Upper Darby School District weighs 4-day schedule to address teacher turnover

Delaware County's largest school district is considering a four-day school week as it explores ways to retain teachers, but parents are raising questions about how the change could affect their children.

A group of 23 teachers, administrators, staff and parents, known as the Act 80 Exploration Committee, has spent months studying the proposal for the Upper Darby School District.

Under the plan, students would have one day each week to work independently at school or at home, while teachers would use that day for professional development, planning and collaboration.

Upper Darby Superintendent Dan McGarry said the model could be an option for a district facing financial constraints and teacher turnover.

"We're constantly challenged with, you can't raise your taxes as high as you want to because it's not fair to constituents, but with teachers' starting salaries in the $40,000 range after taking on debt and these loans, what's the encouraging factor to do this job, a very hard, challenging job?" McGarry said.

McGarry said the district has struggled to retain teachers.

"Typically in a given summer, we're placing anywhere between 80 to 100 teachers," McGarry said. "This year, coming into the summer, it was under 30 new teachers that we had on our new teacher day."

He believes a more flexible schedule could help keep teachers in the district longer.

Upper Darby Education Association President Linda Fox said teachers often do not have enough time during the school day to work one-on-one with students, research new curricula and sit with team members to troubleshoot challenges in the classroom.

"A flexible schedule would be wonderful for us, but we do need to keep in mind our various populations, our special education population, our English language learners and immigrant families," Fox said. "We have many families who do not have access to having an adult sit with their children on an asynchronous day."

Kaisha Desameau has a 5-year-old daughter with autism who goes to kindergarten in Upper Darby. She worries a four-day school week could disrupt her daughter's routine.

"I don't think this will be a good fit for the district and for the children," Desameau said.

A full-time nurse, Desameau said childcare would be one of her biggest concerns if students had a day without traditional classroom instruction.

"An off day for school doesn't give me an off day at work," Desameau said. "I still have to go to work. And while I'm at work and my daughter is home, who will be giving her that structure while I'm not there?"

Assistant superintendent of recruitment, retention and culture John Council, the head of the Act 80 Exploration Committee, said the district is looking into several childcare options.

"The YMCA has programs that our students are a part of and they've been tied to the district for many years," Council said. "So maybe on a Friday or a Monday, if this was to happen, then the YMCA can provide child care services in the district ... maybe using some of the district facilities to do so."

Council said several school districts in the Midwest have implemented four-day school weeks. He stressed that Upper Darby has not decided whether to adopt the model.

"We want what's best for our students," Council said.

The Upper Darby School District has between 12,300 and 12,400 students. It is not yet clear whether a four-day schedule would apply to all 13 schools or only some of them.

Desameau said she wants to know how the district would make sure students stay on track academically. She is concerned her daughter could fall behind.

"I feel like the district needs to express to parents how this will benefit us," Desameau said.

The Act 80 Exploration Committee plans to conduct additional research and present its findings to the school board in March 2027. McGarry said the district will consider feedback from both parents and staff before making a decision.

"Feedback is important, but also the needs of our staff will be important," McGarry said. "At the end of the day, if it's not a good idea, we won't do it. But the knee-jerk reaction isn't one that's going to necessarily drive us in one way or another."

Pennsylvania Act 80 requires schools to provide a minimum of either 180 days of instruction or a set number of instructional hours. The hourly requirements are 450 hours for half-time pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, 900 hours for full-time pre-kindergarten and kindergarten and elementary students in grades 1–6, and 990 hours for students in grades 7–12.

The next Upper Darby School Board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.