Proposal by CUSD and CCCS

Chester, PA – February 9, 2012 – Officials of Chester Upland School District and Chester Community Charter School, today announced, prior to their meeting with Ronald J. Tomalis, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education (PDE), that they have developed a joint proposal they intend to present to the PDE, which, in their opinion, would address the need to generate $21.5 million in funds for the continued operation of all Chester’s public and charter schools, through the current school year.

Essentially, the proposal entails:

• A commitment by the district and each of the participating charter schools to an aggregate $8.3 million in budgetary expense reductions, pro-rata, based on their respective student populations. Such a plan would necessitate a $4,063,648 budget reduction from CUSD, a $3,324,802 budget reduction from CCCS, a $502,500 reduction from the Widener Partnership Charter, and a collective $409,050 in reductions, from other charters in the district, including cyber charters.

• PDE, under the proposal would be urged to forgive or restructure an $8.7 million loan that it had previously extended to CUSD, but had recouped earlier this year.

• Finally, the PDE would be asked to infuse CUSD, as it has for the past several years, with $4.5 million in cash, either from the agency’s empowerment funds, or from other sources.

Since Judge Michael Baylson, of the U.S. District Court, ordered the PDE to meet with school officials to reach an agreement last month, CUSD, CCCS leaders and their attorneys have been working together to craft a proposal, which would be feasible for all of the publicly funded Chester schools, and which would allow the schools to remain open through the full academic year.

School officials are hopeful that the Secretary of Education will see the merit in their joint proposal, which would remove the threat of Chester’s schools being closed.