School Board Monthly Update

Thank you for the opportunity to serve the children, families and taxpayers of the Upper Darby School District. As part of the school board communication plan the Board sends monthly updates to the school community. The information included in these briefs are not intended to be complete and do not replace official Board minutes. Official meeting minutes, agendas, reports, and presentations are available at BoardDocs. Also, the Board meetings are also livestreamed and available on our YouTube Channel. We welcome you to follow the issues the School Board is considering and to attend meetings to stay informed.

An overview was given of Acts 158 and 136, which set guidelines for Pennsylvania high school graduation requirements. You can review the presentation in BoardDocs. In particular, administration has worked to allow students to fulfill the Evidence-Based Pathway to graduation without relying on Keystone Exams. This will ensure that no student is penalized for missing Keystone Exams in 2020 and that all students have a pathway to show that they are prepared to graduate. The Board of School Directors voted to approve the changes to this pathway at the January voting meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Dan McGarry presented information about the return to in-person instruction on January 19th for students in grades K-3 and identified Special Education programs (autistic support, multi-disabilities, and life skills). Included in this presentation was guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education on what schools should do if positive cases are found at schools. Read more here: Responding to Covid-19 Case(s) at School.

The Board of School Directors voted on what is called an “accelerated opt-out resolution,” which means that this year’s school tax increase will not exceed 3.8% (our Pennsylvania Act One Adjusted Index). We continue to advocate for a more fair and equitable funding of our public schools, and we remain mindful of the burden increased taxes have on this community.

Upper Darby Rising is a forum for community conversations on Equity and Excellence in our schools. The District has held community forums for members of the African American/Black Diaspora, members of the Business Community, and members of the Catholic Parish and Private Schools Community. Our final affinity group meeting will be with members of the Immigrant Community on Wednesday, January 20th at 7:00 p.m. Click here to register for this forum. During the week of January 24th, there will be three (3) meetings open to anyone in the community. Click on this flyer for more details. Check out our website to learn more about Upper Darby Rising.

In November 2020, UDSD received a charter school application. To review the entire application and the process for consideration look here. Click here to view the December 22nd Special Meeting to consider the charter school application.

The community is encouraged to submit comments for our upcoming meeting to review this application on January 26th at 5:00 p.m. Submit comments to chartercomments@upperdarbysd.org. The application will be considered for a vote on February 9th at the regularly scheduled school board meeting. Public comments received after the close of the January 26th meeting and up to the conclusion of the February 9th meeting will be considered at the February meeting under the “Old Business'' report. Please be sure to submit your comment under the “Old Business” report.

Submit regular board meeting comments to boardmeetingcomments@upperdarysd.org. Include your name, address and the report you are commenting on (Old Business).

School Board members are your neighbors and are public servants who make decisions that affect all students. Board members are volunteers and have a deep desire to serve children, a strong belief in the value of public education and a deep professional respect for the District staff who serve our children and their families every day. Serving as a School Board Director requires many dedicated hours of service to our community. Click here to learn more about how the Board of Directors serves the Upper Darby School District community.

Email: udsdschoolboard@upperdarbysd.org
Website: www.upperdarbysd.org
Location: 4611 Bond Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 789-7200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Upper-Darby-School-District-263860013791271/
Twitter: @UpperDarbySD