A Northampton Area High School graduate is “returning home” to become NAHS assistant principal.

At the Jan. 27 Northampton Area School District Board of Education meeting, members voted unanimously 9-0 to hire Justin Wieller, an NAHS Class of 2007 graduate, as assistant principal at NAHS “on a date to be determined, upon release from present school district.”

Wieller is assistant principal at a middle school in the Reading School District, Berks County. Wieller’s salary is $82,000 annually, prorated, with benefits.

Prior to the Reading district, Wieller was a mathematics teacher and wrestling coach for four years at a school in Lubbock, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and an Master of Science degree in special education from Drexel University.

Weiller and his wife, Sara, and their two children, Aiden and Rhys, live in Souderton, Montgomery County.

“I want to give back to this community that gave me so much,” Weiller said.

Also at the meeting, school directors voted 9-0 to hire Jason Williamson as NASD assistant business administrator, effective Jan. 28, at $75,000 annually, with benefits.

Williamson, an Emmaus High School Class of 2004 graduate, received an associate degree in business management and a certificate in accounting from Lehigh Carbon Community College. Williamson, of Bethlehem, has been an NASD accounting assistant since 2010.

NASD plans to change its system of tax collecting, eliminating the tax office at the administration building, 2014 Laubach Ave., Northampton, as of July 1.

To implement this, school directors voted 9-0 to hire Kratzenberg & Associates Inc., doing business as Keystone Collections Group, Allentown, to collect real estate taxes for the tax year beginning 2020-21 and thereafter, per capita taxes for the tax year beginning 2020-21 and thereafter and delinquent per capita taxes for the tax year 2019-20 and thereafter.

Taxpayers will mail their payments via the United States Postal Service or pay online.

NASD will notify taxpayers of the change.

The closing of the tax collection office is expected to provide a net savings for NASD.

School directors voted 9-0 to establish costs that may be imposed and collected from delinquent per capita taxpayers.

In other business at the Jan. 27 board meeting, school directors voted 9-0 to approve:

• Resignation of Pamela Romanishan, special education instructional assistant, effective as of Jan. 24

• Attendance of Shaun Murray, NASD athletic director, at the 2020 Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Annual Conference, held March 24-27 in Hershey, at an approximate cost of $1,062.99, included in the 2019-20 NASD budget

• Tara Mrazik, Neali Feimster, Tara Walbert, Jaclyn Grejda, Matthew Greenplate, Allison Fiorini, Leigh Zakutansky, Ryan Brobst and 117 NASD students who participate in DECA to attend the Pennsylvania DECA State Conference, Feb. 19-21, Hershey, at a cost of $10,411.50, included in the 2019-20 NASD budget

• Jessica Pretopapa, five chaperones and 30 students for a National Honor Society field trip, April 29, to New York City, at a cost of $550, included in the 2019-20 budget

• Participation in the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 regional network and PA-Unet, July 1-June 30, 2020, at $2,154.62 per month minus E-Rate reimbursements

• Appointment of Jamie Scheirer as a trustee of Northampton Area Public Library, effective Feb. 1-Jan. 31, 2023

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said the board would be updated on the 2020-21 NASD budget at the next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10, after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf presents his budget, expected Feb. 4, and school districts learn about education funding.

Renee Sallit, Siegfried Elementary School principal, was lauded by Kovalchik for Siegfried Elementary achieving distinguished honors among Title I schools statewide.

“All of our schools have improved over the years,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik lauded the recent NAMS play production, which he attended, saying, “What I’m amazed at is how far the arts have come in our district.”

School Director Chuck Longacre remembered Karen S. Grube, an instructional assistant at Moore Elementary School for 42 years, who died Jan. 10.

“She had an unusual ability to connect with students,” Longacre said.

Grube retired in 2017.

“She volunteered even after she retired,” Longacre said.

Grube was active in the community, Longacre said, as a member of Moore Township Historical Society and as secretary of Moore Township Association for Families in Need.

Also at the Jan. 27 meeting, NASD school directors were honored for School Director Recognition Month. School directors were presented cards and posters made by students at elementary schools in areas the elected directors represent.

Kovalchik presented Pennsylvania School Boards Association certificates to school board President David Gogel for his 16th year on the NASD board, 12 of which he has been president, and school Director Dr. Michael Baird for his eighth year on the NASD board.

“This board has been together for a number of years. We’ve done many great things,” Kovalchik said.

“It’s a board that’s progressive. They’re also independent thinkers. And it’s going to continue to occur because you have the backing of the administrative team,” he added.

Coffee, tea and cookies were provided in the meeting room after the board meeting.