Tamaqua Area School District officials maintain that Rush Township Elementary School will still be a public school. Rush Township officials say that when the district contracted with Behavioral Health Associates to provide services to students at the school, the school's use changed.

That issue will be heard by the Rush Township Zoning Hearing Board at 6:30 p.m. July 28. During a committee meeting Tuesday night, district business manager Connie Ligenza updated the board about plans for the school."Our intended use is a public school; use of the building as a public school is not going to change," Ligenza said. "Everything has been moved from the school, which is vacant, and we want it to be occupied."The district has contracted with Behavioral Health Associates in Lehighton to provide educational services at the Rush Township school.Kindergarten and first-grade students who attended the Rush School will attend Tamaqua Elementary School, except for those who are in the gifted or English as a Second Language programs. Those students will attend West Penn Township Elementary School.Students from grades K-12 will attend the school, with educational programs provided by Behavioral Health Associates. Students who would attend the school would include Tamaqua students and also students from other schools which are members of Intermediate Unit 29, which includes Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville, Mahanoy Area and other districts.When Rush Township learned of the plan, zoning officer Bill McMullen issued a notice of violation and said the district was changing the building's use from a public school in violation of uses permitted by right and uses permitted by special exception. The district has appealed the notice of violation, and the matter will be heard by the Rush Township Zoning Hearing Board.If Tamaqua school district is unable to move forward with the plan, the budget may have to be adjusted, Ligenza said Tuesday."If we have lost revenue (if BHA does not use the school), it could result in additional taxes to residents of the district," Ligenza said.In other actionsThe finance committee authorized donations of $2,500 to Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Commission and $3,500 to the Tamaqua Public Library.The finance committee authorized leasing three Xerox photocopiers for the high school from GoldNCopy, Sunbury, use state contract pricing. Two copiers would be in the high school office at a cost of $960 a month for 48 months and one would be in the cafeteria at $253 a month for 48 months. Savings generated by this arrangement are $255 per month, Ligenza said.The authorizations by the finance committee must be approved when the full board meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.Ligenza said she is reviewing responses she received regarding audit services. There are four bidders with costs ranging from $13,800 to $23,000. Ligenza said she is checking references and will have a recommendation for the board at the regular meeting.