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Chester County Press

Where there's smoke, is there really fire?

10/23/2013 01:52PM ● By Acl

If Dr. Holly Manzone wanted to make an impact with her surprise resignation from the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board, she succeeded.

Her departure on Monday night was in front of a sparse crowd, but there were four reporters in the auditorium, so her message – which she handed out to the reporters in the hallway – will be heard.

Her statement hints at some dark secrets in the board, a group that had been relatively placid in recent months, even managing to keep a civil face on teacher contract negotiations.

The other members of the board were genuinely shocked at her resignation, and they all maintained that nothing is being decided behind closed doors, as far as they knew. But Manzone's wide-ranging statement puts a question mark over the board's actions.

In particular, the way the board and administration handled a case involving school district residency requirements is an issue that is going to come up again. If a backroom “deal” was made, as Manzone alleges, taxpayers are going to bristle at families sending children to the U-CF district without paying their share of taxes. Among the many issues Manzone raised, that one is going to stick for a while.

What's needed now is complete transparency on the part of the board.