The BASD school board met June 14 for final adoption of its 2021-22 budget, as well as to discuss business of the Finance and HR committees. Total expenditures in the budget are $315,820,921; total projected revenues are $311,776,504, which includes a local property tax increase of roughly 2 percent. Seven members were present; the budget adoption measure passed 7–0.

The millage for Northampton County will increase from 56.17 to 57.76 (2.8 percent); Lehigh County millage will increase from 18.65 to 18.78 (0.7 percent). The difference between the counties is due to annual rebalancing required by Section 672.1 of the Pa. School Code. The $4 million gap between revenue and expenses will be closed by drawing down the general fund balance.

The board also reviewed the district’s health and safety plan, a new requirement introduced last summer by the Pa. Dept. of Health and the Pa. Dept. of Education. Based on current conditions, the plan calls for a return to full in-person learning Aug. 30, with online learning options available via opt-in for families with specific health concerns.

Masks will be worn on buses, where students will be given assigned seats to aid in contact tracing. Multiple clinics to administer COVID-19 shots, which have been authorized for emergency use by the FDA, have already been held by the district for ages 12 and up, and additional clinics will be set up for younger children if FDA further extends its emergency authorizations.

Because the plan must be submitted to the state Department of Education in July, the board will vote on the plan June 21. However, the current plans for universal masking and the socially distanced cafeteria seating may change, if federal and state regulations change.

The district’s financial advisor, Scott Shearer, provided an update on the 2017, 2018 and 2018A floating rate notes. The district has $100,845,000 in outstanding principal of variable rate debt, which was originally issued in 2005 and 2007, and has been refinanced in the interim and hedged with associated swaps. The district must remarket these notes by Nov. 1 of this year. Shearer presented three options, from which the board will choose Sept. 20: remarket all three series with new floating rate notes; refund all three series with fixed rate bonds; and terminate all three associated swaps, or refund/terminate the 2017 series and remarket/maintain the 2018 and 2018A series.

District Chief Financial Officer Stacy Gober reviewed with the board that the National School Lunch Program will be available to all BASD students next year. Although this means that lunch will be free to any student who chooses it, it also means the district is limited in its choices of what to offer, and will likely continue to run its food service operations at a loss, as the federal reimbursement of $5.79 per day is for served meals only, and does not cover food service employee wages.

At the June 21 meeting, which will be held at East Hills MS at 7 p.m. and accessible via Zoom, the board was expected to vote on several contract renewals, as well as the aforementioned issues discussed on June 14. All measures up for a vote, as well as details of the floating rate note options open to the district, are available online (https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/beth/Board.nsf/Public).