A Good Plan Moving Forward, A Reckless Plan Avoided

By Robert F. Armstrong

We are Democrat candidates for the four open seats on the Radnor School Board. Our team of Lydia Solomon, Rob Armstrong, Bruce Lenthall and Susan Stern are the candidates with the knowledge, experience and value to ensure Radnor schools thrive.

For our students and our schools, the $82.7 million budget delivers significant benefits: it maintains current programs and class size, continues to invest in teacher development, funds needed technology investments, provides for enhanced security, expands resources for social services, funds better communication with our community, and does all this while anticipating upcoming needs.

For our taxpayers, the budget delivered, for the fourth year in a row, the lowest school tax increase in a generation. In fact, the budget reduced the millage rate by 0.5%, the first time in 30 years that the tax rates will actually decrease. This fiscal accomplishment took place at a time when many other school districts in our area have experienced hard times and been forced to cut teachers and programs.

For our community as a whole, this budget provides both the excellent education and the responsible fiscal planning we need.

The Leaders for Radnor Excellence campaign approves this budget and the school board's philosophy of planning for today and tomorrow in the management of its fund balances. This budget will allow for the continued refinement of curriculum so that the needs of all students across the spectrum of achievement are met. We like that the budget also makes provisions for the establishment of the full day kindergarten program without compromising the commitment to improve the curriculum at all other levels. A strong organization must be capable of doing multiple things well. Given what we know is expected of our students today, we are committed to providing the necessary resources for an excellent education.

During the May 28 RTSD board meeting to approve the budget, a separate proposal to cut school taxes by an additional $2.3 million a year was defeated. It was strongly supported by Susan Michaelson, an incumbent candidate for school director, and fellow running mate candidate, E. Martin Heldring. This proposal, over the next ten years, would have cost the school district $23 million in lost revenue. Once tax millage is reduced, that revenue stream is forever lost. Because of Act 1, a Pennsylvania state law, school districts are limited in how much they may raise taxes in a given year. In practical terms, this means RTSD could not have made up this lost revenue in the future + even if needs arose.

We know those needs are coming. Right now Radnor is looking at an additional $21 million in mandated pension obligations (PSERS) over the next ten years. To cut $23 million out of the budget, over ten years, at a time when expenses are expected to rise $21 million would have put at risk the long-term quality of a Radnor education, and the value of Radnor homes. Yes, taxes could be gradually raised and our reserve of fund balances used to close future budgets deficits. But in the process RTSD would have spent fund balances intended for other needs. Unnecessary cuts to our core programs would have been inevitable. The Radnor board, however, rejected that proposal by a 6-3 vote. Whatever short-term payments might have been given to taxpayers under this plan would have been dwarfed by long-term costs for the community. Again, because of Act 1, school districts cannot simply match yearly operating expenses with the needed tax rate. This law ties allowed tax increases to inflation. Since healthcare and pension costs typically rise at or above inflation rates, the law does not even allow a district to keep pace without advance planning. This is the reason why, over the last several years, the majority of the Radnor school board has voted to allocate its fund balances into accounts to save for prudent things such as mandated pension obligations, large capital expenditures, curriculum initiatives that build for the future, and full day kindergarten. The RTSD board has set our fund balances at an appropriate level given the future liabilities it expects and has delivered historically low tax increases. Over the next five years the fund balance will likely decline on a net basis as the district begins to use those funds to pay for PSERS and required capital expenditures such as improvements at Wayne Elementary School. After paying for PSERS over this period, it is expected that the overall fund balance will be $8 to $10 million + an appropriate amount for a school district of our size.

In today's climate, this is a common fund balance strategy; our peer groups of Lower Merion and Tredyffrin/Easttown School Districts have done the same. It is necessary to save and plan prudently for the future. Radnor residents should expect nothing less.

We are Democrat candidates for the four open seats on the Radnor School Board. Our team of Lydia Solomon, Rob Armstrong, Bruce Lenthall and Susan Stern are the candidates with the knowledge, experience and value to ensure Radnor schools thrive. During the upcoming campaign, we will continue to discuss our priorities and aspirations for Radnor Schools. We must be pro-active, and have a plan to meet our many educational challenges. If re-elected or elected to the school board, we will support programs and initiatives that prepare our students to succeed. In order for Radnor to retain its excellence, we must be able to attract and to retain the finest teachers, maintain appropriate class sizes, adopt new technologies effectively, and provide a well-rounded curriculum. We are all in this educational mission together; our finite resources can and should be managed to meet the needs of all groups. We will work hard to provide our community with the best education possible for all students at the best price.

Our "Leaders for Radnor Excellence" campaign intends to benefit all Radnor residents regardless of whether or not they have children in public school. To learn more about our campaign, please visit http://www.radnor2013.com. Once there, please take the time to participate in our online survey on school taxes and school quality. Your viewpoint is important to us.

Thank you,

Lydia Solomon (incumbent), Rob Armstrong (incumbent), Bruce Lenthall, and Susan Stern