A feasibility study recommendation to realign elementary grades in Palmerton Area School District drew a largely negative response Tuesday night during a public presentation in the high school auditorium.

The district’s board of directors tasked RLPS Architects, at a cost of nearly $18,000, in 2023 to do Palmerton’s first such study in 25 years, examining its educational design, facility improvements, and security measures.

Mike Savage, the lead architect on the study, outlined a one, three and five year recommendation. In the first year, all kindergarten students would attend Parkside Education Center, all first through third grade students would attend Towamensing Elementary and all fourth through sixth grade students would attend S.S. Palmer. The first-year plan also calls for a secure entrance to be added to Palmerton Area High School. In year three, kindergarten students would be moved to an addition built to Towamensing and Parkside would only house district administrative offices. In year 5, high school administrative staff would be moved to an addition in the front of the building.

Although the study projects relatively flat enrollment over the next decade, the district, Savage said, faces critical space shortages for specialized instruction. He highlighted that the district’s facilities lack adequate space for small group and one-on-one instruction, particularly for special education, paraprofessionals, and flexible learning environments.

“This is forcing that type of education currently to take place in corridors, stairwells, and even converted closets,” Savage said, pointing to the overcrowded conditions at SS Palmer Elementary School as a primary example.

According to Savage, the total estimated cost for the recommended projects ranges from $12.86 million to $14.65 million, spread out over five years. The first year of implementation, which focuses on security upgrades and initial realignment, is estimated to cost between $1.33 million and $1.59 million. Year three, which would feature the Towamensing addition, is estimated between $8.77 million and $10.01 million. The final phase, focused on administrative realignment at the high school, would cost an additional $2.75 million to $3.03 million.

No realignment in 2025-26

Teachers’ union president Michelle Muffley said Palmerton parents and staff were dealing with a high level of anxiety over the fear any changes adopted by the school board would take effect next year.

“Everyone keeps saying this is going to get jammed down our throat and kids are moving next year,” Muffley said. “The staff is stressed out about where they will be teaching next year. Parents are wondering where their kids will be going to school. I’m not telling you what to do in the long term, but the nine of you need to come together and decide this is not year one next year.”

Board President Sherry Haas said the board was unaware of how the staff was feeling and would have dealt with the rumors immediately.

“I wish we would have known what teachers were being told or it would have been squashed from day one,” she said. “There have been no votes.”

Board member Kris Schaible told the public that the feasibility study is still in progress, and the proposed changes will be discussed thoroughly at future school board meetings.

“The feasibility study is not done,” she said. “We have not decided what we are going to do. This is not starting in August. It is discussed at every school board meeting.”

Reaction

For some, the proposed changes sparked fears about the impact on Palmerton’s close-knit, walkable community. Patricia Woginrich, a retired teacher and Palmerton resident, expressed her opposition to the changes, particularly the idea of increasing busing.

“There is nothing more important to me than community schools,” Woginrich said. “People move to this community for neighborhood schools. I don’t understand why everyone in the community has to be disrupted because some of the buildings need more special education spaces. If you have to do something, I think you should remove 6th grade and put it at the junior high. The busing will be a nightmare and cost more money.”

Despite these concerns, others in the community, including educators, supported the need for changes to the district’s facilities.

S.S. Palmer teacher Marcy Zelinsky emphasized that the proposed grade realignment could address the overcrowding at her school and provide students with a more equitable learning experience.

“We are bursting at the seams at Palmer,” Zelinsky said. “Our numbers are through the roof. We want these kids to come together as a class at an early age using common language and doing the same things as far as curriculum goes. It’s not about what is best for Palmer or Towamensing, it’s about what is best for Palmerton Area School District.”

Michelle Gordon, a Palmerton parent, shared her perspective on the space challenges within the district, drawing from her personal experience after moving from another school district.

“We moved here from a school district in northeast Pennsylvania that did this exact model,” Gordon said. “My son’s class there had maybe 15-16 kids in it. When we moved to Palmer, my son was in a room with 24 and later 27 students. I’m asking everyone to take a deep breath. The buildings downtown are at capacity. We need to do something.”

Lynn Passerini, a parent whose children currently attend Towamensing Elementary, said she didn’t feel the board adequately advertised the realignment proposal coming out of the study.

“I don’t think it was very well explained to parents that this was going to be a redistribution of students,” she said. “I think it prevented people from coming out and voicing their opinions.”

Other parents voiced concerns over how any realignment would impact the amount of time students would be on buses and how much it would cost. District officials said the transportation details were not available Tuesday night because more thorough examination and discussion during future school board meetings was required.

“It’s also dependent on the direction the board chooses to take,” Interim Superintendent Ryan Kish said.

Security

Aside from realignment, security was another major aspect of Tuesday night’s presentation.

The current RLPS recommendations include adding a security vestibule to the front of the high school in year one and moving the high school administrative suite to the front in year five.

“The security of the high school needs to happen tomorrow,” director Earl Paules said. “We need time to get the permits and land a construction guy. That should be our first focus in all of this.”

What is next

Directors said discussions would continue at board workshops and meetings as the feasibility study nears completion.

“We’ll take all of the feedback from tonight and see what changes or revisions need to be made,” Savage said.