The recommendation for the future of Moore Elementary School could be made at the next Northampton Area School District Board of Education meeting.

Three school board members who are members of the NASD board facilities committee will review the options and financial forecast presented at the Sept. 16 meeting before making their recommendation.

NASD Business Administrator Craig Neiman presented an options menu and potential taxing plan at the Sept. 16 facilities committee meeting in the Northampton Area High School library conference room.

The options and plan presented by Neiman are unofficial. The financials and timeline may be tweaked, NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said at the Sept. 16 facilities meeting.

Neiman will present the options and plan at the next board of education meeting, planned for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14 in the auditorium of NAHS, 1619 Laubach Ave., Northampton.

The school board could make a decision on the fate of Moore Elementary at its October or November meetings. The board of education meets again 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at NAHS.

Kovalchik said at the Sept. 16 facilities committee meeting that it’s incumbent on the school board to make its decision on Moore Elementary no later than the November board meeting.

“We have to somehow include all of the things we’re talking about in the January 2025-26 budget presentation,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik and Neiman typically unveil the upcoming school year budget at the January board meeting.

“PFM says we need to increase millage to provide for projects,” Neiman said in his Sept. 16 presentation, referring to Jamie Doyle, PFM Financial Advisors LLC managing director. PFM is the NASD financial consultant.

The school board is considering the financial impact of whether to renovate Moore Elementary or demolish it and build a new school there, as well as the impact of the East Allen Elementary School and education center construction project and the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School expansion project. NASD, Saucon Valley School District and Bethlehem Area School District help fund BAVTS for their students.

“Why is it backloaded?” asked school Director and facilities committee member Brian McCulloch, who represents Bath and Chapman boroughs and Moore Township. “Couldn’t we kind of slide those up?” McCulloch asked concerning the plan presented by Neiman.

“Yes, you could,” Neiman replied. “We can absolutely talk about shifting those things around,” Neiman said, adding, “In 2025, we can earmark that (funding) for Moore.”

School Director and facilities committee member Joshua Harris, who represents Bath and Chapman Boroughs and Moore Township, said the information in Neiman’s presentation is what was needed to make a recommendation.

“There are a lot of unknowns. The only known now is the East Allen (Elementary School),” Kovalchik said.

“The two unknowns are BAVTS (expansion) — we don’t really know when that’s going to take place — and you’re going to need to know about Moore for 2025-26 (district budget),” Kovalchik said.

East Allen Elementary School, Route 329 and Seemsville Road, is to open in the fall of 2026 for the 2026-27 school year.

“I’m assuming Moore now stays open,” said school Director and facilities committee member Ross Makary, representing Northampton Borough and East Allen Township.

“You’re going to have to [keep Moore open] for the next two years,” Kovalchik replied.

“Can we keep Moore open until 2030?” Makary asked NASD Director of Operations Jonathan Jenny.

“No. That must include the $27 million to keep it going,” Jenny replied.

Demolition is one of the options for the 68-year-old building on a 17.75-acre site at 2835 Mountain View Drive (Route 946), Moore Township.

The three options, or combinations thereof, for Moore Elementary are partial renovation, $27,432,953; full renovation, $53,975,006; and demolition and replacement, $73,068,090.

“I think we have to mull over these numbers,” McCulloch said.

The facilities committee next meets 6 p.m. Oct. 21 in the NAHS library conference room. The meeting is open to the public.