Northampton Area School District can expect to see no increase in its funding for the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 general operating budget for the 2024-25 academic year.

Wolfel presented the 2024-25 CIU-20 general operating budget proposal and the request for the NASD contribution at the March 11 NASD Board of Education meeting. Accompanying Wolfel was Dr. Jacquelyn Bartek, assistant to the executive director for student services.

“The good news is that there’s no increase,” Executive Director of CIU-20 Dr. Christopher Wolfel said.

The NASD contribution to the CIU-20 general operating budget for 2024-25 is $45,499, a zero-percent increase from $45,409, the NASD contribution for 2023-24.

The 2024-25 CIU-20 general operating budget is $4,258,620, an increase of 6.8%, or $271,195.

Cost drivers for the CIU-20 operating budget increase are salaries, budgeted at 3.3% for Act 93 employees, and medical, also a 3.3% increase, according to Wolfel’s presentation.

The CIU-20 operating budget includes $2,478,360 for educational support services; $703,260 for curriculum and instructional services; $662,360 for human resources and research services; and $414,640 for education technology.

The intermediate unit general operating budget requires school districts’ approvals.

CIU-20 encompasses 1,200 square miles, serves 13 school districts and 86,000 public school students and has 7,000 professional staff and 1,300 employees.

Intermediate units are regional educational service agencies established in 1970 by the Pennsylvania Legislature. They operate between the state’s Department of Education and local school boards. The purpose of the intermediate unit is to supplement school district programs and services to children and their families.

CIU-20 service highlights for the 2023-24 school year, according to the presentation, are 1,974 students in programs, including autistic support, emotional support, hearing support, life skills support, multi-disabilities support, partial hospitalization, physical support, Project Search and Colonial Academy.

Also, for the 2023-24 school year, related services for 6,263 students included hearing itinerant, occupational therapy, orientation/mobility, physical therapy, speech and language and vision itinerant.

Early intervention includes 619 students transitioning to school-age programs for the 2024-25 school year. Early intervention preschool initiatives were for literacy and instructional coaching.

According to the presentation, 70% of early intervention students are in child care, preschool, Head Start and Pre-K Counts.

In NASD, for the 2022-23 school year (latest figures available in the presentation report), classroom-based CIU-20 special education student services included autistic support, with five classrooms in district elementary schools; one classroom at Northampton Area Middle School; and one classroom at Northampton Area High School. Also, there were two life skills support classrooms at district elementary schools.

Special education student services provided through CIU-20 in the 2022-23 school year in NASD included 38, audiology; seven, hearing itinerant; 237, occupational therapy; two, orientation/mobility; 25, physical therapy; four, psychiatric evaluation; 84, speech and language; and 14, vision services.

NASD districtwide CIU-20 student services in the 2022-23 school year included audiology services, Brain Steps, itinerant autism services, Feeding Team evaluation and consult, Project SEARCH Wind Creek Resorts and psychiatric evaluations.

Behavioral health student services provided through CIU-20 in the 2022-23 school year in NASD included classroom-based, therapeutic emotional support: three in elementary and one in NAMS; and partial hospitalization: one in elementary.

Districtwide services provided through CIU-20 in the 2022-23 school year in NASD included one school attendance improvement consultant and contracted ABA support.

Curriculum and professional learning services for NASD educators, with 207 participants, include coaching, support for Makerspace, accessing complex text, SWPBS classroom management workshops, Schoology courses and AT consultations.

Other services provided technology support services, including ongoing vulnerability assessments and school safety overview, including school-threat assessment.

NASD will hold its elementary configuration meeting 6 p.m. April 4 at Moore Elementary School, 2835 Mountain View Drive.

The school board will also hold a special meeting to interview people for a school board vacancy for region 2, Northampton Borough and East Allen Township, 5:30 p.m. April 9. Applicants may apply through 3 p.m. April 2 at nasdschools.org.

The board of education will hold its regular monthly meeting 6:30 p.m. April 8 in the NAHS auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave.