BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Bethlehem Area School District is soliciting feedback on options to replace three elementary schools it plans to tear down.
School administration officials gave board directors an update Monday evening. The buildings that house William Penn, Thomas Jefferson and Fountain Hill have deteriorated so much that renovating them doesn’t make financial sense, BASD Superintendent Joe Roy said.
- BASD is planning to tear down three elementary schools
- It's seeking feedback on options for rebuilding William Penn, Thomas Jefferson and Fountain Hill Elementary Schools
- School officials must also move students during the two-year construction process
Although the planning process began this past April, Roy said they are still in the early stages. The district held a community discussion about the potential impact of demolishing Bethlehem’s Northside schools, William Penn and Thomas Jefferson, at the end of November and has scheduled a faculty meeting focused on Fountain Hill Elementary on Jan. 23.
“This is just kind of the beginning of letting people know, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about this, what’s on your mind? What do you want us to keep in mind as we develop options?’” Roy said.
Families like having the elementary schools as part of the neighborhood, and the role they serve as anchors for the community, said Jack Silva, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer.
Some worry that because they are also community schools, the support they provide to families could be lost if students need to be redistricted because of construction or the school is not rebuilt in the same location, he said.
Community schools provide wraparound services such as food assistance, health care resources and onsite mental health services.
“This is just kind of the beginning of letting people know, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about this, what’s on your mind? What do you want us to keep in mind as we develop options,?'”BASD Superintendent Joseph Roy
The district is considering demolishing all three buildings. Roy said they would rebuild the elementary school in Fountain Hill in the same location.
But it’s not yet clear whether the Northside elementary schools would both be rebuilt. Other options could include creating one larger school and redrawing boundaries to send some students to other schools nearby.
All three schools are currently below enrollment capacity. Roy said the district's population size is stable but down overall in the past decade. He said enrollment has remained stable because of the investment it has made in neighborhood schools.
Roy said one of the big challenges will be moving approximately 955 students who currently attend classes in the buildings to other schools during the construction period, which is expected to take about two years. Many children who attend the schools walk there because it’s within one mile from their homes. No buses serve Thomas Jefferson or William Penn Elementary Schools.
“When we built Nitschmann Middle School, we built the new school right behind the old school,” he said. “But we didn’t have to find another place for the Nitschmann students to go. They stayed in the old school until the new school was built and then we tore down the old school. With these schools, we don’t have that option right now. We can’t build another school on the same site.”
At the community discussion in November, families and staff from William Penn and Thomas Jefferson said they liked the small class sizes and open-concept design of their current schools, according to the presentation Monday from Facilities Director Mark Stein. But he said in a new plan, they'd like to see dedicated parking spaces and green spaces.
Stein said members of the administration will come back before the board in a few months to offer some options to members.
Roy said he hoped that the board will approve the project and hire an architect before the end of this calendar year.
Correction: A previous version of this story said that Fountain Hill Elementary School would be rebuilt in another location. Superintendent Joseph Roy said Tuesday it will be built in the same location.
