EMMAUS, Pa. — As a key early vote approaches, some East Penn school board members again raised concerns Monday over plans to realign the district's middle grades, and how much the project will cost.
The realignment’s future appeared uncertain as more than half the board's members expressed doubts about the project or asked for more information.
In a bid to ease a looming capacity crunch at district elementary schools, East Penn officials pitched a plan to remove fifth grade from elementary schools, house all of its fifth- and sixth-graders at Eyer Middle School and move all seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms to Lower Macungie Middle School.
To make room for the additional students, East Penn officials plan to expand and adapt both middle schools.
'Not hearing community buy-in'
In recent months, as a vote to accept a schematic plan approaches, school board members have suggested the district instead should prioritize major renovations to Emmaus High School.
“There are people who will go to bat for the district over raising taxes in order to fix the problems at the high school. I'm not hearing any community buy-in for the realignment project. It is going to be a tough sell.”East Penn School Board member Alisa Bowman
“There are people who will go to bat for the district over raising taxes in order to fix the problems at the high school,” board member Alisa Bowman said.
“I'm not hearing any community buy-in for the realignment project. It is going to be a tough sell.”
Still, the East Penn community is “not monolithic” in its preferences, board President Joshua Levinson said.
While some board members have expressed concerns about the realignment plan, others have balked at its cost.
District officials projected in 2023 that building expansion to make room for the shifted students would run about $60 million, but more recent estimates peg the cost at $95 million.
Recent financial projections that account for the realignment’s cost show the district raising property tax to the state-set Act One Index cap in each of the next seven school years to help cover the cost.
Analysis: More than two decades of tax increases
An analysis from the district’s financial planners found that a $250 million overhaul at the high school would require more than two decades of tax increases to the Act One maximum.
Taking on both the renovation and realignment projects would be more expensive still.
"There are implications if indeed the board decides to pause and do further investigation. We're at what I would describe as a critical juncture."East Penn Schools Superintendent Kristen Campbell
If East Penn’s school board decides to pursue realignment, it next will need to approve schematic plans laying out the overall concept for the expansion project.
The board would weigh in again to approve a final design, and finally to award a contract for construction.
After Monday’s comments, district officials could revisit an alternative to the realignment: expanding several elementary school buildings and redrawing the districts that determine which students attend which schools.
When district officials evaluated the redistricting proposal in 2023, they determined it would cost about the same up front as a redistrict-and-expand approach, but would cost more each year to operate, Superintendent Kristen Campbell said.
“There are implications if indeed the board decides to pause and do further investigation,” Campbell said.
She said capacity issues loom in years to come and the costs of construction continues to rise.
“We're at what I would describe as a critical juncture,” she said.
