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Northwestern Lehigh board to prepare resolution withholding part of charter payments amid state budget impasse
Summary
Board directed staff to prepare a resolution for the Oct. 1 workshop that would withhold 29% of charter payments until the Pennsylvania budget is passed; trustees also outlined document review and an on-site visit for Circle of Seasons Charter School’s renewal application.
The Northwestern Lehigh School District board directed staff at its September meeting to prepare a resolution that would withhold a portion of charter-school payments until the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Department of Education resolve the state budget impasse.
Board members agreed to bring the draft resolution to the district’s October 1 workshop for formal consideration. The draft follows a template circulated by Bethlehem Area School District and would withhold 29% — the district’s state funding proportion — from charter payments until the state budget is finalized. The board did not vote to implement withholding at the meeting; it instructed administration to return with the prepared resolution for action at the workshop.
The matter arose during the superintendent’s report, when staff described two related items: the Circle of Seasons Charter School’s renewal application and a separate, wider proposal that districts temporarily withhold a proportional share of charter payments while the state budget remains unsettled. Staff said other local districts are considering either partial withholding (a percent) or full withholding and offered a sample resolution for board review.
On the charter-renewal timetable, staff said Circle of Seasons submitted a renewal request on Aug. 25 and that the district has asked the charter to provide a packet of documents covering student performance and accountability, curriculum and standards, special education and student services, English language learner supports, human resources, technology, safety and security, overall school design and future plans. After receiving the documents, staff said they will conduct an on-site visit and then bring a recommendation for renewal or nonrenewal to the board.
Finance staff explained how the proposed proportional withholding would be reconciled if the budget is later passed: the district would withhold the state-share portion of payments, track deductions in a separate spreadsheet, and reconcile actual tuition rates once state calculations are finalized on Nov. 1. Staff acknowledged additional administrative work for the business office to perform two reconciliations — first to apply the temporary withholding and later to reconcile final rates — and said the district undertook a similar withholding process during the 2015–16 budget impasse.
Board members who spoke said a proportional withholding is a fairer approach than selectively withholding full payments, because it mirrors the portion of state funds the district itself has not received. No final action was taken; preparation of the resolution for the Oct. 1 workshop was the only formal direction recorded.
Trustees also confirmed that the district will request and review Circle of Seasons’ requested documents and perform an on-site visit before issuing a recommendation. The board set an October schedule for further discussion and potential approval of the resolution.
