Bethlehem Area SD Board of School Directors
BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS EDUCATION CENTER 1516 Sycamore Street Bethlehem, PA 18017-6099 610-861-0500 January 12, 2022 Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, Thank you for navigating this important and difficult task of redistricting the Commonwealth. We are sharing our thoughts with you as the nine duly elected members of the Bethlehem Area School District Board of School Directors. The Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) is the 6th largest school district in the Commonwealth and is comprised of the City of Bethlehem (both Northampton and Lehigh Counties), Bethlehem and Hanover Townships, and the Boroughs of Freemansburg and Fountain Hill. Our district is extremely diverse, representing the urban areas of the City of Bethlehem as well as wealthy suburban neighborhoods. Our diversity is one of our greatest assets. The vast majority of the BASD (with the exception of Hanover Township, which makes up a small portion of the overall district) has been a part of the 18th Senatorial District for decades. We have been well served to be a part of the 18th district. A school district of our size in a city the size of Bethlehem deserves to be kept together unless it is absolutely necessary to divide it. The current proposal takes a large portion of our students and their families and places them in a new district that comprises large portions of the City of Allentown and the Allentown School District (ASD), which is the 3rd largest district in the Commonwealth. The BASD and ASD, serving over 30,000 students must be represented by two different senators. We should not be advocating against our colleagues in Allentown, rather working with them on key issues for public education. We are struggling to find a logical reason that over 30% of our students and their families would be removed from the 18th District. The West Bethlehem portion of the BASD has been part of the City of Bethlehem for over 100 years. In 2019, the BASD opened the doors to a newly rebuilt Nitschmann Middle School in West Bethlehem. This project, and the BASD taxpayers, benefited from state grant funds secured by the Senator from the 18th District. Would we have been able to access those funds if a competing project was on the table in Allentown? The financial situation of the ASD is significantly different than that of the BASD, and it may have been determined that they needed the funds more. We are very concerned that this scenario will play out time and time again if these proposed maps are enacted. No other city or school district of our size has been affected to the degree that the BASD has been affected. We urge you to look again at the proposal for the 14th and 18th Districts. Please ask yourself, are these changes absolutely necessary? We would conclude that not only are they unnecessary, but they are also unconstitutional. Thank you for your work and your consideration. Respectfully submitted, The Bethlehem Area School District Board of School Directors Michael Faccinetto, President Shannon Patrick, Vice President Winston Alozie Dr. Dean Donaher Craig Neiman Dr. Karen Beck Pooley Emily Schenkel Dr. Kim Shively Dr. Silaigh White