Upper Darby details 2026–27 redistricting, says 364 students could lose bus eligibility under more precise distance rules

Upper Darby School District administrators presented the planned catchment-zone and feeder-pattern changes for the 2026–27 school year that will follow the previously announced closure (sunsetting) of Charles Kelley Elementary and the opening of Clifton Heights Middle School. The presentation included a new, parcel‑based method for calculating walking distance that administrators said will remove bus service for hundreds of students and add service for a handful.

Manager of data and information Dr. Tim Lambert walked the committee through the technical definitions and the district’s rationale. “Catchment zones…are geographic areas that define which neighborhood school a student would attend based on their home address,” he said while explaining maps and street-level shifts the district will publish for families.

Why it matters: the board’s earlier decision to close Charles Kelley set in motion a redistricting plan that administrators say will better align students to neighborhood schools and relieve overcrowding at certain middle schools; the plan also changes transportation eligibility and will affect daily routines for families.

Major elements of the plan

- Catchment and feeder changes: Charles Kelley’s catchment is being divided. Areas north of West Chester Pike (including Millbourne) will be reassigned to Highland Park Elementary; other sections south of Marshall Road will be assigned to Stonehurst Hills Elementary. Parts of Highland Park’s current catchment will shift to Hillcrest; parts of Hillcrest will shift to Aronomink (spelled in district materials as Aronimac/Aronamiq in the transcript). Highland Park — including areas reassigned from Charles Kelley — will feed into Drexel Hill Middle School when Clifton Heights Middle School opens.

- Transportation eligibility: The district will use a more precise parcel‑to‑parcel walking-distance calculation rather than the older polygon method. Under the new calculation, administrators estimate 5 students will gain transportation and 364 students will lose transportation; about 280 of those losing bus service are high‑school students. The distance standards cited are: kindergarten–5th, more than 1 mile; grades 6–8, more than 1.5 miles; grades 9–12, more than 2 miles. Special education and students with 504 plans are not affected by basic distance rules.

- Staffing and assignments: Administrators described projected FTE changes tied to reconfiguration: core middle-school teachers projected from 100 to 97 (a net −3 FTE), related-arts from 38 to 45 (+7 FTE), special education 33 to 36 (+3 FTE), student services 51 to 60 (+9 FTE). Administrative positions across three middle schools are projected to increase from 10 to 12 FTE (+2). Overall, the district said total UDA FTE adjustments produce a net increase of 16 positions, offset partly by 24 FTE reallocated because of Charles Kelley’s sunsetting.

Timing, staffing and employee transfers

Human-resources timelines come from collective-bargaining provisions. Dr. Norelli said the UDA contract requires staff to submit transfer requests and retirement intentions by Feb. 15, 2026; final assignments would be shared with employees in April or May 2026. The administration said faculty meetings will be used for staff communication, and an online address lookup tool to show new school assignments and walk/bus eligibility will be available to families in May 2026.

Questions and concerns

Board members pressed staff on pedestrian safety (crossing guards, traffic at West Chester Pike and Lansdowne Avenue) and on whether the parcel-based calculation assumes route features such as a pedestrian bridge. Administrators said the mapping includes plausible walking routes and that the district will coordinate with township police and crossing‑guard services; they also offered to expand visuals with street names and address ranges for public review. Several board members asked whether temporary “walk-in” bus or supervised walking programs could be used as a bridge during implementation; staff said they would consider those options and report back.

What is final and what remains to be decided

The board previously voted to close Charles Kelley; tonight’s presentation was informational. Administrators recommended revisions to policy 206 (assignment within district) be returned for a future first reading after further staff review. Final student assignments and staff transfers remain contingent on contract deadlines and administrative notifications required under the UDA contract.

Ending note

Administrators emphasized continued review of enrollment trends and pledged a multi-month communications plan — including faculty meetings, coffee-with-the-superintendent sessions and walk-throughs for students — as the district implements the changes ahead of the 2026–27 school year.