Saucon Valley school directors push to continue funding discussion about vo-tech school construction

HELLERTOWN, Pa. — Saucon Valley school directors still hope to persuade their counterparts in Bethlehem Area and Northampton Area school districts to rethink a cost-sharing plan for the local vocational-technical school.

“The question is whether there is some fairness in the contribution of the districts toward the expenses there,” Saucon Valley School Board President Shamim Pakzad said.

After a Tuesday meeting, some Saucon Valley School Board members said they want to continue the conversation about the funding formula used by the three districts to cover facilities costs, despite the other two districts looking to move forward with new construction.

On Monday, the joint committee for Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School recommended the three sending districts extend their articles of agreement for 30 years — a decision that would pave the way for a $52 million expansion of the vo-tech’s Chester Avenue campus.

The construction would add lab spaces and rooms for new majors, such as cybersecurity and aviation mechanics, as well as a veterinary technician program, among others.

The expansion would provide for 340 more spots for students to attend the school.

Saucon Valley joint committee representatives were the only ones to vote against the recommendation, which was passed 7-2.

An agreement to satisfy everyone

As a result, the three districts were next tasked with voting to approve the contract at the school board level in the next 60 days.

However, Saucon Valley school directors said the 60-day deadline is arbitrary and the current 30-year agreement doesn’t expire until June 2025.

“This has been our request and stated objective: to sit around the table and talk with them,” Pakzad said, adding he hopes the three districts can reach an agreement that satisfies everyone.

Olivia Frey, a 2018 Saucon Valley graduate and former BAVTS student, attended Tuesday’s board meeting to make clear the impact her time at BAVTS has had on her, after learning about the joint committee discussions.

Frey studied medical science at BAVTS her senior year and now studies pharmaceutical science in college.

“I built lifelong connections with students and instructors,” she said. “I never knew that experience I had during this program would later impact who I am as a person, a student and a healthcare professional.

“The lessons learned from attending BAVTS are an invaluable thing that I would hate for students in this school district to miss out on."

Saucon Valley School Board Vice President Cedric Dettmar said school directors have concerns about funding the vo-tech school, not the quality of education offered there.

“We very much appreciate the opportunity to be a part of BAVTS and to send our students there,” he said.

'Proposal deserves to be heard'

However, Dettmar, who is also a joint committee member, added Saucon Valley doesn’t have a need for the expansion because its enrollment is shrinking.

There are currently no SVSD students on the waitlist to attend BAVTS. About 108 Saucon Valley students will attend next year; Bethlehem and Northampton students account for the rest of the 1,300 morning and afternoon class spots.

“We’re going to be having a smaller and smaller share of the students attending this large new school,” Dettmar said.

Still, Saucon Valley would be willing to support the expansion if the three districts split the facilities costs using a per-pupil formula, rather than the current formula that’s based on real estate values in each district, he said.

The three districts already split other operating costs based on the number of students they send to the vo-tech school.

“We have a really fair and reasonable proposal that deserves to be heard,” School Director Bill Broun added Tuesday.

After taking into account the interest from the 20-year bond needed for construction, the proposed $52 million expansion would end up costing the three districts about $100 million.

Under the current cost-sharing structure and local property values, Saucon Valley would be responsible for about $11.5 million. With Saucon Valley’s proposal, it would save about $2 million.

Bethlehem Area School Board President Michael Faccinetto told LehighValleyNews.com earlier this week that Saucon Valley school directors are endangering the future of the technical school over minor savings.

Nearly every regional vo-tech school in Pennsylvania operates by the formula recommended by the committee, he said.

"To me, that's an accounting error," Faccinetto said. "It's not big money for any of the three districts."

'A lot of politics involved'

But Dettmar said $2 million is a lot of money for a small district such as Saucon Valley, where school directors approved a $54 million 2024-25 budget in May.

The savings could let the district invest in its own facilities. Updates could include installing a turf field in its stadium, or buying lighting for athletic fields and curtains for its theater.

“We could afford to do a lot of things that would have a 20-year life with that $2 million, and instead we’re going to have to pay for the students of Bethlehem and Northampton to attend BAVTS,” Dettmar said.

Pakzad said it’s not fair for Saucon Valley residents on a fixed income to foot the bill for other districts’ students.

Broun said the school directors have to “advocate for all our residents to get a decent deal,” though he has at times leaned toward acquiescing to the demands of the other two districts.

Broun and the other directors said they are passionate about technical education and ensuring students are able to attend BAVTS. The board is aware many students have a "personal" connection to the school, he said.

Directors at this point are not considering an option in which students would attend another nearby vo-tech school. It is legally required that districts provide students with access to a vo-tech program.

Broun said he wants residents and students watching the negotiations unfold to understand the issue at hand is complex.

“It’s not simple," he said. "There’s a lot of politics involved.”