PASD Music is growing.
Staffing is shrinking.
The district is eliminating a part-time music teaching position for next year. Their own internal records (obtained through a Right-to-Know request) show tha music course intrest is growing, but teachers are being scheduled with no room to absorb that additional work, and a middle school band program that has nearly tripled in two years.
See the data ↓The district's own staffing thresholds
General Music
The district's target is 30 classes per teacher per 6-day cycle, which averages to five classes per day. If a building falls below this number, such as Hares Hill with its 26 general music classes, the district may reduce instructional days.
Instrumental Lessons
For band and orchestra, the metric is 35 to 45 students per teacher per day. While the district uses these thresholds to justify reductions in under-enrolled areas, the data reveals a different reality.
The contradiction: Several staff members are already operating close to or above 100% capacity—such as Ms. Sachaczenski with 33 classes—resulting in maximum density schedules that leave some teachers with minmal to zero designated prep or planning. Yet the district continues to justify staffing cuts using these same thresholds.
A half-time music position is being cut.
The Phoenixville Area School District’s music program currently faces a critical staffing challenge as officials move to non-renew a Long-Term Substitute (LTS) position for the 2026-2027 academic year . While the district justifies this decision through efficiency thresholds. They argue that specific building enrollments do not mathematically support the current faculty count, their own internal records suggest a different reality . Projections reveal an unprecedented 181% surge in Middle School band participation through 2028, yet the district’s proposed "Adaptive Specials" model results in fewer total instructional days across the district than existed before the fifth elementary school was even opened.
Ms. Sachaczenski is over capacity
Manavon's primary general music teacher carries 33 classes per cycle which is 110% of the district's own 30-class threshold. So, Ms. Petrilak covers this overflow, allowing for some more balance. Without her, that overflow has nowhere to go.
Hares Hill already operates below the district standard
General music coverage at Hares Hill has been reduced to 5 days per cycle—below the 30-class standard the district itself set. This reduction started in 2025-26 and will continue through 2026-27. It's the only elementary school with reduced coverage. Cutting the LTS position makes this worse while enrollment projections show record-breaking growth.
Mr. Klapper has zero flex days through 2028
Mr. Klapper is scheduled for all 6 days of the instructional cycle from 2025-26 through 2027-28—with no unscheduled days, no flex day, no buffer, and no room to absorb any additional responsibilities. Combined with Ms. Sachaczenski already at 110% capacity and Hares Hill losing a day, the entire system is maxed out.
MS band numbers nearly tripled in 2 years
Middle school band went from 34 students to 102 in two years (2025-2026). Mr. Langdon, who is the only teacher covering both Manavon band and PAMS band, is being asked to also absorb Ms. Petrilak’s general music overflow.
Adaptive scheduling displaced from the schedule
Additional support services for students with disabilities and English language learners depend on flexible scheduling. With the proposed changes, there is no remaining capacity to accommodate these essential interventions, forcing support services to be eliminated at PAMS, Manavon, and potentially more schools
Every HS music course is growing. Not one is declining.
These are actual student course requests from the PAHS Scheduling Analysis presented to cabinet on April 27, 2026.
For context: The same cabinet presentation notes that AP French will not run for the second straight year "due to staffing limitations." The district already knows what happens when teaching capacity gets too thin — courses students want disappear. That precedent is directly relevant to music.
A middle school program that nearly tripled in two years and keeps growing.
These figures come from district enrollment records. 2024–25 and 2025–26 are actual registration. 2026–27 reflects course requests already submitted by students.
Mr. Langdon is the only band teacher for PAMS. He currently covers it 3 days per cycle. At 102 students across 3 days, that's 34 students per day which is already approaching the district's 35–45 threshold. If growth continues like predicted, he'll need more days at PAMS. But, those days could only come from Manavon.
Music Department Capacity
Each teacher's bar shows their workload as a percentage of maximum sustainable capacity. The green zone (65–85%) is where teachers have enough room for flexibility, planning, and growth. Above 90% means no margin. Above 100% means the schedule breaks.
Petrilak covers Manavon's GM overflow and 4-6th grade band. Langdon stays focused on his own GM and PAMS band. Sachaczenski retains adaptive specials. 6 teachers in ideal range instead of being pushed to the edge. The system has room to breathe.
Capacity percentages are relative workload estimates based on district-produced schedules, enrollment data, and staffing thresholds. They are not official district metrics.
Elementary data from RTK-produced specials rotations · HS data from PAHS Scheduling Analysis (April 2026)
RTKL request filed May 10, 2026 · OOR Dkt. AP 2026-1989
Supporting Documents
All district schedules, enrollment projections, and budget documents are available in the shared folder below.
When staffing gets too thin, courses disappear.
This isn't a hypothetical. The district's own internal presentation acknowledges that staffing limitations have already eliminated a course that students wanted. The past 2 years, students requested AP French but It won't run due to staff limitations. The same dynamic applies to music — when teacher capacity tightens beyond what the schedule can absorb, students lose access to instruction. The data shows music heading in that direction at every level.
Make the 0.5 LTS music position permanent.
Not expansion. The district's own data shows growing demand, overloaded schedules, and a staffing model with no margin. This position fills documented gaps that no one else in the current model can cover.