The City of Bethlehem was founded by Moravians, known for their pragmatism, strongly rooted faith, and commitment to communal welfare, to the arts and sciences, and, most pertinently, to education for all people regardless of wealth, gender, or race.

 The Bethlehem Area School District has built upon that foundation as the city has grown from a small wilderness settlement to a vibrant and diverse community. The district’s 23 public schools, complemented by private schools and local colleges and universities, provide concrete evidence of our community’s continued commitment to provide our youth with a superlative education.

 As we move into a new millennium, the District continues to expand and renovate the physical facilities that house our educational programs, but the challenges facing today’s educational institutions — unfunded government mandates, rapidly expanding technology, escalating special education costs, and inadequate state aid, to name just a few — require investment beyond the funding currently provided by local, state, and federal sources if we are to continue to provide that superlative education for all our youth. The public schools cannot fund fully the initiatives needed to meet that goal.