As promised, the Northampton Area School District has reduced the proposed tax hike for the 2015-16 preliminary district budget.

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph Kovalchik and NASD Business Administrator Terry Leh, in their budget update at the April 13 board of education meeting, announced they've lowered the tax hike to 1.11 mills, for a total of 50 mills, up from 48.89 mills, which is a 2.27-percent increase based on an average annual tax of $2,888.07, up from $2,823.95, which amounts to an increase of $64.12 annually, $5.34 monthly and $1.23 weekly.

The annual tax, as proposed when Kovalchik and Leh unveiled the 2015-16 preliminary budget at the Jan. 14 meeting and approved 8-0 with one director absent at the Jan. 28 meeting, was 50.12 mills, up from 48.89 mills, which was a 2.52-percent increase based on an average annual tax of $2,895, up from $2,823.95, for an increase of $71.05 annually, $5.92 monthly and $1.37 weekly.

The stated tax rates are based on the average NASD property assessment of $57,761.38.

The new, lower 2.27-percent increase gets the district under the state-allowed percentage of tax increase, or index, for NASD, which is 2.3 percent.

The school board also voted 8-0 at the Jan. 28 meeting to authorize the NASD administration to seek exceptions to go over the 2.3-percent index. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) granted NASD the exceptions, Leh said.

PDE approved district exceptions of $1,250,828, including $674,149 for retirement costs and $576,679 for special education costs.

"As we move forward, we do not have to do that at this time," Leh said to school directors and administrators during the one-hour April 13 budget update presentation and discussion.

The 2015-16 preliminary general fund budget, when presented and approved in January, was $95,188,570, which then was $3,596,417 more than the 2014-15 budget of $91,592,153, for an increase of 3.93 percent. These figures are expected to be revised.

Leh said the NASD administration will seek approval for the revised preliminary budget at the May 11 school board meeting and approval of the final budget at the June 8 board meeting.

At the April 13 meeting, Leh and Kovalchik said the proposed tax hike was reduced because of:

- Six professional NASD staff retirements, saving $187,290;

- Reduced Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School 2015-16 budget contribution, saving $156,800;

- NASD support staff and Act 93 retirements, saving $27,885, and

- An increase in special education funding of $70,000

At the April 13 meeting, Kovalchik announced NASD seeks to hire a district psychologist at an annual cost of $96,389 in salary and benefits and a middle school guidance counselor at an annual cost of $78,407 in salary and benefits.

The district now has four psychologists.

There are now two middle school guidance counselors. "They are a lot more involved than 10 to 15 years ago," Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik and Leh said filling these two positions would not increase taxes.

The school board voted unanimously 9-0 on a motion made by school director Dr. Robert Baird and seconded by school board Vice President Jennifer Miller to authorize the NASD administration to advertise to seek to hire a psychologist and a guidance counselor.

The proposed budget includes hiring of seven new personnel to handle an increase in enrollment at the new, larger 270,000-square-foot Northampton Area Middle School, which accommodates sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The old middle school is 160,000 square feet and doesn't include sixth grade. The new school is to serve an estimated 1,300 students, up from about 900 at the old middle school.

Three new middle school professional staffers are sought.

The administration is seeking one additional middle school security guard and an additional middle school health instructional aide. There is now one middle school nurse. The high school has two nurses and a health instruction aide.

About 100 more students are expected this fall at Northampton Area High School, with enrollment to increase to an estimated 1,900.

Two new high school professional staffers, one each for math and English to bolster students' Keystone exams performance, are sought.

NASD professional staff has gone from 401 in 2012 down to 373 as of 2015, through retirements and attrition but no layoffs.

Total district staff went from 678 in 2012 down to 640 in 2015, a reduction of 38, also with no layoffs.

It is uncertain what impact Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed budget will have on school district budgets across the state.

Leh said the NASD 2015-16 budget is not dependent on an increase in state basic education funding.

Kovalchik and Leh said a predicted NASD increase of $917,997 in state funding could provide:

- Two pre-kindergarten teachers: $156,816;

- Two pre-kindergarten instructional assistants: $64,523;

- Four teachers in math, English and the sciences: $313,632;

- Leasing I-Pads for middle school students: $306,906;

- Staff development: $40,000;

- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) enrichment: $15,000; and

- Summer remediation and enrichment program: $21,120

"We're going to have a plan in place," Leh said, adding, "If the (state) money doesn't come through, we won't go forward with it."

Said Baird, "I don't think, in reality, we're going to see all that."

"These are all options at this point," Kovalchik emphasized of the administration's proposed uses for increased state funding.

Kovalchik and Leh said that, looking ahead to the 2016-17 NASD budget, the district should be well-positioned financially, with possible commercial property tax increases (the FedEx Ground transportation hub is predicted to contribute an additional $1 million in taxes), reduced district contributions to the Public School Employees' Retirement System and the winding down of the $80.1 million Northampton Area Middle School and Secondary Campus Renovation Project.