A detailed overview of the Northampton Area School District transportation system was presented to an estimated 100 parents, students, administration officials and members of the public at a special meeting Oct. 19 in the auditorium of Northampton Area High School.

Four transportation options were outlined as ways district administrators could make the system more efficient and possibly less costly.

With 2027-28 school year budget deliberations underway with the first budget presentation anticipated at the January 2027 school board meeting, NASD is facing a projected $7 million deficit in the next school year budget.

Two transportation options would implement a hub system with estimated cost savings of more than $250,000 to more than $500,000.

A third transportation option, which would not implement a hub system, has an estimated cost savings of more than $200,000.

The fourth transportation option would be status quo and did not include an estimated cost savings.

No action on the transportation options was taken at the meeting. It wasn’t stated or immediately known if and when the school board would consider action on the administration’s transportation options.

The nearly one-hour presentation, titled “Transportation 2026-2027: Providing legally compliant transportation while maintaining service and reducing costs,” during the more than two-and-one-half hour meeting included commentary by NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik, NASD Business Administrator Craig Neiman and NASD Director of Operations Mike Alogna.

Also present at the meeting were NASD Transportation Supervisor Sally Fredericks, Krise Terminal Manager Holly Cavallo and Krise Regional Manager Lisa Schroy. Krise Transportation Inc. is NASD’s primary bus transportation firm.

The 24-page presentation is expected to be available on the district website, nasdschools.org.

One of the district’s transportation challenges is its size: some 90 square miles.

Another challenge facing all districts is a shortage of bus drivers.

“What you do for public school students, you must do for private and parochial school students,” Kovalchik said. “There’s been a lot of discussion about your K through 12 ride-sharing. That is allowed by the law.”

Kovalchik outlined the Pennsylvania guidelines for providing transportation for students. Class III Districts must provide transportation based on the following guidelines.

• Free transportation funded by the district

• Walking limits: 1.5 miles from home to school or bus stop for elementary school students and 2 miles from home to school or bus stop for secondary students

• No limits on ride time

• Mixed age from kindergarten to grade 12 permitted

• Students are to be transported to nonpublic schools in a district or outside a district’s boundaries and not to exceed a 10-mile radius.

Kovalchik listed the NASD transportation services.

• 100-plus vehicles, including 50 full-size yellow NASD buses, 20 vans and 30 mini-buses

• 1-million-plus miles traveled annually; 8,000-plus miles daily (including special education and McKinney-qualified students)

• Transport to up to 86 district locations

• Students transportation daily: public, 4,000 plus; nonpublic/charter, 400 plus; special education, 150 plus

The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, enacted in 1987, was reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Local school districts are legally required to provide or arrange free, reliable transportation to and from the school of origin for eligible students experiencing homelessness.

“We do have families who unfortunately face that situation (homelessness),” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik said the goal of in-district routes is to be under one hour and out-of-district routes to be under two hours.

Approved public roads are used with no more than four bus stops per mile, Kovalchik said.

NASD transports students to school facilities in Pen Argyl, Easton, Emmaus, Lehighton and Kutztown.

Kovalchik noted NASD must take into account hazardous roadways. These include Route 329 and portions of Main Street and Lerchenmiller Drive in Northampton Borough and Route 248, portions of Independence Avenue, Route 512 and Route 946 in Bath Borough.

“Nobody’s walking in Lehigh Township, East Allen or Bath,” Kovalchik said, adding, “The borough (of Northampton) probably has the most walkers.”

Neiman discussed district fuel costs. Neiman said through Colonial-Intermediate Unit consortium joint-purchasing agreements, the most competitive bulk pricing is locked in.

For the 2026-27 school year, Neiman said the cost of biodiesel fuel is $2.58 per gallon, or $275,000, and unleaded gasoline is $2.31 per gallon, or $215,000, for total fuel expenditures of $490,000.

“I’d take that in a heartbeat,” Neiman quipped concerning the per-gallon prices.

“It has been very good for the past three years,” said Neiman of district fuel prices, cautioning this could change because of increased fuel costs.

Neiman said because NASD is tax exempt and does not pay federal excise and state motor fuel taxes, its “per-gallon procurement costs for gasoline and biodiesel and gasoline are well below commercial retail rates. Transportation is one of our largest costs.”

NASD’s transportation cost for the 2026-27 school year is $11.4 million.

Another factor for NASD, Neiman said, is the state transportation subsidy reduction. Because the market value of NASD has increased from $5.1 billion in 2024-25 to $6.4 billion in 2026-27, the district transportation subsidy from the state has decreased. Costs increased by $400,000 because of inflation, but state aid decreased by $300,000, according to Neiman.

“The district is a wealthier school district as a whole. I am not talking about individuals,” Kovalchik said.

The hub system, which could be set up at the secondary school campus or East Allen Elementary School, proposes to streamline out-of-district travel, reduce bus stops, consolidate routing, fill bus capacity and is intended for large districts. Because of varying dismissal times, there would be no afternoon hub.

Also presented were proposals for enhanced technology for parents, students and bus drivers. The cost could be upward of $250,000.

The majority of the comments by the approximate 12 audience attendees who spoke at the podiums in the auditorium pertained to the only agenda item that was voted on. The item was not related to the transportation topic.

The Oct. 19 agenda item, which school directors approved 8-1, was regarding the revised listing of 2026-27 winter season head coaches and assistant coaches with designated payments, effective July 1- June 30, 2027.

Before the vote at the Oct. 19 meeting, school directors adjourned for an executive session 7:42 p.m. for personnel matters and reconvened 8:12 p.m., apparently to discuss the agenda item.

An identical item was pulled from the Oct. 12 school board meeting agenda.

November NASD meetings include the following.

• Policy committee meets 6 p.m. Nov. 2 in the NASD Education Center boardroom, 7200 New Seemsville Road, East Allen Township

• Finance committee meets 6 p.m. Nov. 5 in the education center boardroom

• Board of education meets 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in the education center boardroom

• Facilities committee meets 6 p.m. Nov. 16 in the education center boardroom