Jim Thorpe Area School District is asking the community to weigh in on major building decisions that could shape the future of its schools.

An EI Associates feasibility study presented this spring outlines several scenarios, ranging from maintaining and renovating current facilities to constructing new buildings. To help guide the decision, the district has distributed surveys to its residents and stakeholders.

“The feasibility study survey was sent out with tax bills, and it included a QR code that residents can scan if they have questions,” Superintendent Robert Presley said. He added that the full feasibility study and a summary are also posted on the district’s website.

Presley stressed that the process goes beyond property owners.

“Surveys are also going out to all parents and guardians, as many of them may not be taxpayers and didn’t receive the first mailing,” he added. “Staff members will also receive surveys. We really want everyone’s opinion. This is your school district, and we want to know what the community thinks.”

The study arrives at a time when district enrollment has shifted significantly over the past two decades. In 2004-05, total enrollment stood at 1,913 students. Numbers rose steadily, reaching a high of 2,197 in the 2012-13 school year. Since then, however, the district has seen a decline, with enrollment projected to fall to 1,686 students by 2024-25.

Against that backdrop, the study presents five options.

The first, described as the “status quo” plan, would maintain Penn-Kidder, L.B. Morris, and the high school, while completing renovations and additions at all three.

The total cost is estimated at $39.6 million, with minimal operational savings of $54,000. The district’s net annual share under this option would be about $2.69 million.

Another scenario focuses on renovations and additions without building new facilities. That plan would realign grades at Penn-Kidder (K-3) and L.B. Morris (4-8) while updating both schools and the high school.

With a potential price tag of $36.6 million, it would be the lowest-cost option. Officials estimate annual costs of $2.5 million, offset by $435,000 in savings, for a net annual share of $2.07 million.

A third option calls for the closure of Penn-Kidder Elementary and the construction of a new K-3 building. That plan would also realign L.B. Morris, giving it grades 4-8, and renovate the high school. That proposal carries the highest projected cost at $65.7 million. Annual costs are estimated at $4.5 million, and while operational savings could reach $606,000, the net annual share would remain the largest at $3.89 million.

The feasibility study also presents two variations labeled Option 4. Under Option 4a, the district would close Penn Kidder and house grades K-6 at L.B. Morris and grades 7-12 at the high school. Both L.B. Morris and the high school would be renovated.

The estimated project cost is $47.4 million. Operational savings of $1.27 million would bring the net annual cost of the project to just over $2 million.

Option 4b would keep both Penn-Kidder and L.B. Morris open, but with grade realignments and renovations. Each school would house grades K-6, while the high school would have grades 7-12. That project would cost an estimated $43.1 million, with a net annual share of $2.61 million after factoring in $395,000 in savings.

Presley said feedback from the surveys will help determine which option to explore more thoroughly with EI Associates, the architectural and engineering firm conducting the study.

“Please fill out the survey, because it is important,” he said.