Northampton Area School District Board of Education voted 8-0, with one school director absent, at the May 9 meeting, to approve the 2016-17 Northampton Community College (NCC) educational and support budget of $59,043,216. A capital budget contribution from the Northampton Area School District of $750,749 is required to fund the budget.

In his presentation to the NASD school board at the April 11 meeting, Dr. Mark Erickson, now in his fourth year as NCC president, emphasized the college’s strategic priorities and student outreach.

“I’ve never worked at a place that has the impact of this place,” Erickson said of NCC.

Of 313 NCC honors program students, 17 are NAHS graduates attending NCC.

“Our dual enrollment (at NAHS and NCC) has increased every year that I’ve been here,” said NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik.

Among new NCC program curriculum are global studies and public health.

In other action at the May 9 NASD board meeting, school directors voted 8-0 to approve:

• The 2016-17 Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School general fund budget of $11,413,426 with the NASD portion of $1,982,545 required to fund the budget;

• Resignations, effective at the end of the 2015-16 school year of Brandie Barndt, Essroc team leader; Kim Davis, National Honor Society adviser; Alexis Donnangelo, fall play and spring musical business manager; Crystal Becker, newspaper club adviser; and Adam Bastidas, girls basketball coach, effective April 22;

• Paid childrearing leave of absence, Marlise Kotrosits, Aug. 22-25, and unpaid FMLA childrearing leave, with insurance, Aug. 29-Sept. 30;

• Hiring of Deborah DeLillo-DiCanto, LTS physical education teacher, Northampton Area Middle School, effective retroactive to Jan. 22 through the remainder of the 2015-16 school year, at a salary of $244.95 per diem, without benefits;

• Voluntary transfer of Barbara Watkins from 12-month KtO grant secretary to 12-month psychological services secretary, effective May 10, with no change in salary or benefits;

• Extracurricular staff members and stipends for the 2015-16 school year for Jo Leigh Sponslor, music ensemble adviser, $309.43, and Kristy Young, music ensemble adviser, $132.57;

• List of student summer help with compensation rate of $7.25 per hour effective for summer 2016;

• Sixty-month lease with Fraser Advanced Information Systems for a Sharp MX-6240N copier, third floor, NASD Administration Building, at $421 per month; and

• Contract for speech and language services at Col. John Siegfried Elementary School at a cost not to exceed $4,875.