Northern Lehigh School Board granted Superintendent Matthew J. Link permission to approve the middle school kitchen project modifications at a cost of $32,364, to be funded through the food services department budget.

Before the board’s vote, resident Natalie Snyder of Slatington questioned why the district was considering using $32,000 out of the food service budget to purchase a conveyor dishwasher for the middle school kitchen instead of the commercial door-style dishwasher in the original proposal.

“In addition to this added cost, the middle school kitchen renovation would be eliminating one of the two commercial all-purpose milk coolers and the single-deck bake pizza oven,” Snyder said. “This conveyor dishwasher alone costs $67,168; the initial in the proposal cost $19,207.

Snyder asked whether the elementary school and the high school have this type of dishwasher.

She said the district’s food service director indicated at the board’s committee meeting on March 9 that due to changes with Congress, participation in the waiver program may be decreased.

The possibility of lower enrollment numbers in the waiver program would impact the food services budget.

“When this project was initially discussed, the expenditure was to be funded 100% from the (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) funds at a total cost of $655,490,” she said. “This was the maximum (amount) allocated for the use from the ESSER funds; therefore any additions to the project would have to come out of the Food and Service budget, which as indicated above may become unstable in the future, which will in turn ultimately impact taxpayers who are already taxed to the max and are currently struggling to right now heat their homes and put food on the table due to the rising costs of everything.”

“I would like to know where the fiscal responsibility is here. Why is there a need for this dishwasher when we didn’t want them in the first place?

Link said, “We’re constantly reevaluating any facilities projects; this project is to bring the middle school kitchen up to date. Every other building in the district, every other kitchen in the district does have a conveyor system dishwasher.”

He said the conveyor model is more efficient. “We went back (and looked at) what change orders can we put in place to remove items that we’re either doubling down and were nice to haves, but not necessarily to have. The consensus was that the high efficiency dishwasher was a better decision at this time.”

Link added, “Much like you said, it’s a $655,000 cost up front, so to bring about $32,000 out of the Food Services Department, administratively we thought was a solid recommendation.”

Snyder said, “We are adding all these additional costs for subscriptions, this that, ESSER funds are being used. I just worry about the future and how things are going to play out. As I think everyone should be worried about that; we have the price of gas and fuel and everything that’s going to be compromising everybody’s situation.

“I own a business, I know what it’s like. You’re in a business, and you have to understand that these things are going to collapse at some point, so I just want you all to be responsible about that.”

Link said the food services department budget is not part of the general operating fund. “It’s a stand-alone budget, which generates its own revenue separate from the tax base. That’s one of those anomalies in school budgeting.”