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Unionville-Chadds Ford School District board meeting, Sep 22, 2026

44 min · 0 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 44 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Unionville-Chadds Ford board approves new principal for Charles F. Patton Middle School 34:22

  • The superintendent said two drivers had been brought online and only 2 routes were canceled the previous week, and that additional recommendations on the driver shortage would come at October's meeting. 7:27
  • A district staff member said a vote on healthcare consortium options would wait until October. 26:45
  • The board voted 8⁠-⁠0 to approve changes to the Transportation Department, which Steve Simonson described as a first wave of efforts to increase and retain bus drivers. 33:48

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (14)
  1. Opening and superintendent's report 0:12
    • The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, and the superintendent recommended a candidate to be the next principal of Patton Middle School, pending board approval. 0:12
    • One board member said it was exciting to have someone who attended the school come back to lead it. 6:47
    • The superintendent said the district had 2 more drivers than at the start of the year, that the situation was still not necessarily sustainable, and that recommendations for change would come at October's meeting. 7:27
  2. Student representatives report 10:19
    • Student representatives reported on back-to-school events and fall activities at the high school, the middle school and the elementary schools. 10:40
    • The report said the high school plans to explore 2 new college and career planning platforms, SCOIR and Smart Futures. 11:13
  3. Public comment and director comments 14:32
    • No one from the community spoke at public comment. ~14:32
    • One board member described pain points from the transportation issue for students, parents, drivers and administrators, and said the district needs drivers. 15:04
  4. Routine business 16:54
    • A motion was made to approve agenda items 3.1 through 3.4 as a bundle. 17:26
    • The items passed 8⁠-⁠0. 17:43
  5. Curriculum, instruction and technology 17:57
    • Erin Talbert moved to approve the French and German exchange trips for the summer of 2027 and said the cost is borne by the students' families. 17:58
    • Erin Talbert said the committee's goals for the year include elementary report cards, math progression, structured literacy, professional development and a new focus on educational technology. 18:46
    • Agenda items 4.1 and 4.2 passed 8⁠-⁠0. 20:06
  6. Policy approvals 20:17
    • Jody Allen said 8 policies, 1 administrative guideline and new district goals were up for approval and bundled agenda items 5.1, 5.2 and 5.4. 20:20
    • Jody Allen said Policy 004 on board membership was changed based on discussion the previous week and Policy 716 on integrated pest management had no changes since first reading. 20:43
    • Agenda items 5.1, 5.2 and 5.4 passed 8⁠-⁠0. 21:52
  7. 2026-2027 district goals 21:55
    • Jody Allen said transportation department recruitment and retention and the middle school building project were added to the district goals. 21:55
    • Agenda item 5.3 passed 8⁠-⁠0. 23:38
  8. Policies at first reading 23:41
    • Jody Allen said policies 204.1, on virtual attendance and wellness checks, and 822, on automated external defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, were at first reading. 23:41
    • One board member said it was a hope that some or all required personnel would receive defibrillator training in person rather than over the internet. 24:28
    • The superintendent said superintendents would discuss the specifics of virtual attendance and wellness checks at the Chester County Intermediate Unit on Friday. 25:57
  9. Finance update on healthcare consortium 26:28
    • A district staff member said the district could vote in October and still join the multi-county healthcare trust January 1st, while joining the Delaware County Trust would most likely happen February 1st. 26:45
    • Steve Simonson asked how many votes each entity gets in the consortia, and the staff member said one vote per entity. 27:32
    • The staff member said a comparison of the 2 trusts would be presented at the October work session. 29:00
  10. Facilities report 30:13
    • Rashi Akki said there were no voting items and that a work session summary of the long-range facilities plan covered about $7 million worth of budgeted projects, including $1 million of grants and refunds. 30:20
    • Rashi Akki said more than about $1.3 million was spent on the schematic design for the new middle school. 31:30
  11. Routine personnel items 31:54
    • Steve Simonson moved to approve agenda items 8.1 and 8.3 through 8.8, describing them as routine personnel items. 31:58
    • The items passed 8⁠-⁠0. 32:50
  12. Transportation Department changes and contracts 32:53
    • Steve Simonson moved to approve changes to the Transportation Department and said they were a first wave of efforts to increase and retain bus drivers. 32:53
    • Steve Simonson moved to approve agenda item 8.10, which covered 3 contracts discussed the previous week. 33:52
    • Agenda item 8.10, which covered 3 contracts, passed 8⁠-⁠0. 34:18
  13. Communications 35:17
    • Susan Elks presented one voting item related to PSBA officer positions listed in the agenda. 35:36
    • Susan Elks said the district would be at the Unionville Community Fair, October 2nd through the 4th. 36:59
    • Agenda item 9.1 passed 8⁠-⁠0. 36:55
  14. Committee and outside reports 37:41
    • Speakers summarized student activities and safe schools work presented at the work session, including an activity fee review with a final review by April. 37:50
    • Jody Allen said memoranda were introduced in Harrisburg on artificial intelligence in student mental health services and on procurement and data privacy for schools. 41:10
    • No community members spoke when the board returned to public comment, and the meeting was later adjourned. 42:38

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “UCFSD Board Meeting - September 2026”