Word that PPL plans to shut power off at one of its elementary schools has caught Northern Lehigh School District officials off-guard.

Superintendent Michael Michaels informed the school board on Wednesday that the district was notified by PPL that it will shut the power off at Slatington Elementary for a while Monday.Greg Derr, director of support services and transportation, said the school, as well as neighboring homes in the community, could be without power from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m."We didn't receive anything in the mail, we just got a call," Derr said. "That's how the other neighboring homes were notified as well, with a phone call."Derr said PPL plans to conduct maintenance to the transformer that feeds Slatington Elementary, as well as some of the surrounding homes.While students throughout the district will be off from school Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Derr said the district will have to adjust."We're still moving forward with our regular in-service day," he said. "We're going to relocate to the other buildings per our emergency preparedness plans."Tax resolutionAlso on Wednesday, the board approved the Act 1 Tax Levy Resolution.The resolution states that the district's index for the 2015-16 fiscal year is 2.6 percent.Rhonda Frantz, co-director of Business Affairs/Employee Payroll & Benefits, said the district will not be exceeding the index with taxes this year.In June, the school board approved the 2014-15 budget with a 2.8 percent increase in the property tax rate.That budget called for a 0.59-mill increase for residents who live in Lehigh County, and a 0.63-mill increase for residents who live in Northampton County.The $29,132,905 spending plan increases the millage rate from 20.17 to 20.76 mills for residents who live in Lehigh County, and from 57.31 to 57.94 mills for residents who live in Northampton County.As part of that budget, the district used $465,000 from its fund balance to help offset about a $525,000 increase in the Public School Employees Retirement System.Other businessIn other business, the board:• Authorized administration to purchase the delinquent county tax liens for the property owned by Venture LLC on Route 873 in Slatington. The action will prevent the property from being sold "free and clear" at the county upset sale.• Authorized administration to participate in a buyback program for 133 obsolete high school science department MacBooks.• Approved a resolution from Lehigh Carbon Community College seeking school district preapproval for the college to acquire real estate.• Approved the district's emergency operations plan.• Approved the contract with the Pennsylvania School Board Association to merge the employee sections of the policy manual to facilitate efficient identification of policies, and streamline the policy review and updating process. There is a one-time cost of $1,500 for this service.• Approved the request of the senior high school to close the musical activities account, which has a zero balance and has been dormant for the past five years.• Approved the High School Program of Studies Book for the 2015-16 school year as presented and recommended by administration.