thought." Board
president Debra Heffernan noted that the board already has extended its
2006 promise of no referendum for three years adding, "We now hope to go
to five." The budget envisions ending the fiscal year next June 30 with
a $4.4 million carryover, up from $3.4 million this year. Chief
financial officer David Blowman said that, if the district were not
required to pick up the full cost of administering the child nutrition
program, the operating budget would be $400,000 less than last year. As
it stands -- subject to revision in December -- it is up $3.4 million
from fiscal 2010.
Blowman revealed at the meeting on July 22 that the district received
approval of its 'Race to the Top' plan and will get an additional $5
million in federal money over the next four years. Holodick said that
three of the 23 teachers laid off this summer have been rehired, but
added, "We're being a little more conservative this summer than we have
been in the past" about staffing schools for the coming academic year
before getting a firmer handle on enrollment and state support. Blowman
acknowledged that state budget cuts are likely to increase the number of
classes that exceed target size but said the overages will be no more
than one or two students. District enrollment is now estimated to
increase by 47 children after an expected loss of 51 to the new Reach
Academy for Girls charter school.
√ County
finished the past
fiscal year in the black
MEMOS
AT RANDOM
County government got through the fiscal year which ended June 30
without having to dip into its budget reserve, according to County
Executive Chris Coons. It is the first time in several years that that
has happened. Meeting with officers of areawide civic associations on
July 20, Coons credited "some fairly strong discipline" for balancing
revenue with spending. The budget that County Council approved last year
called for having to use $7 million of the $48.4 million then in the 'tax stabilization' fund,
which is in addition to the 'rainy
day' emergency fund. Neither Coons nor chief financial officer Ed
Milowicki would provide
details, explaining that further information is being withheld pending a
presentation to County Council's finance committee on July 27.
√ Skateboarding
facility okayed
despite questions about
liability
MEMOS
AT RANDOM
County Council members at
a committee meeting appeared enthusiastic about building a full-scale
skateboarding facility in Glasgow Regional Park and possibly smaller
ones in other parks. Then, at the request of county attorney Gregg
Wilson, they took the meeting behind closed doors to talk about
potential liabilities. After some 45 minutes, the meeting was reopened
to the public and the committee voted -- with William Tansey dissenting
-- to authorize the signing of construction contracts but with a proviso
that work not begin until a further briefing about whatever it was that
Wilson told them which dampened their enthusiasm. California Skate
Parks, a firm said to be the national leader in the field, was
successful bidder on the $768,000 subcontract.
Jon Husband, who manages
parks development for the Department of Special Services, told the
committee on July 20 that the skateboarding facility would be part of
the third phase of building the already immensely popular park, a
previously approved $2.26 million capital project. Castle Construction,
a local firm, was successful bidder for the overall job. It was not
clear why further Council approval was necessary. Husband said after the
meeting that he had agreed to "seek a final blessing" for the project
because "we never built a skate park before." He told the committee that
there are more than 4,000 public skateboarding facilities in operation
across the country and that they experience significantly fewer injuries
than basketball courts or football and baseball fields.
Candidates line up for
coming election battles
MEMOS
AT RANDOM
Voters in northern New Castle County will have a lot to choose from in
this autumn's elections. Before the November run, the final slates for
several offices will be decided by party primaries in September. With
the end of the filing period on July 13, here's how things shape up in
the headliner contests: Republican Congressman Mike Castle must first
fend off Christine O'Donnell before facing Democrat Chris Coons in the
contest for U.S. Senator. Democrat John Carney will meet the winner of a
four-way Republican primary among Rose Izzo, Michele Rollins, Glen
Urquhart and Brent Wangen in his bid to occupy Delaware's only seat in
the U.S. House of Representatives. Attorney general Beau Biden will be
unopposed for re-election.
Contrary to what has happened in the past, four of the six County
Council seats opening up this year will be contested. Republican William
Tansey is stepping down with Janet Kilpatrick and Michael Protack vying
for his party's nomination to run against Democrat Renee Taschner.
Long-serving Robert Weiner, a Republican, is being challenged by
Democrat Michael Arnnone. Democrat incumbent Joseph Reda will meet
either Scott Sauer or Douglas Suiter. William Powers, a Democrat, will
face Andrea Daley. Incumbents Lisa Diller and Penrose Hollins, both
Democrats, are unopposed. Both parties will have primaries to decide who
will run for sheriff -- incumbent Michael Walsh versus Trinidad Navarro
on the Democrat side and William Hart versus Joseph O'Leary on the
Republican.
Republican Cathy Cloutier's bid to return to the state Senate will be
challenged by Christopher Counihan while Democrat Harris McDowell will
be unopposed for re-election. Four incumbent Democrat state
representatives face Republican challenges -- Gerald Brady by Richard
Carroll; Thomas Kovach by Debra Heffernan; Bryon Short by Judith Travis;
and John Kowalko by Gordon Winegar. A Democrat primary in District 10
pits incumbent Dennis Williams against Kenneth Darcis with the winner to
face Republican Robert Rhodunda in November. Hazel Plant faces two
challengers in a Democrat primary -- Stephanie Bolden and Darius Brown.
Democrat incumbent Helene Keeley has a primary battle with Robert Bovell.
Neither primary winner will then have a Republican opponent.
√ Board
member seeks 'more
openness' in Brandywine
MEMOS
AT RANDOM
Brandywine school board member Cheryl Siskin urged her
colleagues to be "more open" in dealing with district staff and the
public. She made the remark as the board re-elected its officers for the
coming year.
The
board should foster "an environment where people feel comfortable coming
here to talk with us," Siskin said at its meeting on June 28. "I feel
more often we only hear the good stuff." Noting that the topic wasn't on
the posted agenda for the meeting, president Debra Heffernan ruled that
discussing it should wait until the board's annual 'retreat'. Although
technically open to the public under state law, the all-day session is
normally a private affair. In five-to-two votes, Heffernan and Olivia
Johnson-Harris were elected to continue as president and vice president,
respectively. Ralph Ackerman and Joseph Brumskill nominated and voted
for each other for the positions. Heffernan and Johnson-Harris were
returned as board members without opposition and the necessity of a
public election.
In
another matter at the meeting, assistant superintendent Judy Curtis read
a summary of the 'scope of work' proposal the district submitted on June
17 to obtain federal 'Race to the Top' money, but declined after the
meeting to provide a copy of her remarks. Public information officer
Alexis Andrianopoulos later provided a brief summary which included:
"Increase teacher and school leader effectiveness ... institute
comprehensive instructional reform ... increase learning time for
students ... create community-oriented schools ... [and] provide
district-level support for sustaining these reforms." She told
Delaforum, "Once we have approval from [the U.S. Department of
Education], we will schedule a formal presentation to the board and
public."
√ Temporary
yard waste
disposal site operational
MEMOS
AT RANDOM
Holland Mulch Inc. has
begin accepting residential yard waste free of charge at its commercial
facility on Hay Road near Edgemoor Road. The temporary service will be
available Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on
Saturdays until 12:30 p.m. The state Department of Natural Resources &
Environmental Control is still "in discussions" with the Du Pont company
about establishing a disposal site on property adjacent to Holland,
according to William Miller, of the department's solid and hazardous
waste management branch. "There are still a lot of 'ifs' that are in
question, so we don't have a timetable at this point," he told
Delaforum. Holland will operate the public site when it is available.
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