FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The North Schuylkill school board approved instructors and paraprofessionals for the Extended Year School program this summer.
The appointees were approved at the board’s April 20 meeting pending receipt of all appropriate documentation and will work from June 21 through July 28.
According to the state Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education, ESY services are special education and related services provided to students with disabilities beyond the regular 180-day school year. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the federal special education law, requires school districts, intermediate units, and charter schools to provide ESY services if a student needs these services to receive a free appropriate public education.
In some cases, interruptions in the school schedule, such as summer break, weekends and holidays, will result in children with disabilities losing many of their basic skills and taking a long time to get those skills back once school begins again. ESY services are provided during breaks in the educational schedule to prevent this loss.
The school board approved the following instructors at their per diem rate: Amanda Brobst, Mary Lang, Tyler Laudeman, Ann Subick, Matt Wislosky, Amy Maziekas (substitute), Travis Hinkle (substitute), Amanda Ryder and Amanda Pavalko (speech), Leanne Mogish and Paul Miernicki (occupational therapists), Michael Evans (social worker), and Paula Hornberger (speech-substitute).
The school board also approved ESY paraprofessionals at the following hourly rates: Jen Himes, $13.25; Keri Barnes, $13.64; Sharon Nolter, $10.50; Lori Mack, $13.25; Ann Cantwell, $13.64; Kerry Snyder, $10.85; Denise Brayford (substitute), $7.25.
The school board acted on the following agenda items:
• Accepted the resignation of elementary teacher Jennifer Kraft, effective April 4.
• Approved the instruction coach job description.
• Acknowledged the transfer/change of assignment for the following individuals beginning with the 2016-17 school year: Nancy Nestor from fourth grade to gifted teacher instructional coach; Aileen McCabe from second to third grade; Kristen Weinreich from special education first grade co-teacher to special education elementary life skills; and Matthew Wislosky from special education life skills to special education high school autistic support.
• Approved a stipend of $500 to maintenance employee Lonnie Carl for his pesticide certification.
• Approved the 2015-16 school calendar revisions necessitated by a pipe break emergency day on Oct. 21, 2015.
• Approved the attendance of mathematics teacher Michael Geiswhite at the AP Summer Institute at Rice University, Houston, Texas, from Aug. 2 to 5 at an approximate cost of $1,629.60.
• Approved the letter of agreement for the provision of Behavioral Health Rehabilitative Services and Partial Hospitalization Services and the Business Associate Agreement between the school district and Safety Net Counseling Inc. for the 2016-17 school years.
• Approved a field trip request to the Bear Creek Camp and Nature Center, Bear Creek, from the North Schuylkill Elementary PTO for fourth-grade students, teachers and chaperones on May 2 (rain date, May 3) at no cost to the school district.
• Approved the Four Diamonds Mini-THON Fundraising Guidelines and partnership agreement with Penn State Children’s Hospital at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
• Approved the single audit report for the 2014-15 school year.
• Approved a proposal for Markley Actuarial Services Inc., Lancaster, for the 2016-17 GASB 75 actuarial evaluation at a cost of $2,655.
• Approved the appointment of delegate resolution for the Schuylkill County Tax Collection Committee to appoint the following individuals as the school district’s voting delegates: Primary delegate is Robert Amos, business manager; first alternate is Robert Ackell, superintendent; and second alternate is board secretary Merri Lynn Craig or Mahanoy Area School District business administrator John J. Hurst.
• Approved the establishment of certificates of deposit as follows: $500,000 for nine months at Mid Penn Bank at 0.75 percent; $500,000 and $150,000 for 12 months each at Riverview Bank at 0.75 percent.
• Approved the purchase of two Dell R630 servers, two Snynology RS8115RP+, 460 eduGear Chromebook K4s, three eduGear Mobilab 32 book carts, 30 Dell OptiPlex 7010 and other miscellaneous items from CDI Computer Dealers Inc., a member of PEPPM at a total cost of $161,125.75. PEPPM is a national technology bidding and purchasing cooperative administered by Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• Approved an agreement with the Saint Clair Area School District for North Schuylkill to provide social work services for a half-day per week during the 2016-17 school year.
• Approved a proposal for Degler-Whiting Inc., Frazer, for the replacement of the footboards for the visitor bleachers through COSTARS at a cost of $91,900.
The Committee of the Whole meeting was held before the regular meeting and the following students of the month were recognized: Second grade — Emily Walsh and Katie Reilly; seventh grade — Makaila Jones; 10th grade — Molly Yuschock. The student council representative giving a report to the board was Kali Antalosky.