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Board hears updates on Bethlehem authority agreement, IU budget and expanded internet capacity
Summary
Board members were briefed on a near-final agreement on a Bethlehem property authority with a 50-year term under discussion, a Colonial Intermediate Unit budget submission that kept district charges stable, and an IU-led internet contract that would increase bandwidth and lower costs.
Saucon Valley School District board members received briefings on regional projects and shared services during the Jan. 28 meeting, including progress on a Bethlehem authority agreement, a Colonial Intermediate Unit (IU) budget update and changes to IU-managed internet services.
Attorney Michael Fitzgerald (presented to the board as "Mister Fitzgerald" in the meeting) said recent negotiations on a financing and governance agreement for a property the parties expect the authority to own are narrowing. He said parties appear to be settling on a 50-year term after earlier discussions considered 30- and 99-year options. Fitzgerald said the finance-related memorandum of understanding and updated articles of agreement will go to the JOY committee and then back to the districts for approval, with committee consideration coming in February.
Dr. Poqshad, speaking about the Colonial Intermediate Unit, said the IU presented an operational budget showing a 4.1% increase in total expenses but that the amount requested from each district remained unchanged. Services-based charges, she said, have not increased and the IU reported cost savings after exiting a statewide consortium for internet services.
According to the IU update, districts will see upgraded internet capacity and defensive DDOS services; bandwidth is expected to increase (the IU cited a move from 10 gigabits per second to 40 gigabits per second) while per-district costs are expected to fall. Board members were told the changes would apply to the 2025–26 school year.
Board members said they would receive the JOY committee materials and the proposed MOUs and articles for district consideration once completed. No final district-level action on the Bethlehem agreement, IU budget or internet contracts was taken at the meeting; the items are in the committee and inter-district review stages.
