Board approves prime awards for $89.9M K–8 academy and discusses bond financing

The Allentown School District board moved to advance prime contract awards for a new K–8 academy project with a base construction cost of roughly $89.9 million and multiple prime contracts and alternates.

Project staff told the board the sealed‑bid procurement followed Pennsylvania school code requirements: awards go to the lowest responsible bidder after vetting bonding, specification compliance and other criteria. The project includes six prime packages (four nonunion, two union) and a set of add and deduct alternates; staff said alternates were used to preserve optional items that can be added if the construction budget allows.

Finance staff explained the district will borrow to fund the project through a general obligation bond issuance; the administration said market outreach and rating calls with S&P are planned in the coming weeks and that an earlier parameters resolution was already approved. Board members asked about project labor agreements, prevailing wage obligations (anything above $25,000 triggers prevailing wage), and the involvement of the building committee; administration said technical bid review is primarily handled by design and procurement professionals but encouraged more building‑committee visibility where appropriate.

Board members also questioned a $400,000 deduct alternate for a mechanical control system that was not selected; project staff said the alternate reflected a product that was untested in the field, and the team opted to retain the specified product given performance concerns and the project’s needs.

What happens next: staff will finalize contract documents, proceed with required bond‑issuance steps, and return to the board with financing parameters and any required contract signatures at the regular meeting.