Northampton Area School Board to fund local public library after threatening cuts

MORE: School board approves 4% tax increase for 2025-26

NORTHAMPTON, Pa. — Northampton Area School Board voted Monday to continue funding the public library’s budget for another fiscal year after debating whether to cut the allocation for the second budget cycle in a row.

School directors voted 5-3 to send $270,000 to Northampton Area Public Library, at 1615 Laubach Avenue next to the district high school.

Directors Michael Baird, John Becker, Parker Flamisch, Ross Makary and Doug Vaughn voted in favor of funding the library.

Board President Kristin Soldridge, along with school directors Joshua Harris and Brian McCulloch wanted to consider reducing or ending the funding.

Board Vice President Nathan Lichtenwalner was absent.

“I look at defunding the library [as] limiting access to books — that’s no different from banning books,” school Director Vaughn said. “I support funding the library.”

The library has relied on the school district’s annual financial support since shortly after it opened in the mid-1960s.

The district’s contribution is 52% of the library’s $516,386 budget, according to a presentation from Library Director Veronica Laroche.

The rest of its funding comes from state aid, donations, fundraising, local municipalities and other sources.

Library budget

The library spends 68% of its budget on staffing costs, which accounts for $349,300. The state mandates the number of staff needed at the library.

While volunteers can be included in the count, the library’s director said it’s hard to get people to volunteer. However, Laroche promised to make an effort to advertise to recruit volunteers moving forward.

The next highest spending category of the library budget is the cost of the collections offered at the library, which represents 12% of the budget at $62,500.

Facilities costs come in next at $34,350, representing 7% of the budget.

The remaining costs are for supplies, technology, programming and other expenses, representing $70,246 in spending, which is 13% of the budget.

About 12,000 people have Northampton Area library cards, according to the library director.

Some school directors suggested the number of actual residents using the library is closer to 10,000 when taking into account a program that lets people throughout the state access multiple libraries.

Even still, 10,000 people is not an insignificant number, said school Director Becker, who voted to continue funding the library.

“We are in the business of educating students and children, and that’s what the library helps to do,” Becker said. “It sets them up for success in school.”

Directors favor funding cut

The school directors who wanted to consider defunding the library said they were lacking information from the library or wanted to save the district money in its budget for students.

Harris said cutting the library’s funding would have been the best financial decision for the district, which plans to cut some of its own district library materials as part of a spending reduction plan for the 2025-26 budget.

If the district would have decided to slash the library’s funding, the library would have two years of financial stability, its leadership said.

To continue operations longer, the library would have to get a tax referendum voted on to collect taxes in the seven municipalities with access to the library.

The tax to fund the library would be 0.5 of a mill and cost the average household $35, according to the library director.

That was the route favored by school Director Harris, who voted against funding the library in the upcoming budget.

“What is the issue with letting the people vote on the library?” he said. “I don’t understand, especially when we don’t have the money to give them.”

The district faces a $555,867 budget deficit that it will have to cover with money from its $18 million fund balance.

The district would have an even larger deficit to manage without a tax hike. In the proposed budget, the district plans to raise $3.2 million through a 4% tax increase.

Board President Soldridge also supported cutting the library’s funding to keep the money in the school district. Additionally, she criticized Laroche, the library’s director, for a lack of communication with the district.

“There is a disconnect here,” Soldridge said. “As the [manager] and person in charge of the library, there are some efficiencies that need to be addressed.”

Opening communication

School Director Flamisch, who was appointed to fill a board vacancy last month, volunteered to be a liaison between the district and the library.

“I think there are things in the public library that could be cut that would save money for the district,” he said at Monday’s meeting. “I just think it’s irresponsible to do it tonight.

“I think we need to have more collaboration with the library.”

Soldridge criticized Flamisch for only volunteering to facilitate that collaboration after being recently appointed to the board.

He regularly attended meetings for several months beforehand as a resident.

“I feel that you utilizing your position now as the school board to be a liaison between us and them is just a little interesting and an observation,” she said.

Flamisch, a 20-year-old college student who also is running in next week’s primary to serve a four-year term on the board, said he only now volunteered to be a liaison because he has a new formal role in the district and voting authority.

Schools Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said in the past, school directors have served as representatives at public library meetings to maintain communication between the two entities.

The school board subsequently decided to bring back the representative positions and will vote to formalize them at a future meeting. Flamisch, Harris and McCulloch volunteered for the roles.