Whitehall-Coplay School Board, at its meeting Monday night, approved a resolution and agreement to name Dr. Lorie D. Hackett as substitute and regular superintendent of the Whitehall-Coplay School District.

Superintendent John Corby is retiring. Hackett will serve as the substitute superintendent from Aug. 20 to Oct. 31 as Corby nears his retirement.

“She will be the regular superintendent from Nov. 1 through June 30, 2021,” district Solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik said.

Those in attendance applauded Hackett after the roll call vote.

According to her curriculum vitae, supplied to The Press by Hackett, she worked in numerous roles in WCSD throughout many of the buildings, including as an elementary teacher, administrative intern, assistant principal, supervisor of curriculum and assistant superintendent.

After the meeting, she said, “I’ve been with the district for 26 years.”

During the superintendent’s report, Corby said, “Thank you for appointing Lori. We’ve been attached at the hip for 11 years now. I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

In other business, the board approved the final adoption of the 2016-17 budget.

The budget is in the amount of $64,894,102 and is an increase of 4.84 percent from the prior year. There will be a $54.80, or 2.02-percent, increase in taxes, based on the average residential property.

“I want to clarify something about this budget,” Corby said. “The state has an Act 1 index that allows us to go to a 2.4-percent increase, and we as a district can go up to 3.1 percent.

“We are coming in at 2.02 percent. We haven’t hit the Act 1 index yet. I think that’s a testament to the work the individuals of this district have put into this budget.”

Corby said the budget includes three new teaching positions, eight paraprofessionals and a human resource position. It addresses three recently negotiated contracts (teachers, support staff and bus drivers) and other non-union and administrative salary increases and the continued employment of an integrated services coordinator.

The budget also accounts for other fixed costs, such as pensions, special education costs and $200,000 for cyber school tuition costs.

School board Vice President Robert Kolb said, “If this keeps happening, charter schools will destroy public education. We can’t keep asking the public to pay higher taxes. The public doesn’t realize that Harrisburg is raising the taxes. We need to get Harrisburg back in gear.”

Board members Owen Eberhart Jr. and William Leiner Jr. voted against the adoption of the budget.

“Someone has to worry about old folks,” Eberhart said. “Retirement doesn’t have a lot of money with it.”

Leiner commented, “What the majority in Harrisburg has done to education in the past few years is disgusting. They should show some shame.”