The Palmerton School Board approved the following change orders from Hatzel & Buehler Inc. for the S.S. Palmer Elementary School renovations, a total of $28,065 in changes.

“Originally, it was $36,000,” Director Ryan Kish said about the costs. “We negotiated down around 10 percent.”

Change order #1 was to furnish, install, and circuit additional smoke and heat detectors per drawings dated Aug. 30, 2024 in the amount of $10,087.

“The architect missed it,” Director Earl Paules said of order #1 regarding the smoke and heat detectors. “That’s not on us. But, I don’t want to see the contractor suffer.”

Kish explained, “We did reach out to the architect, which was Crabtree. They are not going to put any money towards us for this, so it’s all on the contractor. We needed to do this work to get the occupancy permit.”

Change order #2 was to furnish and install additional paging speakers and phones as requested by the district and additional paging speakers and jacks for additional paging system phones in new first floor offices in the amount of $7,941.

Change order #3 was to furnish and install additional card readers for nurses’ office, security office, and front main entrance doors and composite access control cable to main security panel in the amount of $5,485.

Change order #4 was to furnish and install fiber optic cable, rack mount, connectors, and new fiber to network rack in the amount of $4,552.

In other business, Palmerton School Board votes on several budgets.

• Approved the 2026-2027 Proposed Operating Budget for the Carbon Career & Technical Institute calling for receipts and expenditures in the amount of $9,915,441 for the Fiscal Year July 1 to June 30, 2027;

• Approved the Lehigh Carbon Community College Operating Budget, Debt Service/Leases, and Capital Budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027, and;

• Approve the 2026-2027 General Operating Budget of the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21 for the fiscal year July 1 to June 30, 2027.

Additional actions include:

• Approved the proposal from Barry Isett & Associates Inc. for environmental services at the high school. The services are for soil testing on the high school grounds.

• Approve the letter dated Jan. 14 from Lower Towamensing Township asking the district to reimburse $2,500 in costs involved with drafting and advertising the no-parking ordinance on Fireline Road and purchasing and installing the no parking/tow-away zone signs.

• Approved the Public School Facility Improvement Grant resolution in the amount of $69,000 to be used for asbestos abatement in the high school related to the relocation of the high school offices.

“With board approval tonight, I will move forward with this application (for the grant),” Kish said.