Upper Darby holds hearing on proposed closure of Charles Kelley Elementary School

The Upper Darby School District held a public hearing Jan. 28, 2025, to gather public comment on a proposal to close Charles Kelley Elementary School in Drexel Hill and reassign its students, Kyle Berman, the district’s general solicitor, said at the start of the meeting.

District administrators presented a five-part rationale for “sunsetting” Charles Kelley, saying the building is leased (the lease expires June 30, 2025), the district does not own the property and therefore has limited ability to improve the space, the school was opened in 2007 to ease overcrowding, closure would reassign students to district-owned schools that may be closer to their homes, and there are ongoing uncertainties about public school funding. "The centerpiece of the hearing will be the presentation by the administration to give information about the proposal and to hear from community members," Berman said.

The hearing is part of a statutorily required process under the Pennsylvania Public School Code (identified in the hearing as “school code section 7 7 80 of the Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949 as amended”), Berman said; the board will not make a decision at the hearing. The district set a public comment period through April 29, 2025, and said it could take potential board action at a publicly advertised meeting that day. Written comments submitted after the hearing and before April 29 will be read and considered by the board, Berman said.

At the presentation, a member of central administration (identified in the record as Marshallak) outlined proposed reassignments and operational impacts. Under the proposal, Charles Kelley students in grades 1–5 for 2025–26 would transition to Highland Park and Stonehurst (also referenced in the presentation as “Stoner's Hill”/“Stonehurst Hills”); kindergarten students would continue to attend the district’s kindergarten center. Administrators said some Highland Park students would shift to Hillcrest and some Hillcrest students would move to Aronomink Elementary School to balance enrollment; middle school feeder patterns assume, "that the Clifton Heights Middle School will open on time for the 2026–27 school year." The administration noted that if Clifton Heights Middle School does not open on time, alternate feeder assignments to Beverly Hills Middle School would be used for the start of middle school.

Administrators said operational changes would include transportation adjustments and facilities savings. The district estimated a net reduction of about 55 transportation-eligible students and said that, as a result, at least one bus run could be reallocated (but not necessarily produce direct financial savings, as the district expects to use capacity to meet special-education transportation needs). Marshallak also said about 20% of the district’s stop-arm violations were detected in the current Charles Kelley catchment area and that additional crossing guards or route safety measures would be needed. Facilities management estimated roughly $460,000 in annual savings from eliminating the lease and related costs, including insurance, cleaning contracts and maintenance.

Administrators described transition supports that the district would consider if the board moves forward with closure, such as virtual and in-person meet-and-greets, joint home-and-school association meetings, building tours and joint social events, and provided a timeline (public comment until April 29, potential board action April 29, followed by staff meetings and transition planning from April 30 through August 2025).

During public comment, several parents, staff and community members urged the board not to close Charles Kelley, asked that any move keep students and staff together, raised concerns about larger class sizes and student safety, and questioned the pace of the proposal. Linda Fox, president of the Upper Darby Education Association, read a statement from Charles Kelley faculty and staff that asked the board to “consider merging Charles Kelley versus redistricting and closing the community” and requested that any change be planned for the 2026–27 school year to reduce disruption. "One of the most powerful tools in education is having a student feel known and keeping staff and students together will meet that goal," Fox read on behalf of faculty.

Several residents described walking and safety concerns if catchment boundaries are changed. Sadie Thomas, a resident, said multiple routes from parts of the catchment are unsafe and that many students cannot reasonably walk to receiving schools; she questioned the district’s assertion that more students would be able to walk. A parent, Feife Guyan, said families and students were not given adequate advance notice and urged the district to keep classes together or, if students must move, to move entire cohorts together rather than splitting them across buildings. Another resident who identified himself only as Clark said his child benefits from smaller class sizes at Charles Kelley and that moving to larger classes in other schools could harm students with learning disabilities.

The hearing record included procedural items entered by the solicitor: a board resolution authorizing steps leading to the hearing (adopted Dec. 17, 2024), proof of publication of the hearing notice in the Delaware County Daily Times (published Jan. 6, 2025) and certified notices sent to planning commissions on Jan. 21, 2025. Berman told the room that exhibits would be entered into the record and that delivery notifications and any responses would be supplemented to the record when received.

No vote or formal board action was taken at the hearing. Berman closed the public comment period and reminded attendees that the district will accept written comments through April 29, 2025, and that any board action would be taken at a future publicly advertised meeting.