T/E School Board Plans to Buy a House

The Tredyffrin Eattown School Board meets tonight and plans to buy a house. The house purchase, found on pages 46-56 of the supporting documents for the meeting agenda, is adjacent to a maintenance facility and will allow the district to expand that facility.

The house at 892 Old Lancaster Avenue, Berwyn, PA is being the sold to the district for $265,000 by the estate of the late Arthur H. Fenimore "in leiu of condemnation.

The purchase will give the maintenance facility the last piece in a puzzle that connects the several properties adjacent to the maintenance faciltiy that have been purchased over the years.

Local Voices Blogger Pattye Benson looked into the purchase, its cost...and its timing.

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In addition to the home purchase, the board will consider other financial matters that are all lumped into a single "consent agenda" which includes literally millions of dollars in salaries, purchases, contracts and expenses.

A full list of district administrator's base salaries approved in June is included in the consent agenda (found on page 11 of the agenda, which is attached to this article as a pdf file).

According to the agenda posted on the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District website, "Although Board action is required, it is generally unnecessary to hold discussion on these items. With the consent of all members, they are therefore grouped and approval is given in one motion. In the event a Board member wants to discuss any item, the Board President will move it to an appropriate place on the agenda."

There is nothing on the printed agenda about the current teacher contract negotiations, but it will likely come up during the meeting.

One week ago the board voted to reject Fact Finder Timothy J. Brown's report that could have become the basis for a new contract.

During that August 20 meeting District Business Manager Art McDonnell said the district was working on a August 27 noon deadline to get a contract settlement.  That was news to Union President Laura Whittaker who said the Tredyffrin Easttown Education Association's Executive Board would be meeting to consider the TEEA's next move.

The board will take public comment on any issue related to the district from district residents and taxpayers during the meeting.

The Trdyffrin Easttown School Board meets Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at the district's administrative offices at 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1700 in Wayne, Tredyffrin Township.