Budget Committee to PASD: Get Those Charter Students Back

The Phoenixville Area School District should redouble its efforts to get charter students back into the district schools, The Mercury is reporting a 15 member community group recommended late last month.

According to the PASD Community Budget Advisory Committee, 365 students who reside in the district attend charter schools, which costs the district over $4.5 million each year.

The committee, in their December 18 presentation, suggested the district launch new marketing efforts to attract these students and their families, including a possible return of full day kindergarten.

Just a few new students would make a big difference, the committee argued. If one percent of area students that attend charter schools enrolled in PASD, the district would save $51,600.

The committee, according to the paper, made the following additional budgetary recommendations:

• Reduce funding to CAT Pickering by $300,000 per year.
• Don’t raise the Phoenixville Public Library budget in years when the school budgets are decreased.
• Create a position within the district for a grant writer.
• Rent facilities to the community.

The committee said that, in the most optimistic scenario, there suggestions could save the district almost $2.5 million dollars and bring in $670,000 in additional revenue.