Allentown School District officials say a tax hike is likely necessary to fund infrastructure upgrades for aging buildings and outdated athletic facilities.<\/p>\n
Preliminary budget projections call for a 2.9% increase in the property tax rate for district residents<\/a>. Last year, an influx of state funds allowed Allentown to be one of only three Lehigh Valley districts that did not raise taxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n The district\u2019s latest facilities assessment study, conducted by Breslin Architects in 2025, identified $463 million in facility improvement needs districtwide.<\/p>\n The most immediate asks include $2.75 million in already approved funds for 10 modular classrooms<\/a> at Sonia Sotomayor Dual Language Immersion Academy; fire alarm, clock and intercom updates at Central Elementary STREAM Academy, Mosser Elementary and South Mountain Middle; $350,000 to install a secure entrance at Mosser; and an additional $3 million for summer infrastructure updates districtwide.<\/p>\n Next summer\u2019s plans include $8 million in heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades at Sheridan Elementary; $153,000 in boiler upgrades at Roosevelt Elementary; $382,000 for a secure entrance at Muhlenberg Elementary; and $437,000 for a secure entrance at the Ruby Bridges Early Childhood Center.<\/p>\n School officials are prioritizing all the infrastructure needs identified in the Breslin Architects study and figuring out how to generate a stable funding stream to support \u201ccritical, immediate\u201d projects, short-term needs and long-term goals.<\/p>\n Potential projects designed to increase energy efficiency include $11 million for HVAC upgrades at Trexler Middle; $3.5 million for boiler upgrades at Dieruff High; $2.75 million for boiler upgrades at South Mountain; $1.75 million for boiler replacement at Mosser; $1.5 million for boiler replacement at Roosevelt; and $1.5 million for HVAC upgrades at Central STREAM.<\/p>\n The Breslin Architects study identified $26.9 million in \u201ccritical, immediate\u201d needs and $86.8 million in short-term needs it says should be addressed in the next three years.<\/p>\n To finance those projects, district officials say they need $19.5 million a year. For the first year, that money would come from the capital reserve. In the second year, $15.8 million would come from the capital reserve and another $3.7 million would be transferred from the general fund.<\/p>\n In years 3-5 of the plan, $19.5 million would be transferred annually from the general fund to the capital reserve. The district calls this a \u201csustainable, pay-as-you-go\u201d model and Chief Operations Officer Robert Whartenby told the school board at a recent meeting that those annual commitments amount to 4% of the general fund balance.<\/p>\n Some major renovations and expansions are already underway or at least approved. In addition to the modular classroom construction at Sonia Sotomayor, a project that caused tension with the Midway Manor community<\/a>, expansion plans are underway at Bridgeview Academy.<\/p>\n The budget to convert the renamed Building 21 into an academy that features artificial intelligence, health care and computer science academic tracks<\/a> is now $63 million, Whartenby told The Morning Call.<\/p>\n The development of the project, including plans to expand community access to a new, standalone gymnasium, have raised project costs since initial projections. The design is not yet finalized, and the district aims to begin construction in 2027, Whartenby said.<\/p>\n Whartenby also told The Morning Call that capital planning is a \u201cfluid and dynamic process\u201d and emphasized that \u201ca priority today might change for a priority tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, the longer-term wish list includes $30 million to renovate the pool and physical education areas at Allen High (reports of mold raised community concerns; the district says testing revealed \u201cno immediate health hazard\u201d<\/a>); $18 million for upgrades to Dieruff practice fields; and $7.5 million for renovations to J. Birney Crum Stadium.<\/p>\n