By consensus of Northampton Area School District Board of Education directors, a funding option was chosen that would retain Northampton Area Middle School and Northampton Area High School extracurriculars, Northampton Area Public Library funding, NASD community education, allow school-affiliated groups’ facilities use and continue French language instruction.

Option five would reduce the NASD 2026-27 proposed budget deficit to $2.8 million.

The option was among six options presented at the NASD Board of Education’s April 13 meeting. The meeting was attended by an estimated 125 people.

“What the board asked us to do is prepare options to consider. It’s a recommendation to go to the final budget,” NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said before the budget presentation.

“Over 70% of our students are participating in extracurricular activities,” Kovalchik noted. “We are pushing reducing 30 positions in the 2026-27 school year,” Kovalchik said.

The 2026-27 preliminary budget, with a deficit of $12.7 million based on expenditures of $154.8 million and revenue of $142.1 million was presented at the Jan. 12 board meeting. The deficit was reduced to $9.3 million in a budget presentation at the March 9 board meeting.

The proposed final budget is to be presented at the May 11 board meeting. The proposed final budget must be advertised and available for public inspection 30 days before a board vote. The board is expected to vote on the final budget at the June 15 meeting. Pennsylvania law requires school boards to finalize their district budgets by June 30.

The proposed budget would use $2.8 million from the fund balance, and a tax increase of 4.2% would generate $3,454,000.

Under option five, Chromebooks are eliminated for kindergarten students for a $140,000 savings. Additional personnel adjustments would save $650,000, and removing a capital transfer in the 2026-27 budget would save $1 million. Bond fund interest earnings would add $1.2 million.

Under option five, the 10-month secretaries would be retained, the professional development budget would not be decreased, indoor air-quality testing would continue and the districtwide temperature set point would not change.

Favoring option five were school Directors Dr. Michael Baird, Zachary Kromer, Ross Makary, Fran Shehab, board Vice President David Gogel and board President John Becker.

Favoring option six were finance committee members Directors Joshua Harris, Jamie Marchiano and Kristin Soldridge.

Option six, advanced at the April 2 finance committee meeting, would eliminate outside use of district facilities, end community education, stop public library funding, reduce the professional development budget, cut indoor air-quality testing, adjust the districtwide temperature set point, eliminate French instruction and eliminate 10-month secretaries.

The school board consensus provided direction to the administration and NASD Business Administrator Craig Neiman to prepare the 2026-27 proposed budget for the next board meeting, planned for 6:30 p.m. May 11 in the NAHS auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave.

The NASD finance committee will next meet 6 p.m. May 7 in the NAHS library conference room.

School directors voted to not approve the transfer of $500,000 from the general fund to the capital reserve for future capital improvements effective April, the transfer of $2 million of allocated funds for Moore Elementary School to the capital reserve for future capital improvements effective April and the transfer of $1 million from the general fund to the capital reserve for future capital improvements for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Voting not to approve the three fund transfers were Makary, Shehab, Soldridge, Baird, Gogel and Becker. Kromer and Marchiano voted “no” on the Moore $2 million transfer and “yes” for the $500,000 and $1 million transfers. Harris voted “yes” for the Moore $2 million funds and the $500,000 and $1 million transfers.

Before the vote, Neiman urged directors to not vote for the three fund transfers.

“If all three are transferred, I have concerns about the liquidity of the district,” he said. “With the bond issuance, what [the bond-rating firms] look at is they focus on the general fund.”

School directors voted 8-1 to approve the district to permanently close Moore Elementary School, Washington Technology Center, Franklin Elementary School and the district administration building, effective July 1, and for the sale of the properties associated with Moore Elementary School, Washington Technology Center, Franklin Elementary School and the district administration building, effective in accordance with listing agreements and resolutions. Harris voted “no.”

The retirements of five district employees were accepted, bringing the 2026-27 retirement total to about 29.

NAPL Executive Director Veronica LaRoche made a presentation about the library budget and a possible ballot referendum on funding.

Intermediate Unit 20 Executive Director Dr. Christopher Wolfel made a presentation about the 2026-27 IU-20 budget.

The NASD facilities committee meets 6 p.m. April 20 in the NAHS library conference room.