TRUTH.
Radnor Democrats stand for truth and facts. When inaccurate information is being circulated in our community, it is confusing and sometimes upsetting to constituents.
If you have any school district questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to visit the Radnor Township School District (RTSD) website or reach out to the Radnor Township School District administration. Contact information can be found on the District website.
Constituents can also reach out to the Radnor Township School District School Board who will be happy to direct you to the appropriate RTSD employee who can address each issue.
In the meantime, here is some Radnor Township School District information that comes to mind as needing clarification. Please feel free to reach out to us at dems4radnorsb21@gmail.com if you have other questions.
Q & A
Is the District’s debt balance “insane”?
NO. Quite the opposite.
The advocacy group supporting our opponents is asserting, on their behalf, that Radnor School District has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars of debt balance and have “mortgaged our future.” This is either a complete misunderstanding or, worse, a misrepresentation of our district finances.
In 2015, the state began requiring ALL school districts in Pennsylvania to account for the long-term pension liabilities of school employees in the yearly audit. The bill for this pension liability is paid yearly, as part of the District budget. We proudly believe in and stand by our employees’ hard-earned pensions. We budget for it and will continue to prudently do so.
Our ACTUAL general obligation debt, as of June 30, 2020, is less than $85M. (https://www.rtsd.org/Page/361, June 30, 2020 Audit Report, page 13.) State statutes limit the amount of debt a district may carry, to 225% of the average revenue of the prior three fiscal years. So, with $85M in debt obligation, Radnor is WELL below its debt ceiling. This is all recognized by the fact that Moody’s gives Radnor an Aa1 rating (the second highest possible rating) for its general obligation debt.
Is there fiscal “insanity” at the District?
NO. Not even close.
Again, the advocacy group supporting our opponents is asserting, on their behalf, that we have accumulated a $2.4M deficit over the past two years and are projecting another $5.9M in budget deficits for the next three years. This is just not accurate.
Budget projections are just that, projections. In prudently planning for, and passing annual district budgets, three or five year budget projections are often used to understand trends in revenue and expenditures that MIGHT occur.
In fact, school boards in Pennsylvania are prohibited from passing deficit budgets. Accordingly, the District’s audited financial reports (https://www.rtsd.org/Page/361) clearly demonstrate that the District successfully adopts a balanced budget every year and that the District’s Financial Statements have ended with modest surpluses the past two years. We are proud of our conservative budgeting process that typically results in actual expenses being within 1-2% of budget projections.
Understanding school finance is challenging. That is one reason we believe EXPERIENCE MATTERS.
Did the Board vote to keep schools closed throughout the 2020-2021 school year?
NO.
Radnor’s educational program was ongoing throughout the pandemic.
Radnor’s school buildings were the FIRST among all 27 school districts in Delaware and Chester counties to reopen for hybrid learning in the Fall of 2020 and the FIRST to expand to full time in-person learning in the Spring of 2021
Click here for more details.
Is the District ignoring the impact of the pandemic?
NO.
The District has been continuously evaluating multiple forms of data and activated and enhanced many academic and mental health supports for students and staff.
Click here for more information.
Is Radnor teaching Critical Race Theory?
NO.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is just that – a theory, not a curriculum - and it exists for discussion at the post-secondary and graduate levels of learning. It should not be confused with the District’s equity focused initiatives. Equity is a foundational part of the K-12 experience, often prescribed by law, so that all students can obtain the highest quality education possible and not be limited by gender, socio-economic status, disability, race, ethnicity, homelessness, trauma or other circumstances.
Please see the following statement from the PA School Boards Association:
https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CriticalRaceTheory_Information.pdf
Is the Radnor Township School Board responsible for the large increases in taxes that some homeowners are experiencing this year?
NO.
It is the result of a court-ordered property reassessment. In early 2017, the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas ordered Delaware County to conduct and implement a county-wide reassessment of all properties to represent current market values. The last property value assessment in Delaware County occurred 20 years ago. The new assessments went into effect as of January 1, 2021.
Although all school districts in Delaware County had to abide by the court-ordered reassessment, the RTSD and its school board had no authority in the decision to reassess home values. Not everyone’s taxes increased. In fact, approximately 43% of Radnor Township residents’ taxes decreased or stayed approximately the same.
The 2021-22 school tax increase for the average home in Radnor was $173.
For more information on the Delaware County reassessment and the 2021-22 Radnor Township School District budget, please visit:
Does the Radnor Republican School Board candidates’ advocacy group, Reimagine Radnor, also known as Reopen Radnor, have a truly bi-partisan or non-partisan posture?
NO.
Reopen Radnor is a group formed by some Radnor parents during the pandemic. Reopen Radnor filed to become a Political Action Committee (PAC) to mobilize voters in the Radnor school board elections. It has received at least $10,000 from a similar outside PAC whose founder is a former Republican legislative aide and whose primary funder is a long-time GOP mega-donor who has contributed to Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and many other Republican politicians.
Reopen Radnor directs these funds to its spinoff group, Reimagine Radnor. Reimagine Radnor claims it has a bi-partisan and non-partisan posture yet it is:
Solely endorsing and promoting the four Radnor Republican school board candidates.
Being guided by professional Republican campaign and marketing strategists.
Promoting itself on multiple Radnor Republican platforms.
Receiving outside money from a PAC whose primary funder is a Republican mega-donor.
Click here for more details.
Did the high school mascot rebranding initiative cost the District a million dollars?
NO.
A breakout of the cost for the removal and replacement of the past nickname and logos was provided at the June 15, 2021 Board Finance Committee meeting and June 29, 2021 Board Business meeting. The new official logos were designed at no cost. The removal and replacement costs were approximately $157,000, the majority of which (78%) was to eliminate the Native American imagery. The full cost represents a mere one tenth of one percent of this year’s District budget.
Does the Board listen to all views and engage with the community?
YES.
In just the past year and a half (January 2020 through July 1, 2021), the current volunteer school board members have engaged with the community by:
Participating in over 160 school board meetings totaling more than 300 hours of their volunteer time.
Listening to more than 1,000 public comments over the course of more than 50 hours of their meeting time.
Responding to hundreds of constituent emails and phone calls and holding many in person meetings.
Are school related groups such as booster clubs and PTOs permitted to use the new middle and high school mascot and work with vendors of their choosing?
YES.
The Radnor Township School District has developed a FAQ on its website to address the most commonly asked questions related to the mascot selection and rebranding initiative.
Is this the first time the school board members are all of the same political affiliation?
NO.
Not even close. In fact, for over 100 years - from Radnor High School’s founding in 1893 until 2005 – Radnor School Board members were only Republicans.
There was only ONE Democrat who served on the Radnor school board in those 100 years of Radnor’s existence, and it was for one four-year term in the 1980s.
It wasn’t until 2005 that the second and third Democrats ever served on the Radnor School Board.
Click below for more information