By 2018, 84 percent of district kindergartners met or exceeded benchmark reading scores, with three schools reaching 100 percent.<\/p>\n
The initiative, branded \u201cReading by Grade 3,\u201d led to Silva\u2019s induction into the national Grade-Level Reading Council of Champions through the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n
Silva\u2019s stated priorities included literacy and math achievement, chronic absenteeism reduction and equity.<\/p>\n
He also expanded community partnerships, including with Lehigh University on a community schools model in South Bethlehem and with Moravian University on a superintendent\u2019s scholarship program now in its 10th year.<\/p>\n
Persistent challenges<\/p>\n
Despite the early literacy gains, district-wide proficiency on state tests has remained low. According to 2022-23 state test data, 49 percent of BASD students tested proficient in reading and 27 percent in math. The district ranked 473rd out of 678 Pennsylvania school districts based on combined proficiency.<\/p>\n
Chronic absenteeism has also persisted. More than 27 percent of students \u2014 about 3,500 \u2014 were habitually truant in the 2022-23 school year, according to data reported by former Superintendent Roy. At Donegan Elementary, the truancy rate reached 41 percent.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Silva said the district\u2019s community schools were working to reduce absences but acknowledged the district was falling short of its goals. \u201cWe\u2019re not hitting that five,\u201d he said, referring to the district\u2019s target of no more than five absences per student per year. \u201cWe\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silva\u2019s tenure also coincided with budget pressures. The district faced a nearly $10 million deficit in its 2025-26 budget, leading the board to approve a 4.3 percent property tax increase \u2014 the second consecutive year of increases after a five-year stretch without one.<\/p>\n
The district also eliminated 20 positions, largely through attrition, and drew $5.9 million from its fund balance. The ongoing state budget impasse left the district nearly $30 million short of expected state funding.<\/p>\n
When Silva took office in 2023, the Bethlehem chapter of the NAACP publicly criticized his appointment of Maureen Leeson as assistant superintendent over Benita Draper, the district\u2019s director of equity initiatives, who is Black.<\/p>\n
NAACP President Esther Lee said the district had waited too long for African American representation in senior leadership. Silva said the decision was not about race and that he had offered Draper a different leadership role.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next<\/p>\n
The Bethlehem Area School District is the sixth-largest in Pennsylvania, serving nearly 13,000 students across 22 schools in five municipalities: the city of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, Hanover Township, Freemansburg and Fountain Hill.<\/p>\n
Silva\u2019s departure will mark the second superintendent transition for the district in three years. Roy retired in 2023 after 13 years in the role.<\/p>\n
At that time, the board did not conduct a public search and instead appointed Silva directly.<\/p>\n
This time, the board said it will use a search firm and seek community input.<\/p>\n
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