The Panther Valley School Board took the first step Wednesday night in evaluating the district’s schools and capacity as enrollment continues to climb.

The board approved a request for proposals for a feasibility study to evaluate the current facilities and determine what the district’s future needs are.

“This will get us the information that we need to make informed decisions going forward,” said Jesse Walck, business manager.

The board discussed the feasibility study during a committee meeting last week.

Board member Michael Alabovitz said there are rumors in the community that the district is moving forward with a new school.

“We’re not doing anything,” he said. “We’re talking about it.”

The board needs to know costs before it makes any decision, Walck said, and a study will help them make a decision when the time comes.

“Everyone here knows that we’ve seen drastically increased enrollment,” he said. “It’s hard to project where that goes from here ... kind of right size what we are doing and make sure it’s going to fit. That is what we need to plan for.”

A building plan could be three or four years down the road, or it could be 20 or 30 years down the road, he said.

“At least you know what you need, and you have approximate costs for it,” Walck said in favor of a feasibility study.

Other business

• Approved the purchase of athletic equipment for various sports. The board discussed the needs of each sport during committee meetings Monday. The equipment will be purchased using St. Luke’s sponsorship funding.

• Approved the purchase of Exploring Pennsylvania 2nd Edition from Penns Valley Publishers at a cost of $4,130.50. This is an update to the fourth-grade social studies curriculum and is funded by the Rural and Low Income Grant.

• Approved the purchase of Discovering World Geography from McGraw Hill at a cost of $7,293.06. This is an update of the existing curriculum, and also paid through the Rural and Low Income Grant.

• Approved the purchase of Impact Social Studies U.S. History from McGraw Hill at a cost of $8,235.15. This is an update of the fifth-grade social studies curriculum, also grant funded.

• Approved expansion of the accounting software agreement with Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit to include document management services starting July 1 at an annual cost of $11,474. This will allow the district to electronically backup documents linked to purchases.

• Awarded a contract for food service management to Nutrition Group. This is funded by the cafeteria revenue and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements. There were three other bids.

Approved the K-12 School Guidance Plan.

• Approved the following policies: Home education programs; extracurricular participation by home education students, participation in co-curricular activities and academic courses by home education students, trauma-informed approach; and use of metal detectors.

• Approved an agreement with the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit No. 21 for TransPerfect Remote Interpreters Products and Services effective July 1.

• Approved the CLIU’s Facilities Plan for 2023-2024.