Unionville-Chadds Ford board approves bundled business, support‑staff agreement with $15 minimum wage

At its regular May meeting, the Unionville‑Chadds Ford School District Board of School Directors approved a package of routine business, contracts and personnel items, voting unanimously on multiple bundled motions.

The board voted 8–0 to approve consent agenda items 3.1–3.3 and facilities items 4.1–4.5 after members said those matters had been vetted in prior work sessions. Members also approved a resolution adding Candace Brown as an alternate to the Chester County Tax Collection Committee.

Under personnel actions, the board approved a three‑year support‑staff benefit agreement (agenda item 8.15). The district described three primary features: a salary increase tied to Act 1 less 0.2 percentage points for each of the next three years, a phased‑in premium share for health‑care benefits, and maintenance of the remainder of benefit provisions. The motion also sets the district minimum wage at $15 per hour. The measures were presented as the result of prior executive‑session negotiations and passed on an 8–0 vote.

The board renewed the BoardDocs service after reviewing alternatives and approved a contract addendum for interstate premier facility services to address increased service costs (agenda item 8.12). Trustees bundled several curriculum and instructional items — including new K–12 science resources and international field trips for world-language students — and approved those items as a package (agenda items 9.1–9.5).

Policy bundles covering acceptable use of electronic communications, social media administrative guidelines and FERPA notices (agenda items 11.1–11.8) were also approved after minor editorial changes; those votes were unanimous. A legislative report noted several state bills affecting schools and the board appointed two delegates to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association delegate assembly; that appointment passed 8–0.

Board members said many items had been discussed at length in prior work sessions and meetings; several speakers publicly thanked retiring staff and the student representative during the meeting. Where substantive changes were described — for example, changes to staff benefit cost‑sharing — the board indicated those had been negotiated in executive session and summarized the principal terms at the meeting. The board scheduled further budget work leading up to a final budget vote next month.