REPORT CARD: Students in the Brandywine School District, on average, fared better on this year's state assessment tests than did students statewide. Brandywine stood second among the five districts in New Castle County, according to a report issued by the state Department of Education on June 17. However, the enrollment in Appoquinimink, the leader, consists of 9% who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 30% in Brandywine and about that range in the three other northern district. Here is how the districts, Brandywine schools and charter schools which serve the district fared:

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NOT TO WORRY: Claymont residents were told that the applying a 'hometown' zoning overlay to their community will not alter existing zoning patterns nor jeopardize their property. Councilman Robert Weiner told a Claymont Renaissance meeting on June 17 that he will sponsor an overlay ordinance only if residents "understand it and are comfortable with it." About 70 people, three times the usual showing, turned out for the meeting after receiving letters Kenneth Bieri, assistant planning manager in the Department of Land Use advising them that Claymont is slated to participate in the new program. (CLICK HERE to read previous Delaforum article.)

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Owners of property in the Brandywine School District most likely will see an 8% increase in their school tax in the coming fiscal year.

Financial officer David Blowman told the school board that he will recommend a rate of $1.2805 for each $100 of assessed property value at its tax-setting meeting in July. More than half of the 9.3¢ increase form this year will go to finance debt service on bonds which voters authorized to finance the district's building renovation program. The rate to finance operations will go up 1.3¢ to 98.2¢, the maximum authorized at the 2002 referendum. Both increases, which will add about $70 to the tax bill for a 'typical' residential property assessed at $75,000, had been anticipated.

He also presented a proposed tentative fiscal 2005 budget at a 'workshop' meeting on June 14. It would set total spending, excluding federally financed programs, at $106.8 million, up 3.6% from this year's budget. He indicated that total revenue is now projected to fall about $1.8 million short, with the difference being made up with money carried forward at the end of this fiscal year. Because that amount and the level of state financing for next are not yet know, the figures will be revised as the budget process moves forward to adoption of a preliminary budget in August and a final spending plan in December.

The proposed budget earmarks $2.1 million to finance components of the district's strategic plan, up from $1.5 million this year, with $500,000 of the increase to go for teacher recruitment. Depending upon enrollment, most of that will be spent to pay up to seven teachers beyond the state authorization.

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GREEN DAY:

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EMERGENCY ORDINANCES SIGNED:  County Executive Tom Gordon routinely signed the six emergency ordinances giving County Council greater oversight of administration spending and hiring. Although they are due to expire at the end of July, Council president Christopher Coons told Delaforum that he is now consulting with other Council members to draft regular ordinances extending at least some of the provisions of the emergency ones through the end of 2004. Council has three more regular meetings before taking its usual month-long summer recess in August. (CLICK HERE to read previous Delaforum article.)

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DECERTIFICATION SOUGHT: Brandywine School District has asked the Public Employment Relations Board to remove Local 1183 of the United Auto Workers from representing its bus drivers. The petition, which is said to have the support of about a third of the drivers, was filed as Martha Cooper, a professional labor fact-finder, was beginning to prepare a non-binding recommendation for ending a year-long impasse over an initial contract. A union source said the filing was another example of the district administration acting in 'bad faith' in an effort to block the drivers from having an independent union.

Deborah Murray-Sheppard, principal assistant to the employment board said that the law permits the filing of a decertification petition any time after a year has elapsed from the time a bargaining unit was chosen if no contract has been negotiated. The fact-finding process does not prevent holding a decertification election. she said. The union source said that holding such an election during the summer, when school bus drivers are not working, was further evidence that the district is out to break the union. District spokeswoman Wendy Latham did not responded to a Delaforum request for comment. (CLICK HERE to read previous Delaforum article.)

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READY TO ROLL -- NOT QUITE:

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