Late last year, the Lehighton school board announced its intention to renovate the four elementary schools in the district.

In April, they voted to switch the project to build a new elementary center instead, which school officials said will cost the same amount as the previous plan. The cost would be $32.5 million, plus another $20 million for work on the middle school and high school.The motion to approve the switch was passed with a close 5-4 vote.Board member Rocky Ahner, who voted against the plan, is concerned that the project is moving too quickly.According to Ahner, the feasibility study that was submitted by the board included plans for renovating the four existing elementary schools.Now that the board plans to build one elementary complex instead, a new feasibility study is needed.The study will provide an estimate on the cost of the new school based on square footage of the foundation, as well as any roadways that are necessary for the new building.The district is also required to apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for a variance due to a change in plans.Once the variance is approved, however, the option of renovating the four existing schools is ruled out."With a variance, there's one option," Ahner said. "To go for a variance, that would mean our only option would be to build an elementary complex."Therefore, Ahner said the board's claims to still be considering the option of renovating the four existing elementary schools is not plausible.To top it all off, Ahner said a moratorium on state funding will put projects on hold until the budget is finalized.Ahner said, "They don't understand that it's a legal thing. That was my gripe all along."The Lehighton community has been expressing concern over a number of aspects of the new building, including the safety of the children, the class size, teacher's job loss, new bus schedules and predominantly, the rise in taxes that is yet to come.Part of the original plan to renovate the elementary schools was to create facilities in East Penn Elementary and Mahoning Elementary to give local sports and organizations a place to gather and practice in the winter."We never even got to that," Ahner said.The project abruptly changed, despite the fact that it was not determined where funding would come from, Ahner said.At a school board meeting in June, Superintendent Johnathan Cleaver announced that the board had been given a $2 million grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development through the state's Alternate and Clean Energy Program.Cleaver then gave a presentation that showed the financial impact a new elementary center could have on taxpayers in order to clear up any confusion from the community.The location of the school has also not been determined. The proposed site is the southwest corner of the property already owned by the district, behind the softball field at the high school/administration campus."The people holding their hands up to approve this need to give reasoning," Ahner said. "Everybody in this town is asking questions and they don't get answers."Attempts to reach the superintendent's office went unanswered.The school board will have a budget meeting at 5 p.m. today in the administration building.