Budget requests for 2026-27 from Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School and Northampton Community College have been made to Northampton Area School District.

The budget requests were made at the March 9 board of education meeting.

“We’re looking forward to opening our south campus,” Adam S. Lazarchak, BAVTS executive director, said at the school board meeting. “With our growth, we’re building our campuses.”

The BAVTS southside campus, formerly The Factory, 315 Columbia St., Bethlehem, was purchased for $8 million in 2025. The Factory, a former Bethlehem Steel Corporation facility built in 1940, was an incubator for start-up food and beverage companies.

The BAVTS southside campus is to open for the 2026-27 school year. The BAVTS building operational costs for The Factory are to increase $13,486 in 2026-27.

The BAVTS main campus is 3300 Chester Ave., Bethlehem Township.

The BAVTS budget includes funding from NASD, Bethlehem Area School District and Saucon Valley School District. The BAVTS 2026-27 expenditure budget is $17,090,354, an increase of $1,535,316, including $1,371,898 in salaries and benefits, which includes three new positions. BAVTS’ salary costs are $6,951,245, and employee costs are $5,977,064 for 2026-27.

BAVTS is seeking $3,679,566 for 2026-27 from NASD, an increase of $339,931 from 2025-26.

BAVTS is seeking $7,967,718 for 2026-27 from BASD, an increase of $735,482 from 2025-26.

BAVTS is seeking $1,171,871 for 2026-27 from SVSD, an increase of $24,129 from 2025-26.

There were 379 NASD students, 791 BASD students and 117 SVSD students for a total of 1,287 students attending BAVTS in 2024-25, the most recent year for which attendance figures were provided in Lazarchak’s presentation.

The number of NASD students attending BAVTS were 306 in 2019-20; 324 in 2020-21; 305 in 2021-22; 352 in 2022-23, and 347 in 2023-24.

Funding contributions to BAVTS are determined by a combination of a three-year average of each district’s student attendance and a three-year average of the market value trend of each school district.

NCC is seeking $1,140,625 for 2026-27 from NASD, an increase of $75,174 from 2025-26.

“Dual enrollment is great for students who do not know if they are sure of college,” said Dr. David A. Ruth, NCC president, at the school board meeting March 9.

In his presentation, Ruth delineated many aspects of education at NCC:

• More than 20,000 students, including credit and community education-career credit programs, learn at NCC annually.

• NCC fall 2025 enrollment increased 5%, winter enrollment increased 4%, and spring enrollment increased 2%.

• Nearly one in four high school students in Northampton County enroll in NCC.

• NCC is the top college choice for Northampton County students continuing their education.

• Of recent NCC graduates, 98% are employed or continuing their education.

• Annual full-time tuition at NCC is $5,850, compared to $12,468 to $67,966 for first year tuition at a four-year college.

• NCC has more than 60 student clubs and organizations, nine NJCAA sports and a year-round theater performance schedule.

The fall 2025 credit enrollment for NASD is 606 students, of which 146 are dual enrollment, and 44.2% are full time, 55.8% are part time, 61.2% are female, and 34.7% are minority.

The NCC 2026-27 consolidated operating budget is $85,544,825, and the 2026-27 capital budget is $8,740,394.

In the budget, Ruth cited wage increases, including union and nonunion, of $1.6 million and health and retirement increases of $900,000 for 2026-27.

Northampton County school districts and 2026-27 funding and differences from 2025-26 for NCC include Bangor, $473,616, a $3,752 increase; Bethlehem, $2,926,227, a $179,739 increase; Easton, $1,684,153, a $92,180 increase; Nazareth, $767,256, a $13,446 increase; Pen Argyl, $273,446, a $659 decrease; Saucon Valley, $281,970, a $8,522 decrease; and Wilson, $296,709, a $24,860 decrease.

Sponsor contributions go up and down based on enrollment averages.

A school district’s share of operating budget support is calculated by dividing its five-year average full-time enrollment by the same of all the districts’ five-year average full-time enrollment.

“We are serving more and more returning adults,” Ruth said.

NCC articles of agreement for sponsoring school districts were entered in 1967 for 30 years. In 2009, the articles with the districts were extended through 2056.

The 6 p.m. March 16 board of education facilities committee meeting was canceled.

The facilities committee meeting will next meet 6 p.m. April 20 in the Northampton Area High School library conference room, 1619 Laubach Ave.

The board of education finance committee is scheduled to meet 6 p.m. April 2 in the NAHS library conference room.

The board of education is scheduled to meet 6:30 p.m. April 13 in the NAHS auditorium.