William Penn SD to eliminate several central-office roles and use outside partners for interim support

The William Penn School District’s personnel committee on May 29 outlined a planned reorganization that eliminates multiple central-office positions and relies on outside intermediate units for interim support, officials said.

Miss Gardner, who led the personnel update, said the district eliminated eight academic interventionist positions and five instructional facilitator posts; displaced employees have been offered classroom positions and the staffing changes are set to take effect July 1. Gardner said the district has partnered with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) and the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) to provide assistance for functions such as the chief financial officer role and other central-office duties to minimize disruption.

Why it matters: Board members pressed for clarity about which duties will be outsourced versus absorbed in the reorganization, and how those choices will affect the district’s budget. Unidentified Speaker 4 asked whether roles such as an IT project coordinator would still exist after the reorganization and noted slides that suggested a 1:1 outsourcing swap that did not appear in the contracts. "That is falling under academic services," Gardner replied, adding that some functions will be absorbed rather than replaced one-for-one.

Details and timeline: Gardner said that some positions (for example, a special-education compliance manager) will be outsourced and that the director of blended learning and technology position has been removed, with its duties shifting into academic services. She said the district will "get assistance" for several areas but "not necessarily in the full capacity like the CFO." Displaced staff will select their new roles in the coming days and the changes become effective July 1.

Board requests and next steps: Multiple board members requested a clear organizational flowchart showing which responsibilities will be handled by contractors and which will be absorbed in-house. Unidentified Speaker 3 and Unidentified Speaker 1 said Superintendent Dr. Bicosz/Coates (name transcribed with variants in the record) has committed to providing a flowchart and that the board will have time to review it before budget or staffing decisions are finalized. "He will be providing us with a flowchart," Unidentified Speaker 1 said.

Concerns flagged by staff and board members include the timing of retirements and resignations, the risk of losing institutional knowledge when roles are outsourced, and the budgetary consequences of contracting out work. Gardner said transition plans and documentation are being prepared to capture and transfer knowledge from outgoing staff.

Fiscal transparency: Melinda Tax, a teacher who identified herself during public comment, asked whether the district will disclose the cost difference between outsourcing and maintaining in-house staff and asked how the district will retain knowledge when contractors leave. Unidentified Speaker 3 said the district will whiteboard responsibilities and has transition plans and documents designed to memorialize knowledge transfers.

What’s next: The district committed to updating the slide materials to avoid confusion about eliminated positions and to deliver the promised organizational flowchart to board members in time for budget deliberations.