The March 28 meeting of the Saucon Valley School Board saw several notable pieces of business come before the group.

First, Executive Director Dr. Christopher Wolfel of Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 presented its 2023-24 general operating budget.

1.5 percent of the overall budget is up for approval, which is the base budget that “supports the core operations of the organization,” Wolfel said. All other services are by request and charge sending districts additional fees.

Director Shawn Welch began asking Wolfel about his salary and benefits, which Wolfel estimated at $170,000, before turning attention to the income of an average district taxpayer. In response, Wolfel explained that the IU’s Board of Directors usually sets its executive’s salary to the average of the superintendents of its 13 sending districts.

Next, Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech Executive Director Adam Lazarchak presented its 2023-24 Annual Budget.

Staff salaries and benefits will account for the greatest portion of a 3.67 percent overall budget increase (over $500,000), he said. With an increase of only approximately $190,000 in revenue, about $316,000 in increased funding is required of its sending districts.

Lazarchak also explained that the cost-sharing formula derives from a three-year rolling average of student enrollment, and Saucon Valley averages about 11.5 percent of the total. However, overall enrollment at the Vo-Tech has significantly increased, so the district’s total student contribution has nearly doubled since 2017.

Also sparking considerable discussion were proposed changes to three specific policies regarding after-school district facility use.

In the public comment portion preceding regular business, district resident and upcoming school board candidate Donald Carpenter noted that the evening’s agenda featured “dozens, if not more” specific notes within the policies that could become problematic. He quoted several examples and asked the board to consider the motivation behind the changes and whether or not they would help the district “mitigate risk.”

Once the agenda item came up, board Vice President Dr. Shamim Pakzad also directed several concerns to Solicitor Mark Fitzgerald. Several of Pakzad’s colleagues echoed his apprehension, offering suggestions to revise provisions and language.

Additionally, director Cedric Dettmar noted that within the changes were both a newly ‘hardline’ fee schedule and restricted hours of availability, so groups like local Girl Scout troops may now be unable to meet the new guidelines. Fitzgerald added that the district needed to address how, in previous years, it forgave some fees arbitrarily.

After nearly an hour of discussion, the board voted 7-1 to advance the revisions at the next Academic & Personnel Committee meeting, with Michael Karabin accounting for the sole ‘nay.’

Supervisor of Campus Operations James Deegan provided a few slides explaining the proposal for approximately $7.5 million in repairs and maintenance of campus roofing, windows, and HVAC system. Weatherproofing Technologies, Inc, SJ Thomas Company, Inc., and ASL Mechanical are the primary contractors responsible for the work, he said.

Ultimately, the board was satisfied with Deegan’s technical description and value of the proposed work, and several directors noted the expenditures were anticipated for some time.