With the 2016-17 school year underway in Northampton Area School District, a number of staffing changes have occurred, which were approved at recent school board meetings, including the resignation of some coaches and advisers, the hiring of teachers and staff transfers.

The NASD Board of Education voted 8-0, with one director absent Aug. 8, to approve year No. 5 of a letter of agreement between NASD and Community Services for Children Inc. for a preschool program, modeled after Head Start preschool programs, for 20 students at George Wolf Elementary School in the 2016-17 school year at a cost of $180,000. The program will be funded by the Keystones to Opportunity-Striving Readers grant.

The board also approved a collaborative agreement-contract for services between Community Services for Children Inc., Head Start of the Lehigh Valley and NASD for 2016-17 to implement a Head Start pre-K for 20 pre-K students at no cost to NASD.

Also at the Aug. 8 meeting, the NASD board voted 8-0 to approve:

• The resignations of Scott Johnson, assistant boys basketball coach, effective July 25; Kyla Kutz (Danner), color guard instructor, Northampton Area Middle School, effective Aug. 1; Timothy Carpency, spring musical instrumental adviser, effective July 25; and Terry Miller, Northampton Area High School teacher, for retirement, effective Dec. 23;

• The hiring of Elena Krupa, kindergarten teacher, Moore Elementary School, effective Aug. 22, at $52,680 annually, with benefits; and Kara Kern, one-to-one special education instructional assistant, to work with an NASD student at Pleasant Valley High School, effective Aug. 22, at $11.55 per hour, with benefits;

• The voluntary transfer of Edward Schoeneberger from middle shift custodian, Northampton Area Middle School, to middle shift custodian, Northampton Area High School, effective on or about Sept. 1, with no change in base salary; and the temporary transfer of LaRea Henninger from hall monitor to library instructional assistant, Northampton Area Middle School, Aug. 16-Nov. 11, with no change in salary or benefits;

• The master substitute listing for the 2016-17 school year; athletic event staff for 2016-17 school year, Aug. 1-June 30; and Community Education Program fall 2016 roster of instructors and stipends; and

• A five-year service contract with Otis Elevator, July 1-June 30, 2021, at $2,470.32 annually; ArbiterPay to pay athletic officials at $1.05 per check issued; and high school, middle school and elementary school handbooks and the individual elementary handbook addenda for 2016-17 school year.

The NASD school board voted 7-0, with two directors absent at the Aug. 22 meeting, to approve:

• The resignations of Gwen Whildin, head swimming coach, effective Aug. 16; Ashley Greb, special education instructional assistant, effective Aug. 9; and Matthew Rutz, security officer, effective Aug. 23;

• The hiring of Amy Grabfelder, grade 2 elementary teacher, George Wolf Elementary, effective Aug. 22, at $48,520 annually, with benefits; Karissa Hantz, long-term substitute elementary teacher, Aug. 22-March 23, at $253.83 per diem, without benefits; and Kaitlynn Wiltraut, long-term substitute mathematics teacher, Northampton Area Middle School, effective Aug. 22 for first semester of 2016-17 school year, at $253.83 per diem;

• The voluntary transfer of Timothy Beil, from third-shift custodian to middle-shift custodian, Northampton Area Middle School, effective on or about Sept. 1, with no change in base salary; and rescind involuntary transfer of Pamela Romanishan to a kindergarten one-to-one instructional assistant position, building to be determined, with Romanishan remaining at Northampton Area High School in a one-to-one instructional assistant position, with no change to pay or benefits;

• An extension to Laura Costantini, for an unpaid childrearing leave of absence, with insurance, Aug. 22-Sept. 27, and an unpaid childrearing leave, Sept. 27-Nov. 1, with no insurance; a paid childbearing leave of absence to Ronia Jarrah, beginning on or about Nov. 10 through Jan. 6, and an unpaid childrearing leave, with insurance, Jan. 6-March 23, 2017;

• A district master volunteer list for 2016-17 school year; additions and deletions to the substitute listing for 2016-17 school year; addition to athletic event staff for 2016-17 school year of Carol Raikes, ticket taker-ticket seller; and listing of traffic duty monitors and hourly rates, Aug. 29 through 2016-17 school year;

• Revised curricula in elementary, middle and high schools, including revised curricula in business-technology, physical education, social studies, English, FACS, art, math, music, science and world language;

• DB Water Specialties of Bloomsburg, owned by Donald Bennett Jr., a licensed water treatment operator, to monitor and treat the domestic well water at Lehigh and Moore elementary schools at a cost of $600 per month; and

• A 60-month lease with Fraser Advanced Information Systems for a Sharp MX-M904N copier in Northampton Area Middle School at $459 per month.

The NASD school board voted 8-0, with one director absent at the Sept. 5 meeting, to approve:

• The hiring of Robert Hahn, special education instructional assistant, Northampton Area Middle School, effective retroactive to Aug. 29, at $11.55 per hour, with benefits; Melissa Adams, special education instructional assistant, Northampton Area Middle School, effective no later than Sept. 19, at $11.55 per hour, with benefits; Sheila Kocher, health room instructional assistant, Siegfried Elementary School, effective Sept. 13, at $13 per hour, with benefits; Juana Walker, security officer, effective retroactive to Aug. 26, at $19.28 per hour, no benefits; and 68 day short-term substitute teachers for the 2016-17 school year at a per diem rate of $125, with no benefits;

• The resignation for early retirement of Helen Suchajda, effective the end of the day Sept. 7, and a waiver of the requirements to return to service for one full school term upon conclusion of a sabbatical leave and notification to participate in early retirement incentive by Feb. 1 or 120 calendar days prior to anticipated effective date of the school year prior to retirement;

• The resignations of Jolene Zito, special education instructional assistant, effective Aug. 29; Tanya Lamparter, 10-month attendance secretary, effective Sept. 14; Kim Davis, health and physical education teacher and SADD adviser, for retirement, effective Dec. 23; and Mary Ellen Kearns, health room assistant, effective Sept. 16;

• Voluntary transfers of Luis Torres, from middle-shift security officer to day-shift security officer, Northampton Area Middle School, effective retroactive to Aug. 26, with no change in base salary; and Alyssa Silfies, from middle-shift custodian to third-shift custodian, Northampton Area Middle School, effective Sept. 13, with no change in base salary;

• Additions and deletions to the substitute listing for 2016-17 school year; revised master district volunteer list for 2016-17 school year; revised listing of traffic duty monitors and hourly rates, effective Aug, 29 through the end of 2016-2017 school year; and mentor-inductee list for 2016-17 school year and mentors and stipend payment for 2016-17 school year;

• A letter of agreement between NASD and Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 to provide remedial instruction in reading and math to non-proficient students in qualifying non-public schools at a cost of $13,894.40 for instruction; $165 for parent involvement programming; and a Colonial IU20 administrative service fee at 3 percent of the total with costs for non-public school services covered through the 2016-17 Title I grant; and

• A contract with Maxim Healthcare Services for a district student who attends an IU-operated multiple disabilities support classroom for an amount not to exceed $52,920.