In anticipation of the upcoming National School Boards Association's "technology visit," East Penn's Director of Technology Michael Mohn presented a brief overview to the school board of the visit's structure and agenda.

The educational technology site visit is scheduled by NSBA with only four schools, and this year East Penn will host visitors from eight states, including Alabama, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Ohio and Texas. The school district's website explains the purpose of the visit is to "showcase innovative technology implementation. These three-day meetings give participants the opportunity to visit classrooms and learn first-hand how technology tools and digital resources are working to meet curriculum goals."

The schedule for the three-day visit starting Sunday, April 28 is jam-packed with a district-wide showcasing of East Penn's technological resources. After a welcome Sunday night at the Fogelsville Holiday Inn, NSBA visitors will dive into the school district starting with Emmaus High School Monday morning for their choice of three alternate tours. After lunch, visitors repair to Willow Lane Elementary School, again given carte blanche of three alternate classroom tours.

Tuesday tours split again between Eyer Middle School and Shoemaker Elementary School and Lower Macungie Middle School and Wescosville Elementary School. Monday evening a reception will be held at the Da Vinci Center in Allentown.

Mohn explained initially the number of classrooms interested in participating was so great the administration wasn't sure if they could all be accommodated but finally decided to give everyone a chance for a classroom visit. Since it would be impossible to tour all 60 classrooms and meet all 75 teachers and staff members involved, visitors can participate in the school district's online interactive extension, Moodle. Mohn has entered all visitors in as new students, and created a checklist of the entire two-day tour agenda along with a progress bar to show participation percentage. Visitors who opted for one tour can virtually recreate another by logging into Moodle and watching video presentations made by the teachers. This arrangement will be available for up to a year, Mohn said.

"It's going to be a fast-paced two days of activity," Mohn said. "We're pretty excited about it and it's going to be incredible.

"The key word is organic," Mohn concluded. "These are not canned presentations; you're walking in on authentic projects and situations inside the classroom. We want it warm, we want it interactive."

Superintendent Thomas Seidenberger announced entering budget season the district's "goal and intent" is to submit a no-tax increase budget for the coming school year.

Seidenberger expressed his thanks to everyone "for sticking with us for the last three years. Your faith in us is greatly appreciated." The superintendent admitted they were "not at zero yet," but felt confident they would be by voting time in May. In response to a parent's complaints about large class sizes (over 30 in both third and fourth grades at Macungie Elementary School according to Barbara Levinson who spoke during the public comment), Seidenberger said the district would continue to look at the elevated class sizes and move forward, noting they had made room in the budget in the past when necessary for additional teachers.

A committee of Willow Lane Elementary School parents will be formed to meet with Principal Anthony Moyer, answering a long-standing request from the public to open up dialogue about the transportation issue to the school under the new policy that removes busing from any children living outside a .75-mile radius from the school.

Twenty-three parents submitted their names in a survey to the list of those interested in participating in the committee, but the district will keep it to just eighttwo each from the developments Beaumont at Brookside, Brandywine Villages I and II, Greymoor and Brookside Farms. Parents can attend a public drawing at Willow Lane noon April 26.

Parents also finally have a more specific answer on measuring distance from the school to their homes, a question which has arisen at several meetings for those properties right on the edge of the three-quarter-mile radius. Seidenberger said they will be measuring from the driveway on Sauerkraut Lane, the new main entrance to the school, to the family property.

Seidenberger said he is confident parents will have all the answers they need by the end of May.

The school board voted to decrease the tax millage rate from 46.75 to 16.1259 mills pursuant to Pennsylvania law. The change reflects no change in taxes, vice president Alan Earnshaw insisted, but rather a change in the millage rate influenced by Lehigh County's reassessment of every property in the county at its full value.

Dr. Ken Bacher of the school board announced the tax increment financing plan for Hamilton Crossings is now available on the school district's website. Lower Macungie Township will have a public hearing regarding the TIF plan after Lehigh County Commissioners and East Penn School District have voted. Seidenberger reminded the board the TIF represents a significant financial gain to the district, which currently receives about $7,000 in taxes from the property and $57,000 next year because of the reassessment. The school district, according the to TIF plan, is expected to realize new annual tax revenues of $590,872 for the first 20 years of Hamilton Crossings' operation.

At the April 8 board meeting, parents of the district called for Stolz's censure by the school board, which took no formal action in response.

Julian Stolz concluded the meeting with the following statement: "I've not always been a perfect board member but I always strove to be an honest one. I thank [the board] for allowing me to continue to be honest. It speaks highly of your character and of your respect for the First Amendment. I owe it to you to be more circumspect in the ways I speak in the public domain."