District finance update: expenditures outpaced revenues through December; paving contract named

The Chester County School District's finance director told trustees in January that revenues through Dec. 31 totaled $25,946,306 while expenditures were $30,111,483, meaning expenditures exceeded revenues by $4,165,177.

Greg McDowell said tax receipts are expected to post soon and that the district typically receives a county treasurer's update between the 10th and 15th of the month. He reviewed the budget calendar: district budget meetings with principals are scheduled in February, department budget reviews follow, a senior staff meeting is set for Feb. 13, a budget workshop is planned for April 14 at 4:30 p.m., the first reading of the 2025–26 budget is scheduled for May 19, 2025, and the final reading for June 9, 2025.

In operations, staff announced the award of the district's cement and asphalt work contract to Eddie Smith and Sons Paving. Representatives from the Budd Group provided a vendor presentation, saying the firm staffs 72 positions in the Chester market (96% filled) and reported principal-survey satisfaction of roughly 92% and a quarter'inspection program.

Budd Group representatives highlighted retention and safety metrics: quarter-4 retention near 87.9%, a multi-year retention profile including eight employees with more than 10 years locally, and a reported 46% reduction in recordable incidents. The board did not record a detailed line-item contract amount in the public transcript; award motion was announced during the operations report.

Trustees were asked to follow up on budget details and expect additional revenue reporting from the county treasurer in coming weeks.