A demographic presentation before the board revealed a slight decline in district and enrollment growth since the last decade.

The report showed periods of decline and increase in three central categories: district population as shown by census, the number of housing units and total enrollment in district schools. The period of greatest increase in all three categories was the first decade of the 2000s, where population increased by 28.2 percent, housing units by 29.1 percent and enrollment by 20.1 percent.

Charles Watters of the Pennsylvania Demographic League, reported the current decade showed the least growth in any category, but noted the numbers only reflected up to 2012.

According to Watters, enrollments in the future will be strongly affected by recent births, migration patterns and private education. The highest point for births was in 2006, which would show its effect on enrollment within five years based on kindergarten numbers. Watters reported in five out of seven years there has been a decline in births by about 13 percent.

Another important factor is the so-called cohort survival rate, or the ratio of children who enter kindergarten to the number born in the district five years prior. Board Director Charles Ballard noted a pattern in the district has emerged over the last 20 years where third grade shows a sudden spike in enrollment that cannot be accounted for by kindergarten numbers of the same class.

Watters says it is unlikely the district will see a dramatic spike in growth as occurred in two prior decades.

Up for vote at the board meeting Oct. 27 was the approval of an annual service contract with Xerox Corporation for the school district's multi-function and copy machines. The semi-annual cost of the proposal, which was put out to bid this month, is $155,196 for a 60-month contract.

Prior to the item even coming to vote, the board was addressed by Michael Prokup, a self-declared attorney and taxpayer of the district, and council to Fraser Advanced Information Systems, one of the contending parties of the Request for Proposal sent out by the district in October.

Prokup noted to the board the total cost of the Xerox contract for the five-year period is over $1.5 million. The competing contract from Fraser was lower, at just over $1 million for the term. According to Prokup, a specific item in the RFP required a machine capability to produce a certain kind of binding tape for publications of 125 pages or more. Xerox, which has held the current contract with the district for some time, is the only brand with patent technology to meet this requirement "in-line" rather than using a separate machine.

Prokup requested the board take some further time to consider the proposal on the table with the suggestion there may be a better solution to the benefit of the district and its constituents.

Board Director Lynn Donches proposed the motion to vote on the contract with Xerox be tabled until the next board meeting to allow more time to review, but there was no second on her motion.

The board in fact voted to table the motion but only when it was announced Attorney Marc Fisher, solicitor for the district, wished to make some further reviews of the contract. Fisher said after the meeting there was something he wanted to look at but did not have the contract in front of him. "It's as simple as that," Fisher said.

The board approved a service contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. for HVAC/ATC/BAS/FMS Services starting Nov. 1 and ending June 30, 2016, in the amount of $267,405.

An anonymous donation was made to the district in support of the Lower Macungie Middle School Ski and Snowboard Club for $2,642. According to the agenda, this donation will be used to pay for the remainder of student bus transportation costs for the club.

The board also took some time to honor the achievements of seven Emmaus High School students, as semi-finalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. Students enter the program by taking the PSAT, reported Superintendent Dr. Michael Schilder. From 1.5 million at the beginning of the process, the number is culled to 16,000 national semi-finalists.

Those students recognized included Ryan D. Bilger, Keegan G. Daugherty, Daniel Intriago, Lucy Q. Lin, Ellen Park, Mason A. Trinkle and Justine Wang. Six of these students have been in the district since kindergarten.

The finalists of the National Merit program will be announced in February.