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Northwestern Lehigh SD board weighs staffing changes and millage scenarios to close budget gap
Summary
Board members reviewed staffing recommendations — including a shared behavior interventionist and a part-time increase for gifted services — and considered four millage scenarios (2%–3.5%) that district staff say would generate roughly $700,000 to $1.2 million to reduce use of fund balance.
The Northwestern Lehigh SD Board on April 15 reviewed staffing recommendations and millage options as administrators try to close a projected budget shortfall for 2026–27. Administrators asked the board to approve professional staffing changes and to give direction on a proposed tax-rate increase to reduce reliance on fund balance.
District presenters told trustees the elementary kindergarten class at Northwestern Elementary currently shows just 32 registrations while Weisenberg Elementary has 58, and staff projected that live-birth and projection data (580 births in 2021 and an estimated incoming cohort) could add roughly 36 students across the district next year. The presenter said the immediate choices are whether to keep two kindergarten sections at Northwestern and add a section at Weisenberg, or consolidate sections, and cautioned that transportation capacity and driver availability complicate shuttling small numbers of students between buildings.
Why it matters: The staffing proposals and enrollment projections directly affect classroom organization, teacher assignments and the district’s budget. Trustees must weigh whether to use one-time fund balance to cover costs or to seek recurring revenue by raising the millage rate.
Administration asked the board to approve several targeted staffing moves: add a shared elementary behavior interventionist (to be funded in part by PCCD grant funds), increase a part-time gifted-teacher position by about 17% FTE to handle rising caseloads, and replace retirements while monitoring kindergarten enrollments. The district also recommended reducing one high-school faculty position in math/science because of lower course-demand projections.
On the behavior interventionist, administrators cited discipline and MTSS data as the basis for the request. "We looked at office referrals, behavior incidents, crisis calls and our MTSS problem-solving data," the presenter said, describing why a shared interventionist would be used across elementary buildings rather than dedicated one-to-one support.
On revenue options, district staff presented four millage scenarios and estimated the revenue each would generate: roughly $700,000 (2%); about $889,000 (2.5%); about $1.0 million (3%); and about $1.2 million (3.5%). Staff said those revenues would reduce the use of fund balance under different scenarios and offered to present a proposed budget at 3.5% at the May proposed-final hearing for the board to adjust later. "I can do the proposed budget at 3.5 if you want and then discuss it," the presenter said.
Board members asked practical questions about class-size targets and educational trade-offs. Administration reiterated the district guideline for kindergarten of roughly 17–22 students per class, noting that national and district research sometimes cite lower "optimal" ranges. Trustees also emphasized that smaller early-grade classes can be a recruitment tool for families and asked administrators to balance educational needs with fiscal constraints.
What comes next: Administrators will present the proposed final budget in May; the board will discuss millage and staffing at the May 6 workshop and consider a board vote at the May 13 meeting. No final millage action was taken on April 15; trustees directed staff to continue monitoring enrollments and to bring the formal proposed budget forward according to the advertised schedule.
