A grant is being sought to help pay for Northampton Area High School roof repairs.

An item for approval of a contract for the roof work was removed from the Jan. 12 Northampton Area School District Board of Education meeting agenda.

Information about the grant opportunity was made available after the Jan. 12 board of education agenda was completed.

The NASD administration had recommended for approval: WTI General Contracting for the NAHS roof work, including a base proposal of $2,725,012.66, an Alternate 1 for $260,975.83, for a total of $2,985,988.49, subject to execution of bonds, insurance and contracts.

Before re-coating the roof, an infrared scan will be performed to determine if any insulation is wet and requires replacement. If wet insulation of more than the 1,000-square-feet allowance is encountered, there may be an additional cost, the agenda item stated.

Because of the size of the project and the method of procurement, CHA Consulting Inc.’s retainer contract fee for design and construction-phase services will be reduced to 5%, stated the agenda item. CHA is the engineering consultant for NASD.

A grant of from $500,000 to $1.5 million is being applied for from Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

“It would just about pay for half the cost,” Arif Fazil, senior business development leader at CHA, said at the school board meeting Jan. 12.

It was not immediately known what specific grant was applied for, but it was described as a school facilities grant. The application deadline was said to be March 23. The grant could be awarded by July 30.

The roof contract approval item might be rewritten for an upcoming school board agenda to reflect that the project would be accomplished in two phases.

School directors voted to remove the roof contract item from the agenda.

Also removed from the Jan. 12 agenda was an item concerning after-school detention monitors.

The item, as recommended for approval by the NASD administration was to approve after-school detention monitors and their reimbursement, effective for the 2025-26 school year.

School Directors Dr. Michael Baird, Kristin Soldridge and Joshua Harris questioned the agenda item before the board voted to remove it.

“Why aren’t we having security do that?” Soldridge asked. “If teachers are there, why are they not teaching?”

“What I want to see is a guide of what they’re supposed to do during detention,” Baird said.

After it was decided that more information would be obtained from administration officials, school directors voted to remove the item.

Also removed from the Jan. 12 agenda was the appointment of Northampton Area Public Library trustees.

The administration recommended the reappointment of William Jefferson as trustee and treasurer and the appointment of Michael Salter and Parker Flamisch as NAPL trustees.

School board members questioned whether library officials had acted in public or whether there was a possible violation of the Sunshine Law concerning the appointments.

School directors also removed the winter 2026 community education program from the agenda.

The administration had recommended approval of the list of community education classes and roster of instructors with stipends for the winter 2026 session.

“We looked at his six to seven years ago,” Baird said.

The concern is the cost of the program and whether it is breaking even or operating at a deficit, which NASD must offset.

The fate of Moore Elementary School was discussed. The NASD facilities committee was to have discussed Moore at its 6 p.m. Jan. 20 meeting in the NAHS library conference room. The meeting was rescheduled from Jan. 19 because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

NASD had earmarked $2 million for Moore renovations. The estimate for Moore demolition is $2 million. A $2 million amount for Moore is included in the 2026-27 NASD budget.

“My stance on Moore hasn’t changed. Unfortunately, our budget has changed,” Harris said, adding, “I’m not voting to close that school. I said it before. I’ll say it again.”

The preliminary 2026-27 NASD budget unveiled at the Jan. 14 meeting has a $12.7 million deficit.

During public comment at the Jan. 12 meeting, former school board president Doug Vaughn said, “My recommendation would be to sell Moore instead of spending $2 million to demolish it or $300,000 to mothball it.”

At the conclusion of the Jan. 12 meeting, NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik noted the death of longtime NASD advocate Atty. David B. Shulman.

Shulman, 76, of Cherryville, Lehigh Township, died Dec. 16, 2025. He was the husband of Claudia C. (Cerciello) Shulman for 51 years.

Shulman was a charter member and board member of Northampton Area Konkrete Kids Educational Foundation. He was on the NASD school board and served as president. His widow is foundation board president.

The school board next meets 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in the auditorium at Northampton Area High School, 1619 Laubach Ave., Northampton.