Three key administrative appointees have been made in Northampton Area School District.

NASD Board of Education voted unanimously 9-0 at the April 8 meeting to make two appointments for special education services and one appointment for facilities.

School Director Dr. Michael Baird asked about the need to hire special education personnel.

“We need to hire those to be in compliance, or potentially you’re going to have lawsuits,” NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said.

There were 300 Individualized Education Programs (IEP) in NASD last year, NASD Assistant Superintendent Robert J. Steckel Jr. said.

“This year, there will be the same (number), if not more,” Steckel said.

An IEP is a written statement of an educational program to meet a student’s individual needs. Each student who receives special education services must have an IEP.

In the United States, an IEP is required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Public schools must develop an IEP for a student with a disability who meets federal and state requirements for special education.

“That is another state unfunded mandate,” Baird said.

Approved by the NASD school board were the appointments of Victoria Kropf, NASD director of special education, effective on or about July 29, pending receipt of proper documentation, at a salary of $113,000 with benefits; Meghan Lloyd, NASD assistant director of special education, effective July 1, at salary of $95,000 with benefits; and William LaFrankie, NASD supervisor of facilities, effective July 1, pending receipt of required documentation, at a salary of $62,000 with benefits.

In other business at the April 8 meeting, school directors voted 9-0 to approve:

• An amendment to the school bus transportation services agreement with First Student Inc., effective July 1-June 30, 2024. The $5.5 million contract provides for a 2.95-percent increase over the five-year contract. After the meeting, Kovalchik said there are 118 daily bus trips with 1,754,820 miles traveled annually by buses in the district.

• A five-year lease agreement with First Student Inc., effective Aug. 1-June 30, 2024, for a 10,000-gallon gasoline tank at the NASD maintenance building. The tank will fuel school buses and district vehicles. First Student parks about 20 buses at the building. First Student parks other school buses at 3354 W. Beersville Road in the district.

“We’re going to save fuel and have efficiencies,” NASD Director of Operations Robert J. Yanders said of not driving to the Beersville location to refuel buses.

• Contracts for a new roof at Siegfried Elementary School, Northampton, including a mechanical construction contract for Myco Mechanical Inc. for $2,419,000, including the base bid and recommended alternates, and a general construction contract for C&D Waterproofing Corporation for $753,000, including the base bid and recommended alternates. Funds are provided from unspent money from the Northampton Area Middle School project bond, Kovalchik said.

• Contracts for the Lehigh Elementary School project, including an environmental abatement contract for Sargent Enterprises Inc., for $118,026, including the base bid, but no alternates; electrical construction contract for Cyprium Solutions Inc., for $4,080,000, including the base bid and recommended alternates; general construction contract for Skepton Construction Inc., for $20,087,000, including the base bid and recommended alternates; mechanical construction contract for JBM Mechanical Inc., for $3,341,000, including the base bid and recommended alternates; plumbing construction contract for Myco Mechanical Inc., for $1,663,000, including the base bid and recommended alternates; professional services contract to David Blackmore & Associates Inc., not to exceed $70,000; amendment No. 1 to the agreement for construction management services to D’Huy Engineering Inc., at $990,000, for the construction phase of the new Lehigh Elementary School; professional services contract to H.T. Lyons for HVAC testing, adjusting and balancing, not to exceed $59,000; and PPL invoice to relocate utility poles on the existing site for $45,559.

The NASD school board next meets 6:30 p.m. April 29 in the multipurpose room of Lehigh Elementary School, 800 Blue Mountain Drive, Walnutport, following the 4:30 p.m. April 29 groundbreaking ceremony for the new school.