A feasibility study is still ongoing in Jim Thorpe Area School District, but school board members got an early look Wednesday night at three potential options for buildings and grade alignments that may come out of it.

The study by EI Associates, which focuses on the current condition of the district’s educational facilities, demographic trends and potential for future development, aims to provide the board with actionable recommendations for improvement and growth.

The district’s buildings currently include the L.B. Morris K-8 School, Penn-Kidder K-8 Campus and Jim Thorpe Area High School.

According to the study, the district’s functional capacity is becoming strained, with potential overcrowding in some facilities, particularly at Penn-Kidder and L.B. Morris schools.

“These are just options, not etched in stone,” Bruce Christman of EI Associates said during a school board committee meeting Wednesday night.

Options

The feasibility study presented three primary options for addressing the district’s needs:

Option 1: Maintain the current three-school setup, with L.B. Morris and Penn-Kidder campuses serving grades K-8, and the high school remaining unchanged. This option involves enhancing current facilities by adding two additional spaces at both K-8 schools.

Option 2: Reconfigure the district into two grade centers, with K-3 students attending Penn-Kidder and grades 4-8 attending L.B. Morris. The high school would remain as-is.

Option 3: Similar to Option 2, but with the construction of a new K-3 school. Penn-Kidder would then be repurposed or closed entirely, while L.B. Morris would serve grades 4-8.

Definitive cost estimates for the options were not part of Wednesday’s update.

Current Enrollment

Total student numbers peaked in 2012 at around 2,200 students, Christman said.

Since then, enrollment has gradually declined, although it has remained relatively steady post-COVID. The district is currently waiting for updated enrollment projections from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which are expected to help guide decisions on capacity and space utilization.

Penn Kidder’s current enrollment is 542 students, according to the study, while its functional capacity is 614.

Current enrollment at L.B. Morris is 622 students, with a functional capacity of 674.

The high school currently has an enrollment of 549 students, with a functional capacity of 802.

“You never want to be at full capacity because that means you’re busting at the seams,” Christman said.

Key Findings

The study’s findings revealed a series of specific deficiencies and improvements needed at various district facilities.

For example, at the Penn-Kidder K-8 campus, issues such as cracked and lifted concrete sidewalk slabs, deteriorating limestone caps on brick walls, and the need to replace the existing turf field were highlighted. Safety and security upgrades were recommended, including the replacement of interior door hardware with intruder lock functions and the installation of safety glazing in main office corridor windows.

From an HVAC perspective, the Penn-Kidder Campus also needs upgrades to its air handling units and ventilation systems, along with the replacement of oil-fired boilers. Suggested electrical system updates include replacing emergency generators and upgrading the main switchboard.

“We assign costs to each deficiency and rank them from one to four, with one being urgent—where it must be addressed immediately to avoid more significant problems.” Christman said.

The district was informed that the total estimated cost for addressing deficiencies across all buildings is around $43 million. However, Christman clarified that this number is a roadmap for future planning and not an immediate requirement.

“This is a plan,” he said. “The district should prioritize items with shorter life expectancies, like aging HVAC equipment, and develop a strategy to address these within the next few years.”

What Next

The feasibility study is expected to continue for several months, with consultants working on finalizing the facilities assessment while also integrating the educational and demographic data.

“We’re not here to push any particular product or project,” Christman said.