Facing questions about value and necessity, Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors voted last week to spend over $16,000 to remain a member of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for the 2025-26 school year.

It was a decision some board members admitted they “hate doing” but felt was ultimately cheaper than the alternatives.

The total cost of $16,212.10 includes $15,306.85 for the all-access membership package and an additional $905.25 for the “Administrative Regulations” package.

Board President Joy Beers explained that she consulted with Jeff Sultanik from the Fox Rothschild law office to determine what the implications would be if the district decided to end its membership with PSBA.

“If we have (Fox Rothschild) maintain our policies, he estimated that their cost to the district would be greater than the membership of the PSBA,” Beers said.

During a board discussion earlier in the month, director Duane Dellecker said his approval of the item would be a reluctant one.

“What benefit do we get to justify spending $16,000 a year on this?” Delelcker asked. “Because from what I can tell, it’s not a lot. I get these emails from them several times a week, and most of it is garbage.”

District officials pointed to policy upkeep as a major reason for staying with the association.

“It really comes down to policy maintenance,” Superintendent Jason Moser said. “It’s a copyrighted format, and we get the suggested revisions on a regular basis.”

Board member Barbara Bowes highlighted the importance of PSBA’s training services.

“They’re also the only one that is OK to offer the training for new board members, as well as the advanced training for current board members,” she said. “I hate approving it, but it’s the only thing out there and the only extra we are paying for is the administrative regulations.

“I know the administration has been doing some work on those but I imagine a lot more has to be done.”