The East Penn School District Board of School Directors reviewed a draft of the 2025-2026 East Penn School District student/teacher calendar at the Feb. 10 regular board meeting.

The calendar features 183 student days and 189 teacher days, with two inclement weather makeup days already built into the calendar. If needed, additional inclement weather days would include April 1, 2026 as a full day or if three closings occur on or before March 23, there will be early dismissal April 2. The tentative start day for the new school year is Aug. 25, with graduation tentative for June 7, 2026.

For this year, if fewer than three inclement weather days are used, the last day of school will be June 7. Otherwise, June 11, 12, 15, 16 and 17 will be makeup days if needed.

The board started the process with the 2025-2026 budget with Business Administrator and Treasurer Robert Saul providing a fund balance and revenue presentation. As Superintendent Dr. Kristen Campbell pointed out when she introduced Saul, this is the “first official budget presentation.” Individual components including an expenditure overview for 2025-2026, a long range fiscal and capital plan and proposed priorities will come before the directors during the next several months for discussion. A vote for adoption is scheduled for June 9.

Campbell and Saul reminded the board they already voted to adopt the resolution not to exceed the Act 1 Index for funding the 2025-2026 budget at a previous meeting.

Saul reported the anticipated ending fund balance for the 2024-2025 fiscal year will be $25,776,754. This figure becomes the beginning fund balance for the 2025-2026 budget. Based on current assumptions, the ending fund balance is estimated to be $22,671,803. These numbers are subject to change as more information from multiple sources becomes available on what revenue is brought in through local, state and federal sources. These include tax revenue, along with state and federal funding, subsidies and grants.

A pie chart provided by Saul showed local revenue at 73%, state revenue at 25% and federal revenue: direct and indirect at 1% each.

“I think in the short term, we can be fairly sure, crossing my fingers in my pocket, that we’re going to get those funds,” Saul said regarding President Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze federal grants. He said a federal judge had blocked the freeze order for now as the executive branch doesn’t have the authority to not distribute funds already appropriated by Congress. “I think the risk in the longer term, is if in the next budget, whenever that may be, funds are not appropriated, then there wouldn’t be funds available.” In terms of the district’s budget and planning, Saul said, “It’s really a toss up at this point.”

In her district update, Campbell announced online kindergarten registration for the next school year begins March 1. She promoted the sales of personalized graduate signs for Emmaus High School senior or eighth grade middle school students about to transition to the high school.

The high school musical, “Mamma Mia!” will be performed April 2-5.

The superintendent ran through a long list of recent successes enjoyed by student musicians, scholars and sports teams, including a bowling champion.

Campbell said nominations for Class of 2025 seniors for the EHS Grad Spotlight are open.

The seven school board members present voted unanimously to table a proposal for tax relief for Westrum Development which is cleaning up a brown field site at 300 Furnace St. in Emmaus to erect apartment buildings there. With the proposed Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act resolution, the East Penn School District would allow for 75% of the property taxes exempted in the first year after completion of the project. The second year it falls to 60%, third year 45%, fourth year 30%, fifth year to 15% with the sixth year being the first time the apartment complex would be paying 100% of their taxes.

Emmaus borough passed a generous LERTA resolution for the property in September 2024.

While all of the directors applaud the project, they were split on whether to financially support it by taking a potential loss of around $600,000 in tax revenue.

Some questioned if granting LERTA resolutions for brown field mediation and redevelopment projects would benefit the district overall in the long run or if it would be a drag on funding educational priorities in the short term.

It was suggested the resolution could be readjusted to allow for some tax relief for the property, but with a lesser hit to the school district’s budget, along with language that would set criteria and limits to set a precedent.

With two members absent, the decision to table will allow for the full board to review the matter at a later time.

In personnel matters, the board accepted the retirement of Willow Lane Elementary School Principal Dr. Anthony Moyer effective Aug. 25.

“He will always be remembered for building a positive school culture,” Campbell said on Moyer’s 33 years of service with the district. She noted he was an East Penn student and graduated from EHS.

New textbooks supporting the high school’s Latin courses were approved and adopted unanimously. Suburani – Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3 are published by Hands Up Education Community Interest Company.

As required by Pennsylvania law every three years, Director of Special Education Jody Freed provided a brief overview of the district’s 2025-2028 gifted education plan assurances.

There were no requests to address the board.

President Dr. Joshua Levinson mentioned an executive session was held before the public forum 6:45 p.m. on litigation.

Levinson announced the district will be closed Feb. 17 in honor of Presidents Day.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24. The public can access documents through BoardDocs via a link on the district website. Livestreaming of meetings is available on the district’s YouTube channel.