May 2022

Just five years after making a change to school start time, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors are considering another change. However, according to Superintendent of Schools John Sanville, the revisit was delayed because of COVID.

But he added that everything discussed five years ago when the district made the first change to an 8 a.m. start time is still valid, that the older students get more sleep and are better rested. Since then, secondary classes have started at 8, and elementary school days at 9:10 a.m.

“Our kids were sleeping more [after that change], and they were more alert in class,” Sanville said. “That positive data…led us to a board goal to revisit the topic. And then COVID happened. So, it’s been a board goal for two years.”

According to Director of Curriculum & Instruction Michael Audevard, any changes that may be approved won’t be enacted until the 2023-24 school year. And Pocopson Elementary School Principal Cliff Beaver added that a start time of 8:30 or later is what the district thinks is best.

The proposed change is for secondary students at CF Patton Middle School and Unionville High School to begin at 9 a.m. and go to 3:43 p.m. Elementary school classes would begin at 8 a.m. and go to 2:30 p.m., except for kindergarten. Morning kindergarten would go from 8-10:35 a.m., and afternoon kindergarten would be from 11:55 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The district is also considering some afterschool activities for the elementary school kids.

Several directors, including board President Jeff Hellrung, said sleep science continues to verify the benefits of a later start time for teenagers.

Hellrung said he ran into Ken Batchelor, the former U-CF assistant superintendent who is now the superintendent in the Radnor district. Radnor became the first district to go to an 8:30 a.m. start time for the secondary schools. According to Hellrung, Batchelor said the difference was “like night and day.”

Addressing students, Hellrung said, “Everything about your day will be better if you’re well-rested, including your efficiency…Your machine is going to be working better.”

The board will not vote on any change until Aug. 15, though that might be pushed back to September or October as suggested by several directors. Between now and the final vote, the district will be asking for input from parents, teachers, and students alike.

The full proposal may be found here.

Other business

The board will vote on the district budget for the 2022-23 school year during its June 20 meeting. The proposed final budget calls for a total appropriation of $95,401,419. For Chester County property owners, property tax rates would be 30.73 mils and 15.98 mils for Chadds Ford Township property owners. Chadds Ford is the only Delaware County municipality in the district.

Those tax rates reflect an increase of 2.57 percent in Chester County and a 3.36 percent hike in Chadds Ford. That’s a 2.73 percent weighted average increase. (A mil is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 worth of assessed property value.)

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District was honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 23rd year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Unionville-Chadds Ford School District answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious designation from the NAMM Foundation,” said Superintendent of Schools John Sanville. “Our teachers are some of the best and have created programs at each of our schools and at every level that provide exceptional musical opportunities to learn and perform. Our students have earned several musical accolades for their talents and student involvement in our music programs overall has never been greater!  This can only be attributed to our passionate teachers and their work to provide a meaningful and quality music program at UCFSD.”

Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 and a stated emphasis on a well-rounded education, many school districts have re-committed to music and arts education programs. During the pandemic, music and arts programs were a vital component to keeping students engaged in school. ESSA provides designated funding for well-rounded educational opportunities through Title IV Part A Student Academic Success and Achievement grants. NAMM Foundation research has revealed that these grants are being widely used by school districts to address instructional gaps in access to music and arts education.

Madeleine Day, a junior involved in the music program at Unionville High School shared, “To me, music education is incredibly important because it exposes students to music early on so that they can develop a well-rounded education. Students in our district are given the opportunity to express themselves creatively and build their self-esteem through something they are passionate about. At a young age in elementary school, we were exposed to numerous instruments and singing styles. This helped my appreciation and love for music grow. I am eternally grateful for our district’s music department and it has truly changed my life.”

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school, but also to attend college as well. Everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.

“Students have an innumerable amount of experiences if they pursue music,” said Unionville High School Band Director Eddie Otto. “There are studies that show test scores improve with participation in ensembles, that music is one of the only subjects that engages both sides of the brain at a high level, or that participation in music helps to get into college, but music can be so much more than that to a person.  Students may find a lifelong passion, friendships, and memories in the pursuit of music. They develop leadership, a mature work ethic, social skills, time management skills, teamwork skills, etc. the list goes on and on.  There is no bench in music and every part is equally important.  Every participant is equally important and students experience the performance and emotions of music while also providing it for an audience.  That is pretty indescribable and I am incredibly lucky to be able to be a small part of that experience for our kids at Unionville-Chadds Ford.”