Northampton Area School District officials will hold a special public meeting 6 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Northampton Area High School auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave., to discuss its plans, responsibilities and funding for transportation of students.

The NASD Board of Education voted unanimously 9-0 at the Sept. 14 meeting to hold the district administration presentation on bus transportation for students to schools in the district and beyond.

School Directors Jamie Marchiano and Kristin Soldridge backed the motion to hold a special meeting, seconded by school Director Joshua Harris.

The Oct. 19 meeting will be devoted to the topic of school bus transportation.

The meeting is being held in the high school auditorium to accommodate an anticipated large turnout of district residents.

The school board met Sept. 14 for the first time in the new education center conference room, which can seat approximately 100. The center is part of the East Allen Elementary School and Education Center, 7200 New Seemsville Road, East Allen Township.

Board President John Becker greeted the audience, “Welcome, everyone, to our first meeting in our new facility.”

An estimated 25 people, including administration officials, attended the meeting, which went off without a hitch. The acoustics in the new conference room, which has a window view to the east, are excellent. Built-in cameras livestream school board meetings.

NASD officials are looking to trim the district transportation budget in an attempt to reduce the district’s overall budget and avoid a deficit.

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, according to a March 9 school board presentation.

School directors, at the April 13 board meeting, further reduced the 2026-27 proposed budget deficit to $2.8 million. The proposed final budget had expenditures of $149.2 million.

The administration is preparing the 2027-28 school year budget, expected to be unveiled at the January 2027 board meeting. Some school directors warn another deficit looms.

“We’re spending about $11 million annually in transportation,” Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said at the Sept. 14 meeting.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education funds approximately 20% of district transportation costs.

“Transportation is very complicated. It’s only going to get more complicated,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik said school directors need to evaluate all aspects of the district transportation system.

“It has to be something more than the hub system,” he said.

The administration’s rollout of the hub system was quickly parked earlier this year.

On May 26, NASD parents and guardians of charter and nonpublic school students were emailed a three-page letter about a “hub-based transportation model” and a six-page “Charter/Non-Public Transportation Frequently Asked Questions.”

The new transportation hub format discussion was pulled from the agenda of the June 15 school board meeting after parents and guardians opposed the plan.

“For now, we’ll put it on hold,” Becker said June 15.

“For 2026-27, it will be status quo,” Kovalchik said of district bus transportation for students.

At the board meeting, school directors put forth the idea of a task force to study student busing in the 97.3-square-mile school district.

At the Sept. 14 meeting, Kovalchik enumerated the problems facing district transportation, not only in NASD.

“We are all facing the same issues,” Kovalchik said of the region’s school districts. “First, there is a shortage of bus drivers.”

He reported adding a bus costs about $60,000, and four costs a quarter of a million dollars.

A big factor in transportation expenses is the higher cost of gasoline and diesel fuel.

Other factors are the size of the school district; its geography, with respect to winding and hilly roads such as Route 248 and Blue Mountain Drive; and highway congestion, such as on Route 329 through and in the vicinity of the borough of Northampton and on Route 512, the latter in the borough of Bath.

“We’re supposed to provide students transportation to schools 10 miles from the district border,” Kovalchik said.

Because the district is so large, it has long borders. The district must bus students to charter schools in Bethlehem, Allentown and other municipalities in the Lehigh Valley.

“It’s time to have a real conversation and decisions about this,” Kovalchik said concerning district transportation policy.

In other business, school directors voted 6-3 to approve the revised list of community education classes and roster of instructors with stipends for the fall session of the 2026-27 school year.

It was stated the community education program lost $2,600 in the previous school year. Marchiano said the community education program has lost $13,000 since 2015.

“Given that it’s for adults and is a wonderful program, but given the losses, I am going to vote ‘no,’” Marchiano said.

“I think we have to follow through with the fall session,” Becker said.

Voting to approve the fall community education program were school Directors David Gogel, Dr. Michael Baird, Zachary Kromer, Ross Makary, Fran Shehab and Becker.

Voting to not approve the fall community education program were Kristin Soldridge, Marchiano and Harris.

Fall courses listed on the district website include crochet, water aerobics, Aqua Zumba, beginner Spanish, American Sign Language and chair aerobics.

“This has been a discussion for many years. You need to make a decision on this. I don’t think you’re going to break even,” Kovalchik said.

School directors unanimously passed a motion to place a vote to end the community education winter session for 2026-27 on the agenda of the October school board meeting. Marchiano made the motion, seconded by Gogel.

Pulled from the agenda of the Sept. 14 meeting was the agreement of sale of the former Washington Technology Center, 2389 Main St., Northampton, with VR Latin Women Enterprises Corp. for $900,000.

“I found out about 45 minutes ago that they are withdrawing their offer. I don’t have a reason for it,” Kovalchik explained.

After the meeting, Kovalchik said the Washington building would again be advertised for sale.

School directors voted 8-1 to approve the agreement of sale of the former Moore Elementary School building, 2835 Mountain View Drive, Moore Township, with New Story LLC for $3,150,000, subject to the terms of the agreement of sale, addendum/endorsement to agreement of sale and the Pennsylvania School Code.

The NASD school board voted at its meeting July 20 to approve the agreement of sale for Moore Elementary School to New Story LLC for $3,400,000.

When asked why the price was reduced, Kovalchik said, through due diligence, the purchaser had found “some deficiencies” in the building.

The NASD facilities committee meets 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in the education center board room.

Houser Auctioneers’ auction of school district items will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 19 at the district maintenance facility, 100 Held Drive, Northampton.

The next regular board of education meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in the education center conference room.