Westchester Area School Board approves budget, tax rates and new dress guideline after committee debate

The Westchester Area School Board on May 28 approved a slate of fiscal and policy actions for the 2026–27 year while moving to finalize a new dress-and-grooming administrative guideline that prompted questions about cultural head coverings.

The board adopted the property-tax levy for 2026–27, setting Chester County real-estate tax at 24.1573 mills and Delaware County at 12.2210 mills, and approved the district’s final budget resolution by roll-call vote. The board also approved the homestead/farmstead exclusion resolution, which the district said provides $248.30 in property tax relief for qualified properties and will use approximately $6.07 million in state gaming revenue to fund that relief.

Why it matters: the budget, levy and homestead resolution together determine how the district will fund schools for the coming year and how much property owners will pay. The board approved commitments of assigned fund balances for healthcare stabilization, alternative education, athletics and other needs.

Dress guideline debated: The board’s policy review committee presented a new administrative guideline, 325 AG1, intended to clarify expectations for staff dress and grooming. Presenters said the AG standardizes enforcement and was developed with committee input. One committee member raised a specific question about whether the exceptions list (which explicitly references religious and medical reasons for head coverings) should also include the word “cultural.” The presenter recommended approving the guideline that evening and revisiting precise language in August or handling individual accommodations through human resources in the interim. The guideline passed the committee and was forwarded to the board for approval.

Public comment and accessibility concerns: In committee public comment, Judy Defonso urged clearer language in another administrative guideline (223 AG1) to account for electronic payment/EFT options on receipt fields. She also raised a concern that a provision about parking placards could be read to prevent students who have handicap placards from using designated handicap spaces, which she said could conflict with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The committee and board record that the ADA concern was posed as a question for staff clarification; no formal policy reversal was made at the May meeting.

Other actions: the board accepted multiple policy revisions and first readings coming from the policy review committee (including Policy 218 and Policy 716 first reading), approved personnel recommendations and retirements listed in the personnel report, and approved a contract with PSBA to conduct a compensation analysis and market assessment.

Budget and capital items: Property and finance reports to the board noted projected expense increases and revenue adjustments for 2026–27 and presented several facilities bids. The board recommended and approved capital reserve awards, including a switch-gear cleaning bid ($83,568) and a proposed $975,000 capital reserve project to install serving stations at the district’s three high schools to support a ‘lunch-and-learn’ initiative.

What’s next: Committee members said they would revisit the dress guideline language in August to consider explicitly adding 'cultural' to the list of permitted exceptions, and staff were expected to clarify the payment-field language in 223 AG1 and the district’s approach to parking placards for individuals with mobility impairments. The board’s next scheduled meeting is June 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Attributions: Public comments attributed to Judy Defonso were taken from the public comment period; committee and board votes and motions are taken from roll-call and voice votes recorded at the May 28 meeting.