To meet demands of the new education protocol in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Northampton Area School District has promoted a technology department staff person.

The NASD Board of Education voted 9-0 to approve Billie Fruit as supervisor of technical support services, effective Aug. 25, at an annual prorated salary of $66,500, with benefits. The salary for this position is paid from ACCESS funds.

The school board also voted 9-0 at the Aug. 24 meeting to approve the job description for supervisor of technical support services, effective Aug. 24.

“Yes, it is a new position, and yes, it is mainly because of COVID,” wrote NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik in an email Aug. 25. “Assistance is needed because of the additional virtual learning options for students now and in the future. We have over 7,000 computers in the district and new online curriculum resources to assist staff and students.

“Billie Fruit has been working in the district in the technology department for the past 1.5 years. The department was reorganized due to retirements and COVID,” Kovalchik added.

NASD schools reopened Aug. 31 with a hybrid model of education, whereby students are at home Mondays and have in-person instruction two days per week, either Tuesdays and Thursdays or Wednesdays and Fridays.

In other business at the Aug. 24 meeting, school directors, meeting in the Northampton Area Middle School cafeteria and observing social distancing and face mask protocol, voted 9-0 to approve:

• Mary Ann Weaver, third-grade teacher at Siegfried Elementary School, effective Aug. 24, at $54,055, with benefits

• Nicole Morin, long-term substitute mathematics teacher at Northampton Area High School, effective Aug. 24, for the first semester, 2020-21 school year, pending receipt of proper documentation, at $287.53 per diem

• Caralie Seward, long-term substitute social studies teacher at NAHS, effective Aug. 24, for the first semester, 2020-21 school year, at $287.53 per diem

• School-crossing guards, Kermit Bachman and Jennifer Schwartz-O’Boyle, beginning Aug. 21 through the last student day of the 2020-21 school year, at $11.94 per hour, with no benefits

• Department and district coordinators and NAMS subject leaders’ compensation for 2020-21 school year

• Revised listing of 68-day short-term substitute teachers for the 2020-21 school year, at $125 per diem, with no benefits

• Revised list of professional and support staff transfers effective with the 2020-21 school year

• Additions and deletions to the substitute listing for the 2020-21 school year

• District master volunteer list for the 2020-21 school year

• Individuals to oversee intramural programs and the weight room for the 2020-21 school year, effective from Aug. 1 to June 30, 2021

• Resignation of Anna Zawierucha, mathematics teacher, for retirement, effective at the end of the first semester of the 2020-21 school year

• Resignation of Gerry Borda, special education instructional assistant, for retirement, effective at the end of the half day Oct. 8

• Resignation of Kelly Marhefka, special education instructional assistant, effective Aug. 24

• Resignation of Rita Hanzl, cafeteria monitor, for retirement, effective Aug. 21

• Resignation of Annette Knappenberger, cafeteria monitor, effective Sept. 16

• Revised list of professional and support staff transfers effective with the 2020-21 school year

• Additions and deletions to the substitute listing for the 2020-21 school year

• District master volunteer list for the 2020-21 school year

• PlanCon part K, project refinancing, and give approval to submit PlanCon part K to Pennsylvania Department of Education

• The business administrator to provide written consent on behalf of the school board for the sale by the Northampton County Tax Claim Bureau, a property with parcel G4 1 21 0520C for a bid of $600 in accordance with the Real Estate Tax Sales Law. The property had been offered for sale at a county upset sale and thereafter at a county judicial sale but was not sold and instead was placed in the county repository of unsold properties.

• President of the NASD Board of School Directors to sign a memorandum of understanding that provides for enrollment in Bethlehem Area School District of two homeless children beginning for school year 2020-21. The homeless children had previously been enrolled in NASD beginning in March 2019 until the end of the school year 2019-20. The enrollment at BASD is based upon the request of the children’s mother and on a determination by the school districts that it is in the best interest of the children to enroll in BASD, where both children had previously enrolled prior to March 2019.