During the Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education meeting, the board approved Matthew T. Korp’s intention not to reek reappointment as the trustee of Lehigh Carbon Community College representing CASD. Korp’s tenure will end June 30 at the conclusion of his current six-year term.

According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christina Lutz-Doemling, Korp dedicated 26 years of service as trustee. She thanked him for his years of leadership, commitment and dedication.

Korp shared some of his experiences over the years, from joining as one of the youngest trustees to becoming one of the oldest. He reported he has met a lot of great people during his time as a trustee and lauded the leadership at LCCC.

Board President Dale Hein made a motion to present Korp with a Rough Rider pass, which allows him to attend all CASD events for free. The board voted unanimously to give Korp this token of appreciation.

In other business, Catasauqua Middle School Principal Patrick McNulty recognized the January and February Roughies of the Month. The January honored students are Lucia Gonzalez, fifth grade; Ruftana Birhane, sixth grade; Tayra Tejeda Decena, seventh grade; Nora Baker, eighth grade; and Zoey Weidaw, related arts.

The February Roughies of the Month are Gavin Savercool, fifth grade; Giuseppe Mazzola, sixth grade; Yeiser Sanchez Puello, seventh grade; Victoria Rodriguez-Ramos, eighth grade; and Kenna Surita, related arts.

The board also continues to move forward with the Sheckler Elementary School addition project. The board approved Pelorus Group for project management services, including coordination and oversight through design, bidding, construction and project closeout. They also voted to go out to bid for the project.

Hein said he believes they chose correctly with Pelorus Group, noting they have already been helpful during a meeting between the district and the borough. Sheckler Principal Dr. Robert Kucharczuk also thanked the board for taking next steps and continuing to progress forward with the project.

The board approved the independent auditor’s report on the 2024-25 general fund budget. Business Manager Lindsey Wallace reported the 2024-25 budget included revenues of $42,107,326 and expenditures of $42,029,358, meaning they added $77,968 to the fund balance. Wallace noted the fund balance total is $5,972,570.

The board approved three new personnel appointments, including John Auletta as custodial B, Megan Flores as a noncertified instructional aide and Madison Eisenhart as the head girls soccer coach.

Hein noted there were four candidates for the soccer coach job and the interview panel included a student athlete who provided valuable insight. Eisenhart is currently an assistant coach at Bethlehem Catholic High School and said she felt ready to step up into a higher role. She said she is ready to meet the team and get started.

”I appreciate the privilege,” she said while thanking the board for her approval.

The substitute employment list was amended to add Bielka Almonte-Uceta, Sarah Tyler and Adam Sikora as non-CDL substitutes; Loreni Sanchez as a custodian and cafeteria driver substitute; and Grace Baroun as a short-term substitute at Catasauqua High School.

The board accepted the resignation of Richard Quier Jr. as custodial B at CMS and the change in employment status of Jody Movitsky from a building substitute at Sheckler Elementary to a districtwide substitute teacher.

Two student teachers or job shadows were approved, including Marcos Santiago, from Moravian University, to work with Robert Arnold in music from March 16 to May 1 and Jakob Rosenberg, from Commonwealth University, to work with Megan Murphy in kindergarten March 16 and 17.

Extracurricular positions were approved, including Cole Schiffer as assistant baseball coach, Mallory Mulicka and William Milisits as assistant softball coaches and Brett Sonntag as an assistant track and field coach.

At the recommendation of Melissa Inselmann, director of curriculum and advancement, the board approved the CASD K-12 guidance plan for 2026-29. Inselmann noted the comprehensive counseling and career readiness plan is updated every three years. She also thanked the team of district counselors who helped create the guidance plan.

Board members approved the second reading of policy 233 regarding suspensions and expulsions.

Arnold and a number of music students were approved for an overnight field trip to Williamsburg, Va.

The board also approved agreements with St. Luke’s Hospital for regulated and nonregulated random drug testing as mandated by the Department of Transportation and CASD policies and for occupational medicine service provider fees when applicable.

Other approvals included the 2026-27 district calendar, the 2026-27 special education services agreement with Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, an agreement for a part-time certified occupational therapist assistant with Amy Pidgeon, a four-year Apple lease agreement for 1,800 iPads at zero-percent interest as well as the disposal of up to 1,795 iPads and 140 MacBooks with reimbursement at fair market value from a competitively priced vendor.

Lutz-Doemling reported the district is seeking grant funds for the facade project at CHS. She also thanked Catasauqua and North Catasauqua boroughs and Hanover Township, Lehigh County, for sending letters of support for the grant.

Board Treasurer Jason Bashaw reported he recently spoke with Catasauqua Mayor Anthony Alcalde about the effort to add a school zone in front of Sheckler and with North Catasauqua Mayor William Molchany about the possibility of adding temporary speed bumps by North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park to remind drivers to slow down. He noted one of his big priorities is safety for the district youth.

The next board meeting will be held 7 p.m. April 14.