The future of Northampton Area School District’s Moore Elementary School will remain uncertain until possibly next year, after the school board Monday night delayed voting on measures to repair or replace the structure.
In a 5-4 vote, district school directors tabled making a decision on seven plans, which included several methods to repair it or build a new school.
Board President Kristin Soldridge said after the meeting the board needs to more thoroughly review the options and reduce the number of options to what she hopes would be three choices.
The district already is in the process of building a new elementary school in East Allen Township. Moore Elementary was set to be demolished, but board members last month voted to keep the school open.
On Monday, the board voted in Soldridge as the new board president, replacing Doug Vaughn.
“There are still many unknowns. We’re hoping that at the next facilities committee meeting we get it down to three choices,” she said. “It could possibly be January when we review it next.”
The choices faced by the board Tuesday night included minimal repairs that ranged in price from $24.4 million to $28.9 million. Two other choices were to renovate the entire building at an estimated $51 million, or demolish it and build a new school at a cost of about $70 million.
Director Kim Bretzik made the motion to table the matter, citing other issues coming before the board such as costs associated with Bethlehem Area Vocational and Technical School’s plan for a satellite campus at the former Factory on Columbia Street in southside Bethlehem.
Northampton, along with the school districts of Bethlehem and Saucon Valley, send students and fund the school.
Before deciding to push the matter to a later date, comments by board members and district residents seem to favor building a new school instead of making repairs.
Director John Becker said most of the board is committed to keeping Moore open and added, “I think Moore deserves a new school.”
Directors were mixed on whether to make a decision Monday night, but Vaughn and other directors questioned it might be a mistake to rush such a decision.
“Why are we rushing this?” said Vaughn. “It’s better to not rush this through. The right choice is to build a new school. We don’t want to see a patch job.”
Director Joshua Harris said building a new school would take years which the district may not have, considering a forecast showing potentially 2,000 more houses are set to be built in the district. Harris said “the bubble” of new students is rapidly approaching and a new school may not be in place in time.
Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said the potential for 2,000 new homes was addressed to actuaries who were asked how many new students might come with the new homes.
“The actuaries are assuming 30%,” he said. Such a percentage could mean about 600 new students.
He also said there are many variables in that calculation but it can be used as a benchmark for planning.
Other questions revolving around Moore include what Kovalchik said is the process of temporarily moving Moore students, redistricting the boundaries for what schools students attend, staff increases, town hall meetings for public feedback and how to finance the project.
During a board meeting in October, discussion of a new school included could bring an 8.4% tax increase or add about $289 to the average tax bill.
Kovalchik said after the meeting Moore needs extensive renovations including roofing, upgrades to the water and sewer system (it has a well and its own septic system), heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, windows and a fire sprinkler system.
There are 380 students currently attending Moore which was built in 1957 but has undergone additions in 1966, 1973 and 2001. It is located in the northeast section of the district on about 17 acres fronting Route 946 or Mountain View Drive.
More than 50 attended the four-hour meeting in the Northampton Area High School and comments from the public were mostly civil and favored a new school.
In other business, Kovalchik’s announcement he will retire in July 2025 set in motion the process of hiring a new superintendent.
Soldridge said after the meeting that before a search is started, the board will meet to establish a list of attributes needed for the position.
Director Michael Baird said it was important to establish such a list, as the board is about to make a decision on advertising the position next month.
“We need a profile of what we want in a superintendent … there’s a lot of work involved before we place an ad,” he said.
Kovalchik, 57, has been employed by the district for 34 years and superintendent for 15 years. During discussion of hiring a new school chief, Soldridge said she would like him to have some input into the hiring process.
She added, “Nobody is going to replace him. You can’t compare him to anyone else.”
Charles Malinchak is a freelance writer.
