LOWER NAZARETH TWP., Pa. — Nazareth Area School District needs another elementary school sooner rather than later, thanks to new housing developments in Northampton County that will boost student enrollment over the next decade.
But the location where the district wants to build its fourth elementary school isn’t zoned for that use — the 43 acres at Hecktown and Country Club roads are designated for agriculture.
“We want to put something together that in good partnership with the township works really well for everybody."Arif Fazil, an engineer for Nazareth Area School District
That’s why school district representatives on Wednesday presented Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors with their plan to rezone the land.
“We want to put something together that in good partnership with the township works really well for everybody,” school district engineer Arif Fazil said.
The supervisors said they are wary about setting a “spot zoning” precedent.
Still, the district argued it needs to meet the demand for student seats created by rapid housing construction in the township.
New homes, more students
Fazil said the anticipated 925 new homes across nine developments in the district’s catchment area likely will generate at least 500 additional Nazareth Area students by 2034.
Those projections assume no additional housing development past 2030, which Fazil noted is unlikely.
Redistricting “has to be done cautiously, carefully and well planned.”Nazareth Area School District engineer Arif Fazil
Of the new homes on the books, 64% are slated for Lower Nazareth Township, where the district wants its fourth elementary school to go.
Nazareth Area’s representatives said the impending housing developments and the subsequent student enrollment growth necessitate a new elementary school serving up to 600 students that would open by 2029.
The district estimates the project would cost $72 million.
With four elementary schools, Nazareth Area would redistrict its school boundaries to evenly distribute pupils across its buildings.
It would look to keep class sizes at 20 pupils for kindergarten through second grade, and at 23 pupils for third and fourth grades.
Fazil said redistricting “has to be done cautiously, carefully and well planned.”
Elementary schools near capacity
As of mid-March, the district’s total student enrollment was 4,901, and there were 1,751 pupils in kindergarten through fourth grade at NASD's three elementary schools.
The schools are Kenneth N. Butz Jr. Elementary, Floyd R. Shafer Elementary and Lower Nazareth Elementary.
“It puts stress on staff, and ultimately, it’s the boys and girls in our school that feel that stress."Michael Santos, Lower Nazareth Elementary principal
Based on enrollment numbers, the district’s elementary school buildings are at 97% capacity.
According to projections, the district will have 1,921 elementary school students by 2034, putting enrollment as a percentage of building capacity at 107%.
The district built additions at two of its elementary schools with available space in 2021, but enrollment has continued to grow, leaving the district no choice but to build.
At Lower Nazareth Elementary, Principal Michael Santos said the school community already is feeling the lack of space as student numbers have increased.
“It puts stress on staff, and ultimately, it’s the boys and girls in our school that feel that stress,” he said.
Schools, township to collaborate
Nazareth Area School Board President Linda Stubits said the district wants to collaborate with the Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors to develop a solution for finding land to build a school.
Of the four available sites in the township already zoned for a school, none would work for the project, the school district said.
“When we do come together, it does increase our property value and it does foster civic pride and it does bring our families together.”Nazareth Area School Board President Linda Stubits
The properties were either too expensive or the owners weren’t interested in selling.
Stubits said it’s essential for the school district and township to work together to serve residents, who ultimately don’t want to see students dealing with overcrowded schools, long bus rides or temporary classrooms in trailers due to lack of space.
“When we do come together, it does increase our property value and it does foster civic pride and it does bring our families together,” Stubits told supervisors.
She said the district wants its legal counsel to collaborate with the township’s attorney. The supervisors agreed to the arrangement, but offered concerns on the district’s proposal.
Supervisors' concerns
Supervisor Stephen Brown said he wants to preserve the township's farmland. He suggested the school district could agree to a conservation easement at the site if its plans move forward.
The district said it only plans to develop 30% of the property, which is next to Louise Moore County Park.
Brown, whose children attend Lower Nazareth Elementary, said he’s concerned about redistricting.
“It’s not our intent to unravel that and let others go through and have an opening to do the same."Victor Scomillio, an attorney for Nazareth Area School District
“Depending on how this is redistricted, half the township goes to one school, half the township goes to another — that goes against the fabric of our community,” he said.
Brown and other supervisors also said they’re concerned about traffic.
Additionally, Supervisor Nancy Teague said the board previously denied a rezoning proposal for the same land to be used to build a Costco, the popular discount store.
Teague also said the township is dealing with active litigation from three warehouse proposals that the supervisors denied on the basis of agricultural security and conservation.
“To rezone one piece of property for essentially a giant building might put those cases in jeopardy,” she added. “And I don’t know that anyone in Lower Nazareth wants us to potentially lose those cases.”
Victor Scomillio, an attorney for the school district, said it’s possible for the township to give his client the OK for building a school at the proposed site without undoing its own zoning scheme.
“It’s not our intent to unravel that and let others go through and have an opening to do the same,” Scomillio said.
“I believe we can craft a solution here that limits this to the public use of a school and [doesn't] open it up to commercial development down the road.”
