State law signed in late March allowed school districts to negotiate interim contract agreements with transportation contractors during the COVID-19 shutdown. Lehighton Area School District is working with its provider, George’s Transportation Company, to figure out precisely what that amount should be.

Act 13 was meant to ensure contractors could pay personnel costs, fixed costs, administrative costs and equipment costs during the period of school closure.

“A lot of districts have negotiated with their bus company and George’s has presented us with a proposal for $137,640 to close out the 2019-20 school year,” Lehighton Business Administrator Patricia Denicola said during a finance committee meeting Monday night.

While the amount has yet to be finalized, directors spoke in favor of paying the company, despite the fact children have not been riding buses to and from school buildings since Gov. Tom Wolf closed schools on March 13.

“I feel we should consider something,” board member Rita Spinelli said. “They drove our meals to the satellite locations for our feeding program. They have been more than cooperative with us in the past. Possibly we could offer $125,000 as a counter proposal?”

George’s did not seek any payment, Denicola said, for transporting meals to five locations around the district including Weissport, Parryville, Nis Hollow Estates, Dinkey Memorial Church and the Mahoning Academy during the shutdown.

Nathan Foeller asked Denicola if the district is able to make the payment.

“We do have money budgeted for transportation for 2019-20 that has not been expended,” she said. “The board has to weigh the fact the district is operating at a deficit. Do we pay for something where we didn’t receive any direct service, however we are maintaining that we will still have a transportation company in play for next school year, although we don’t know what that will look like.”

Lehighton is currently working on its 2020-21 budget and trying to trim a $1.94 million deficit.

“I think it’s in our best interest to make sure George’s is there to serve us in the future, but balance that with our financial situation and our ability to pay,” Foeller said.

In addition to driving meals to pickup locations, George’s supplied 20 buses for Friday night’s motorcade parade throughout town for Lehighton’s Class of 2020.

“That was a very special activity that I believe they also did not bill us for, so that is a great compliment to that company,” director Larry Stern said.

Denicola said she would take the results of Monday night’s discussion back to George’s and bring that response back to the board.

“It won’t be on the board agenda until we hear back from them,” Denicola said.