Lehighton Area School Board voted 5-to-4 Monday to realign the district classes by moving the fifth-grade students back to the elementary level.

The move followed a heated discussion among the school board directors.William Hill said, "This is a loaded issue. If you vote for this grade realignment, you're voting for the elementary center.""That's not necessarily true," replied school board President Gloria Bowman. "It's still an open-ended dialogue."Bowman said the school board voted in 1993 to move the fifth- and sixth-grade students from the elementary level to the newly established middle school level against the advice of many educators.Before that time, students in kindergarten through sixth grade attended the elementary schools. Students in grades seven and eight attended the junior high school. The high school served students in grades nine through 12."Today's research shows that while there is still somewhat of a dip in student performance when moving to the middle school level, it is not as dramatic when the move comes in sixth grade," Bowman said."Show me that research in black and white," said director Hal Resh. "I want to read it for myself.""I need direction from the school board," said Lehighton Area School District Superintendent Jonathan J. Cleaver. "Give me a checklist of what you want in order to make a decision and I'll give it to you.""We have to start moving forward and not filibuster," said director Larry Stern.Voting in favor of the grade realignment were Bowman, Stephen Holland, Stern, Wayne Wentz and Andrew Yenser. Rocky Ahner, Hill, Lori Nothstein, and Resh voted against it.The result of this grade realignment will be that students in kindergarten through fifth grade will attend the elementary schools or proposed center. Students in grades six through eight will attend the middle school.The high school will continue to serve students in grades nine through 12.East Penn, Franklin and Mahoning elementary schools were all built in 1954. Shull-David Elementary School followed in 1959. These schools are now facing major renovations and updating in order to meet current infrastructure needs.ConstructionWhen a school district undertakes a major construction project and seeks reimbursement from the state, a comprehensive process known as Planning and Construction is initiated.The paperwork was submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 2012, ahead of a moratorium that went into effect that year.The grade realignments could put the PlanCon reimbursements in jeopardy.On Feb. 24, the school board voted to authorize Cleaver, Bowman, Ahner, and architectural consultant Mark Barnhardt of EI Associates to contact the department of education to seek fact-finding for a waiver from the approved PlanCon submission to consider the district building an elementary center.A phone conference was held with James Vogel of the department of education on March 27 concerning the process of seeking a waiver.According to Cleaver, Vogel made it clear that there is no guarantee that a waiver would be granted."But by applying for the waiver, we are not losing what we already submitted," Cleaver indicated.As part of the waiver request, Lehighton will be asked to explain the benefits of the new option to the department of education as well as a timeline breakdown for the project.Submission of the waiver request would need to be in the form of a resolution and have a complete K through 12 grade alignment for the school district.Ahner told the board, "No school district in the state of Pennsylvania has ever received a variance for PlanCon.""Mr. Vogel was very positive during our phone conference," Bowman said.Ahner reminded directors that on Nov. 18, 2013, the school board voted to renovate East Penn and Mahoning elementary schools with options including core upgrade and safety and security enhancements.Alternatives would include two additional classrooms and alternative parking facilities at each school. Upgrades to the schools would include a media center, a multipurpose room, and the kitchen areas.Ahner said the board and the public need answers about renovating the four current elementary schools versus constructing a new elementary center. Questions include safety; education specifications/programs; the educational evaluation of administrative, teacher, and support realignment, including job impact; utilities; traffic patterns; busing issues; sale or rental options associated with the four school closings; and financial accountability to the taxpayers."Applying for an exception or a variance before proper dialogue and local homework are done would be a choice of a few through the eyes of the architect and not a community task which it should be," Ahner said.