Jan 26, 2007 2 min read

This is an open letter to the taxpayers, parents and voters of the Uniontown Area School Board. On Saturday, Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. the UASD Board is holding a meeting to determine what course to take on the renovation of Uniontown Area High School. What is at stake is your tax dollars. The district has $35 million left to renovate three schools; how that money would be apportioned between UHS, Ben Franklin, A.J. McMullen and the Tech Center hasn’t been addressed.

The board is currently considering two plans submitted by their architect. One has a price tag of $50 million; the other has a price tag of $63 million. That leaves a shortfall of either $15 million or $28 million.

Each mill of taxes raises $700,000 in revenue. For Plan A they need 20 mills of revenue through tax increases or borrowing. Plan B would require 40 mills of increases. The district is already $68 million in debt.

Board President Susan Clay wants to pare the high school project from $35 million to $33 million and let someone else worry about the cost of the other four schools. The Citizen’s Advisory Committee is bringing forth a plan in the $20 million to $25 million price range, with the remaining funds going to Ben Franklin and Lafayette.

The key question is whether anyone on the school board is going to listen to you. Do you want a huge tax increase or are you willing to accept education cutbacks, or a state takeover for excessive spending? You need to be heard on Saturday and if nobody listens, act accordingly in the May primary.

Tim Sandstrom

Uniontown