Improving the higher education experience
The Borough of West Chester is humming once again as students have returned to campus for a new academic year. In a similar fashion, though without the boxes of textbooks and bags of clean laundry, Congress returned to Capitol Hill with a full agenda of critical policy items to address this fall.
In the coming months, the House will work to advance legislation to reauthorize the...
UCF teacher deal is something everyone can live with
But it does highlight need to fix funding formula, charter abuses
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
The deal agreed to by the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and its teachers union earlier this month isn’t perfect, but it is a deal the teachers and the greater community can live with.
Salaries will increase 2.79% annually over the term of the pact — above the likely Act I index, but only...
Mosquito spraying: why doesn’t the county want to talk about it?
County needs to answer questions about spraying program
By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times
The Kennett Township web site has two running headers at the top: “Monarch Butterfly population decline” and “Mosquito Spraying by Chester County Health Department 8/19/2015.”
Could these two occurrences be connected, as with bee colonies and insect-eating bird populations being...
Op/Ed: Fighting for veterans and first responders
State Rep. argues for support of education needs for both groups
By Rep. Steve Barrar, State Representative (R-160)
State Rep. Steve Barrar (R-160)
I spend a lot of my time learning about the needs of the Commonwealth’s emergency responders, veterans and their families. By always remaining informed, I can best represent these groups as the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee majority...
Birthright citizen challenge is a slippery slope
Can citizenship be taken away by a whim?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Much in line with the old Chinese curse, we live in interesting times.
Arguably, though, with more than one Republican presidential candidate arguing for repeal (or downright ignoring of) the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, suggesting that the children of illegal immigrants to the United States should be denied citizenship...
Op/Ed: The cost disease in K-12 public education
What every school board director, school administrator, teacher, staff member, parent, and taxpayer needs to know
By Michael T. Rock[1], Samuel and Etta Wexler Professor of Economic History, Bryn Mawr College
Michael T. Rock
Every year school Boards in Pennsylvania like mine, the Unionville Chadds Ford School District, grapple with how to set next year’s school district budget. Historically, annual...
Letter: Plenty of sunshine in Kennett Township
To The Editor,
As the most recently elected Kennett Township Supervisor, and I am responding to Chief McCarthy’s retirement agreement and some residents’ statements and concerns about transparency in Kennett Township.
I want to review the publically available information regarding the agreement signed on May 6, 2015 by Chief McCarthy. There was a news article (Chester County Press, May...
Does 161st election prompt worry for GOP?
Also, Kane must go; thoughts on GOP presidential debate
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
It’s still August, and as much as we want to cling to our icy-cold beverages, sun screen and the amazing scent of meat grilling in the back yard, like a storm front, politics, both local and national keep pulling us forward into the fall political season.
We’ll dig into the Kathleen Kane issue, the Republican...
House Bill 809 would further cut local control
Bill would let state make housing, zoning choices instead of local communities
By Nathaniel Smith, Columnist, The Times
Along with about 50 other people, I attended a hearing at West Chester Borough Hall on July 20 about House Bill 809 proposed to the PA House of Representatives.
On the positive side, we have a democratic process that allows citizens to find out what our legislators are doing and to...
Letter: Longwood chief backs dedicated funding efforts
To The Editor,
Longwood Fire Company has been seeking dedicated funding from governmental entities for many years. I was encouraged to see four companies in our region form a funding coalition to reach that goal and have offered them my support.
The Berwyn, Paoli, Radnor and Malvern fire companies formed the T-E Fire Companies Funding Coalition. They are combining efforts to reach out to residents...
