Northampton Area School District will again offer prekindergarten programs for the 2020-21 school year.

The NASD Board of Education voted 9-0 at the Aug. 10 meeting to approve a collaborative agreement contract for services between Community Services for Children Inc., Head Start of the Lehigh Valley and NASD for 2020-21 to implement two Head Start prekindergarten programs for 40 students residing in the district.

The $40,000 cost to the district for the two additional classrooms is paid for from Title I funding.

School directors also approved, by a 9-0 vote, a collaborative agreement contract for services between Community Services for Children Inc. and NASD for 2020-21 to implement a Pre-K Counts classroom at Franklin Elementary School and one classroom at Moore Elementary School. There is no cost to NASD.

School directors voted 9-0 to approve Jolene Makovsky as a long-term substitute special education teacher at Northampton Area Middle School, effective Aug. 24, pending receipt of proper documentation, at $54,055 with benefits. The salary for the position is paid from ACCESS funds.

The district also renewed the contract with Erika Fitzpatrick, certified Wilson Reading Program instructor, at a cost not to exceed $17,500.

Additional board approvals include the revised list of professional and support staff transfers, the substitute list for the 2020-21 school year, the list of active First Student drivers/operators, the listing of 68-day short-term substitute teachers with a per-diem rate of $125 with no benefits, the revised list of fall season head coaches and assistant coaches with designated payments and the athletic event staff rates for the 2020-21 school year.

Board members voted to approve the resignations of Madison Mennell, assistant girls soccer coach, effective July 13, and Erin Kessler, special education instructional assistant at Lehigh Elementary School, effective Aug. 20. Phillip Moser, technology technician, was approved for retirement, effective Dec. 4.

In anticipation of the start of the 2020-21 school year, the board members approved the secondary and elementary school handbooks and the adoption of policy 233 regarding suspension and expulsion and policy 904 regarding public attendance at school events.

Revised curricula at NAMS and Northampton Area High School, including FCS, Geography through Reading, Culture and Conversation, Honors English, Nutrition for Wellness, Culinary Arts, Honors French IV, Spanish IV and Honors Spanish IV were also approved.

There were several votes taken regarding taxes in the district, including a 2020 real estate tax exoneration for 329 Property (Parcel L5 1 12), for $1,103.29 for being a tax-exempt entity.

The board voted on the settlement of the tax assessment appeal filed by Concordia Lutheran Church for tax parcel No. J4 32 9 0520 (3285 Pheasant Drive, Moore Township) pursuant to the stipulation of counsel and authorized the district solicitor to execute the stipulation of counsel on behalf of NASD. The stipulation of counsel provides Parcel J4 32 9 0520 shall go from active to exempt for 3 acres of the 10.7-acre parcel, effective Jan. 1. The effective date for NASD is July 1.

The board approved and authorized the business administrator to provide written consent on behalf of the school board for the sale by the Northampton County Tax Claim Bureau of the properties listed for the bid amounts listed in accordance with the Real Estate Tax Sales Law.

The following properties had previously been offered at a county upset sale and at a county judicial sale but were not sold and instead were placed in the county repository of unsold properties: Parcel G4 1 61A 0520C, $14,500; Parcel J3SE3 5 12 0516C, $100; Parcel J3SE3 5 2 0516C, $100; Parcel H4 13 10 0516C, $105; Parcel H4 19 2B 0520C, $700.

The board was pleased to accept, with appreciation, the donation of a beginner cello and bow with an estimated value of $300 from David Eveland.