Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  How do I make a donation?
A:  Please see our donations page for donations by mail and/or PayPal.

Q:  Is my donation tax deductible?
A:    We are a non-profit 501 c (4) corporation. As such, your donation is not tax deductible. 

Q:  What do you do with our donations?
A:  Your donation supports communication, membership and legal actions. We advertise for and increase awareness of School Board meetings through the use of flyers and email. We are constantly seeking new members and plan to pursue legal action as appropriate when financial resources permit. 

Q:  I can’t make a donation, but want to help.  What do I do?
A:  Contact one of our committee chairs in the area you want to volunteer, or contact an officer.

Q:  How do our taxes compare with other districts?
A:  You can obtain tax millage rates from the Chester County web site by clicking here.  Also try our tax calculator on our web site.  Our taxes are more than twice that of many other districts.

Q:  Is CASD going to be taken over by the state?
A:  NO!  Anyone who asserts this is either misinformed or lying. The Coatesville Area School District is nowhere near the threshold for a State takeover.

Q:  I want to serve as a CTA officer or board member. How do I get involved?
A:  The Officers serve one-year terms. The current slate was elected in June 2004. The members of the Board of Directors serve two-year terms. The terms of three of the Board members will be up in June 2005, and the terms of the remaining four members will be up in 2006.

Q:  I have an idea for a CTA action.  Whom do I contact?
A:  Please visit our contact us page or submit your idea to a committee chair.

Q:  I don’t see much happening with CTA right now.  What’s going on?
A:  The CTA is always working for you. Sometimes our actions are not visible to the public, but we are constantly pursuing ways to help the taxpayers—from speaking with School Board members or special groups (such as Senior Communities), to consulting with attorneys and running membership drives, to having meetings with our state legislators. We are always planning our next action!!

Q:  Will the CTA support any particular school board candidates?
A:  Although the CTA is not able to support or endorse any particular candidate for any particular office, you can be sure CTA will inform you of the important issues so that you can make a good choice for School Board.

Q:    When is the school board up for reelection?
A:    See our school board page for more info.

Q:    What is TIF?  What does it mean?
A:    TIF stands for Tax Incremental Financing. Essentially, TIF will divert a portion of the property tax revenue from CASD to the City of Coatesville. This is accomplished by freezing the tax assessment on TIF designated properties. After these properties are developed, the owners will still pay based on the new tax assessment, but the money collected over and above the frozen assessment will go to the City of Coatesville instead of the school district. This applies to new residences as well. Of course, with more new housing come children that the district must pay to educate.

Q: How much money have you taken in to date?
A: The CTA releases this information at our public meetings. At present, we do not publicly post it on our website.

Q: How many members do you have?
A: The CTA membership grows daily.  However, we can always use your help - please, volunteer your time or make a donation!

Q: Does the CTA accept membership input, or does the board make its own decisions?
A: While the elected board is charged with making decisions, we also frequently seek input from our membership at public meetings. The day-to-day decisions and implementation of our board's policy is taken care of by the officers and committee chairs. The strategic decisions are made by the CTA board. Please feel free to contact us and submit your input.  You can be sure, since we are taxpayers just like you, that we are going to work together to make sure we improve this district!