East Penn reduces planned 5% tax increase, details priority project spending for 2024-25

EMMAUS, Pa. — East Penn School Board reviewed a series of priority proposals for next year’s budget Monday, balancing concern over tax hikes with the need for more than $2 million in support staff and instructor expenses.

Revisions to the district’s 2024-25 budget have whittled a tentative 5.95% tax hike to 5%, but board members appeared wary about pushing for several priority projects with a total cost of $197,800,544.

Superintendent Kristen Campbell led a presentation to the board detailing seven of 11 budget priorities with a total cost of $2,038,000 at meeting — likely the last before the budget is finalized.

“If all of these priorities, again, are included in the budget, it's about a 5% tax increase," Campbell said. "If all of these $2 million in priorities were removed and not moved ahead for next year, the tax increase would be approximately 3.2%.”

District Special Education Director Jody Freed said Emmaus High School required a school psychologist to help alleviate the burden on the one dedicated psychologist and another who splits their time with another of the district’s campuses.

The position would cost $117,000, though it would go a long way toward helping treat the 2,762 students at the high school, Freed said.

The high school also is in need of an additional English and math instructor, which would cost $234,000, Principal Beth Guarriello said.

Hiring for those positions would help keep an average class size goal of 22 students in co-taught programs, 24 in at-level courses and 28 for AP or honors courses, Guarriello said.

Keeping class sizes at that level will “allow teachers to better prepare individual students for the Keystone Exams, SAT exams, AP exams and ACT exams, through additional test prep and practice and time and individualized feedback,” she said.

Additional special needs staff

Two elementary positions — an autistic support teacher and learning support teacher — would cost $234,000, but would provide additional direct support and instruction to those with learning disabilities.

Three additional assistants for autistic support would let the district better support students with special needs, with a cost of $79,000.

“So each autistic support classroom does require additional support beyond the classroom teacher due to the high level of needs that are provided in academics and behaviors in those classrooms, Freed said.

"So we are proposing three additional instructional assistants to provide individual and small group supports to those students.”

Additional support from bumping six part-time instruction assistants to full time positions would let instructors prioritize students requiring the most attention, in addition to building a consistent support team, at a price of $66,000.

“We're talking about students who perhaps have significant needs, and really do need the greatest amount of consistency in terms of the adults with whom they're working, Campbell said.

"And so the current constraints of their part-time schedule prevents us from creating that consistency to the greatest extent possible for kids, and then certainly also creates inconsistencies in terms of the partnership between the support staff member and the classroom teacher.”

A proposal for a new school counselor at $117,000 would fill a hole for Virtual East Penn Academy students, according to the budget report.

'I'd like it to be less'

It also would help with the planned realignment school buildings to place fifth and sixth grades in one building and seventh and eighth grades in another.

“So the short-term vision for this person would be that they would support secondary best for students grades six through 12, approximately 163 students, that fluctuates through the year," Educational Alternatives Director Jennifer Carolla said.

"In addition, the school counselor would provide a resource to provide greater equity and the delivery of services at the middle level.”

An elementary assistant principal — with a prospective price tag of $158,000 — also would play into the realignment, Campbell said, with the position's initial responsibilities akin to administrative support.

“Then, as we think ahead to the realignment for the ’27-’28 school year, this administrative position would then transfer and be an assistant principal at one of the two middle schools, likely the five, six building,” Campbell said.

“What this would create is an equitable situation in each middle level building, the five, six and the seven, eight building in which we would have a building administrator or principal and two assistant principals at each of those buildings.”

Several board members expressed worry about the potential for subsequent 5% tax rate bumps in the coming years, most appeared receptive to the benefits of investing in the positions.

“I'm also concerned with 5 percent, I'd like it to be less, but I understand that we have a new set of circumstances and are trying to do a lot of different things,” board President Dr. Joshua A. Levinson said.

East Penn Business Administrator Robert Saul said he expected the current status of the budget to be consistent with what will be presented at the next board meeting, set for April 22.