District Chief Financial Officer Stacy Gober described the economic impact of coronavirus-related spending and government-mandated shutdowns at the Oct. 12 school board meeting, detailing both expected losses and ongoing variables.

New expenses for the current academic year top $4 million; the biggest line items include virtual learning ($2.5 million); technology, including Chromebooks for elementary students ($884,000); and personal protective equipment ($390,000). Local tax revenue losses for the district are nearly $2 million for the current school year.

The total of additional costs and missing revenue for this school year will exceed the extra funding (including federal relief through the CARES Act) by more than $2.3 million; the bulk of the expenses were anticipated during the budgeting process.

Gober noted there are three items with potential impact of unknown magnitude: food service-related losses, potential lawsuits from special education families regarding a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), and potential liabilities related to coronavirus illness.

The board also discussed the district’s annual application for Keystone STARS grants for district-run childcare centers at 12 elementary schools. Administered by the Pa. Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), these grants are awarded based on performance beyond state health and safety requirements. The board will vote to submit the grant applications at its Oct. 19 meeting. The district budget anticipates $40,664 in STARS grants across all 12 schools; over the past three years, the district has received an average of $47,000 per year through this program.

Although the district anticipated receiving $100,000 worth of internet access vouchers from Northampton County to support distance learning, the county recently informed Chief Technology Officer Marie Bachman that the money can only be used by district families through December. Because of this change, families using the voucher program are working with the district to obtain T-Mobile hotspots and use the county money for monthly data plans.

During the HR committee meeting, the board heard a second reading of the discrimination and harassment policies unveiled Sept. 14 by Chief Human Resources Officer Russ Giordano. Board member Angela Sinkler pointed out some inconsistencies with administrators’ titles in the policies; Giordano will update the policies before the third meeting.

Sinkler also voiced a concern that students and staff members might not feel comfortable making their formal complaint to the person indicated in the official policy. Board member Winston Alozie asked whether having dedicated harassment personnel would be feasible, and whether this is the practice in other school districts. Giordano said that building officials are frequently involved in these types of complaints in other districts, and indicated that he has some school building administrators in mind as potential supplementary personnel, if required. Maintaining full-time harassment investigation personnel would be prohibitively costly for the district.

“We’re trying to make sure we have enough folks … to manage this, to do it timely and effectively, but not so many that it becomes disjointed,” Giordano said, “and we want to make sure that everyone who is in one of these roles is capable, trained, and has the skills to do it.” Next steps – provided the board approves the policies – are the creation and promulgation of forms and processes for complaints, as well as training of personnel to be involved in investigations, and of staff and students, who will be affected by the policies.

Giordano also provided an update on upcoming contract negotiations. Clerical and custodial workers’ contracts run through the end of June 2021; negotiations for the next contract will begin in January 2021. Bus drivers and bus monitors’ contract negotiations will begin in January 2022; educational support personnel, food service and hall monitors, and teachers will begin their contract negotiations in January 2023.