The $80.7-million Northampton Area Middle School and Secondary Campus Renovation Project is said to be on schedule and on budget.

"It is on schedule, on budget and there have been no change orders," Christopher W. Haller, Project Manager, D'Huy Engineering, Inc., said in his report at the Northampton Area School District Board of Education Sept. 9 meeting.

Concrete-block load-bearing walls are in place for the 272,000-square-foot middle school that will accommodate 1,500 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students.

"It's hard to see [the construction] from the road," NASD Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik told school board members.

Kovalchik said a good vantage point is from the stadium's visitors' side.

"You can get a really great view from there," Kovalchik said.

A construction site tour for school board members may be in the offing.

The new middle school is expected to open for classes in fall 2015.

The project includes a new Stadium Drive, new field house, new parking lots and renovations to Al Erdosy Stadium.

Because of Erdosy Stadium and campus construction work, the Northampton Homecoming Day football game will be played at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at Nazareth Area School District's Andrew S. Leh Stadium, where Northampton Area High School home football games are being played.

The Homecoming Dance is 7-10 p.m. Sept. 21.

The Northampton Area Middle School Back to School Night is 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 19.

The Northampton Area Konkrete Kids Educational Foundation and Angel 34 Lacing Up for Kids Community 5K and 10K runs will take place 9 a.m. Oct. 5, with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 5, at Siegfried Elementary School, Northampton.

In other business, the school board by voice vote approved, as recommended by the administration, the professional status and tenure for the following teachers who have completed three years of teaching and have received six satisfactory evaluations:

· Franklin Elementary, Kelly Allabach, Sarah Foster, Quinn Pagano;

· Lehigh Elementary School, Kelly Wood;

· Siegfried Elementary School, Ronia Jarrah;

· Washington's Crossing, Heather Apostolopoulos, Sean Pyne;

· Northampton Area Middle School, Rachel Fisher,

· Northampton Area High School, Courtney Schnyderite

Also, the resignation of Julie Benner, special education instructional assistant, effective Aug. 23 was accepted, as was the resignation of Meghan Starr, school psychologist, effective Aug. 30, or when a replacement has been found, but no later than Oct. 30.

Also, at the meeting, the school board voted 8-0 to approve, as recommended by the administration:

· revised athletic event staff for the 2013-14 school year;

· revised traffic duty monitors and hourly rates, at district buildings, Aug. 26-June 2, 2014, or the last student school day;

· Ann Harrington, substitute after-school detention monitor at NAHS for the 2013-14 school year, at an hourly rate of $50.15, with no additional benefits;

· a roster of instructors and stipends for the 2013-14 Community Education Program (School board Vice President Jane Erdo cast a "no" vote.);

· attendance of school Director, Dr. Michael Baird, at the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference, Oct. 15-18, Hershey, estimated to cost $978.94;

· the following extracurricular staff member and stipend for the 2013-14 school year: Crystal Becker, newspaper advisor, middle school, $1,811;

· the mentor list including the mentors and payment for the 2013-14 school year;

· a letter of agreement between the Northampton Area School District and Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 to provide remedial instruction in reading and math to nonproficient students in qualifying nonpublic schools at a cost of: $13,642.20, instruction; $100, parent involvement programming, and a Colonial IU-20 administrative service fee of 3 percent of the total. The cost is covered through the 2013-14 Title I grant.

·authorization for the school board secretary to cast Northampton Area School District's school board vote for PSBA officers.