Coatesville schools see hope in new Rainbow elementary

Students and teachers who greeted one another with hugs and hand-slaps at Rainbow Elementary School in the Coatesville Area School District yesterday had something besides the new school year to celebrate: the opening of a sparkling new building.

The $24.8 million, 670-student Rainbow school, completed four months ahead of schedule and $3.5 million under budget, has energy-saving geothermal wells under the building to heat and cool; science labs; a computer lab; and classrooms arranged in "pods" that share common areas.

"We are so glad to be in this new building," said principal Cliff Maloney.

The previous Rainbow, which opened in 1921 on the same property in Valley Township, had a "homey sense to it," fifth-grade teacher Kathleen Elicker said.

"But things were always breaking. We were teaching in our coats in the winter, and had more fans than you can imagine when it got hot," said Elicker. The new school, she said, "is fantastic. Kids will fly here. We're so excited. It's going to be a great year."

The new Rainbow is part of a renaissance in the Coatesville district that began in 2004, which was the year it reached its lowest point. At that time, the school board was rife with rancor, and many meetings were marred by name-calling and shouting.

A proposed 23.6 percent tax increase, in a district already the highest-taxed in Chester County, brought out crowds numbering a thousand or more. The board ended up adopting a 9.8 percent increase. District finances underwent several investigations, and both internal and state audits showed extensive irregularities. Morale plummeted.

After the tax battle and finger-pointing over the district's finances led to the departure of the superintendent and chief financial officer in 2004, Richard Como, then the high school principal, took over as superintendent.

A series of resignations and elections led to big changes on the school board as well. Of the nine current members, only three were on the board in 2004. Several leaders of the Coatesville Taxpayers Alliance, a group that formed to fight the 2004 tax hike, have served on the board.

Since 2004, the district has steadily changed course. The Nine-Ten Center, a building that houses the ninth and 10th grades, has gotten a $10 million renovation. The senior high school building is undergoing a $47 million renovation that will be completed next fall. Two middle schools are also scheduled for replacement, though the board put off the projects until the economy improves.

District academics have also improved. Last year, six of 11 schools did not meet the state No Child Left Behind standards; this year, with one fewer school, only three failed to make the mark, Como said.

The school board is now "a professional board," said Rick Ritter, its vice president and a former leader of the taxpayer group. "We have our disagreements, but there is no arguing, no shouting."

The decision to put off the middle school construction, Ritter said, is an example of the board's determination to "balance the needs of the schools with those of the taxpayers. . . . We're headed in the right direction."

Following the 2004 tax hike fight, the school board, determined to restore taxpayer confidence, cut taxes for two years in a row and left them unchanged the third year. For the last two years, taxes have gone up by under 4 percent; Coatesville is no longer the highest-taxed district in Chester County. The district is using a healthy fund balance - its savings from prior years - to keep taxes lower than they would be otherwise; it expects to have $10.7 million left at the end of this school year.

Como said the district would face future challenges as population growth increases enrollment. And its academics still need work, though key problems have been addressed, he said.

But given the turmoil of the past few years, he added, "we're just enjoying the stability; we're very, very proud of what we've achieved."

At the Rainbow school yesterday, parents and students were happy as well. Asked what he liked about the school, fourth grader Cory Hartman said: "It's bigger, and it's brand-new. I'm excited." His father, Carl Hartman, said: "I think it's beautiful - very welcoming. It's money well-spent."