Before calling the uproar a “manufactured crisis,” Rongione also balked at the idea of the nonprofit releasing its own press releases on behalf of a public entity.

“Frankly, we were blindsided by the eruption on social media, because that’s not a very effective way to negotiate. We were very close, having productive conversations,” Rongione said.

Superintendent McGarry told WHYY News that students and alumni have reached out to him asking him not to end Summer Stage — which he says was never even on the table.

“It was never in jeopardy of being eliminated, cut, or prevented from happening. We ran it last summer — during a pandemic … I think sometimes, in this environment, individuals think they can take to social media and create this groundswell, and think that that’s going to force people to just give up and give in just because they wanted their way. That’s not what’s going to happen here,” McGarry said.

He said he had an issue with previous comments in support of fair funding to public schools being “taken out of context” in the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation’s press release. He said that his commitment to arts programming is reflected in two upcoming hires for the district.

“We’re going to be hiring a supervisor, administrator for K-12, art, theater and music, and we’re in the process of interviewing a new coach, an academic coach for art, theater, and music. So if anything, we’re moving forward with increasing our support of the arts,” McGarry said.

According to Dietzler, until the past couple of years, the existing partnership had worked well:  With the school district providing the building and the township funding the staff and finances, the joint operation was a well-oiled machine.

“Recently, the mayor and the superintendent asked me to disentangle all of these involvements between the district and the township. It was getting very complicated. The finances and money going back and forth from one to the other, and staffing and district people overseeing township money, it just came to be very complicated. So they asked me to come up with a plan to disentangle it,” Dietzler said.

The audience stands in applause after Harry Dietzler’s remarks during an Upper Darby School Board meeting on Tuesday night. (youtube screenshot)

That plan was simple: ask the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation to run the arts program.

Jennifer Schoener is the outgoing executive director and soon to be director of creative educational programming for the foundation. Since 1998, Schoener said, the foundation has been a strong partner with the district by funding a sound system for the Performing Arts Center at the high school, as well as new seats.

Last summer, the foundation spearheaded an initiative to raise more than $500,000 for Summer Stage.

Schoener said that in previous discussions with the township and the school district, the foundation has offered to “adopt” Summer Stage, its 100 or so employees, and pay rent for continued use of the Performing Arts Center.

“This is like a win-win for everybody, that kids are going to get more opportunities, the district won’t have so many headaches with trying to juggle all the positions and all the employees of Summer Stage. The township wins, because everybody comes out looking good and working together,” she said.

McGarry said that he’s not against having those conversations, but it’s not that easy a deal.

“There are union issues. There are facilities issues. There are all kinds of things that have to be worked out, but it can’t just simply be, `We’re going to give this to you.’ It’s far more complicated than that,” McGarry said.

Schoener’s argument for an adopted Summer Stage is gaining access to even more funding opportunities.

“Being an executive director over the past 10 years, I have learned that when we apply for grants, if we mentioned that we’re connected with the school district, the first thing that people or grant funders or even donors will say is, ‘Well, they already are getting school taxes, why would we want to give any more money than than what is already being paid?’ And that’s been a funding issue,” Schoener said.

With more funds, Schoener thinks Summer Stage could have the potential to offer programs year-round to Upper Darby youth.

Though all the parties appeared to be fairly far apart, McGarry said he thinks they are not far from a mutually agreeable solution. He added that Dietzler’s 46 years of service to the community should not go unrecognized.

Though the details are not yet clear, all sides of the dispute say the show will go on.