A parent survey that will help determine the future of Jim Thorpe Area School District’s buildings has drawn only about 140 responses out of the entire district.

Superintendent Robert Presley called the response level “far too low” during a board meeting last week given the stakes.

The district enlisted EI Associates to conduct a feasibility study examining enrollment trends and facility conditions across its three school buildings. The study identified $48 million in needed facility upgrades, and a hired consultant cannot fully evaluate the remaining options, Presley said, until the board narrows them to two. That process depends on the survey and so far, he added, most families haven’t filled it out.

“This information is going to be used by this board to make decisions that are going to affect everyone’s students moving forward for years to come,” Presley said. “It’s really important that you go in and take not even five minutes to do it.”

Enrollment, according to the study, has declined from a peak of 2,197 students in 2012-13 to 1,686 students in 2024-25. Officials initially presented taxpayers with five options ranging from $36.6 million to $65.7 million in total project costs.

One option has already been eliminated. The most expensive proposal — a $65.7 million plan that would have closed Penn Kidder Elementary and constructed a new K-3 school — was pulled from consideration after taxpayer feedback made the board’s decision clear.

“The taxpayers, overwhelmingly, were not in favor of that,” Presley said previously. “That option is no longer being considered.”

Four options remain. The first would maintain all three buildings with priority renovations and additions at a cost of $47.4 million, resulting in a net annual cost of $2.03 million after operational savings. The second involves renovations and additions at all three buildings without closing any, totaling $39.6 million with an annual net cost of $2.69 million. Option 4A would close Penn Kidder, consolidate all K-6 students at LB Morris and house grades 7-12 at the high school, costing $36.6 million and carrying a net annual cost of $2.07 million. Option 4B would convert both Penn Kidder and LB Morris into K-6 schools and move seventh and eighth graders to the high school, at a total cost of $43.1 million and a net annual cost of $2.61 million.

The urgency of the facility work is not in dispute. According to a presentation EI Associates gave to the board in April 2025, the three buildings carry significant deferred maintenance, with Penn Kidder carrying the largest deficiency per square foot at $125, followed by the high school at $74 and LB Morris at approximately $88 per square foot.

“We categorize deficiencies by site, exterior, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and also the cost per square foot,” Bruce Christman of EI Associates said during a prior presentation. “We also looked at safety, security, code, and miscellaneous upgrades. Then we rank those from rank one to rank four, with rank one being, hair on fire, we have to get this done.”

Rank 2 issues alone account for more than $21 million in repairs across the district.

Before EI Associates can fully evaluate the costs and benefits of the four remaining options, the board must narrow them to two — and a parent survey is central to that process. The survey was sent to every family using the email address associated with their child’s enrollment, with officials asking for one response per household.

“We really need parents’ opinions and thoughts on how best to handle this educationally and fiscally,” Presley said.