BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Parents and residents of the Bethlehem Area School District can weigh in on how the district uses its school buildings and draws attendance boundaries at five community meetings Wednesday, Nov. 4, through Friday, Nov. 6.
The meetings are part of District Design, the district’s long-range planning process for its 22 school buildings. The district cites declining enrollment, rising operating costs and aging buildings. Enrollment is 12,041 this fall, down 12.9%, or 1,783 students, from 13,824 in 2013-14, according to figures Jane Coughenour of Steps to Achieve, the firm facilitating the meetings, presented Oct. 13 at a District Design Committee meeting. The count does not include pre-K.
Steps to Achieve says it will produce five options for attendance zones, consolidation or construction. The school board makes the final decision, advised by a committee of school directors, administrators and community members. The district says the last district-wide redistricting was in the early 1990s, with a neighborhood-specific one in 2017…