Information gathering continues for Elevate Excellence, Northampton Area School District’s new comprehensive plan.

“Where Every Kid Matters” is the theme of the plan, mandated every six years by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as “a process of a continuous cycle of improvement and long-range planning,” according to the NASD website.

The plan, due March 2023 to the state PDE, is to go into effect July 2023.

NASD began developing the plan in fall 2021. Parents and guardians were asked to complete a survey by Nov. 5, 2021.

Focus groups were formed, and a steering committee meeting was held Dec. 16, 2021.

“We kicked off the day with the high school band playing some selections,” NASD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michelle Schoeneberger said at the Dec 20, 2021, school board meeting.

“It was a great day of multiple stakeholders,” Schoeneberger continued. “There was a sense of community that was there during the meeting. We really kicked off the comprehensive plan.”

Another meeting was held Jan. 6.

At the Jan. 10 board meeting, school directors voted 8-0, with one director absent and two directors voting by telephone, to approve:

• Job descriptions for NASD transportation supervisor, transportation-personnel secretary, supervisor of data and information services and PIMS-child accounting coordinator

• Resignation of Meghan Lloyd, assistant director, special education, effective Feb. 2

• Curtis Reigle, long-term substitute mathematics teacher, Northampton Area High School, effective second semester, 2021-22 school year, at $312.25 per diem

• Charles Hutterer, long-term substitute kindergarten teacher, Lehigh Elementary School, effective retroactive to Oct. 4, 2021, through the 2021-22 school year, at $295.51 per diem

• Jacklyn Hibbs, long-term substitute kindergarten teacher, Lehigh Elementary, effective retroactive to Jan. 4, for remainder of 2021-22 school year, at $312.25 per diem

• Gary Meckes, maintenance employee, effective Jan. 31, pending receipt of documentation, at $24.41 per hour, with benefits

• James Sansone and 10 chaperones to accompany 30 students to Baltimore, Md., April 23

• Speech and language services contract, to not exceed $16,500, at Siegfried Elementary School

• Tara Mrazik, Neali Feimster, Matthew Greenplate, Leigh Zakutansky and Ryan Brobst to attend Pennsylvania DECA conference with 68 students, Feb. 16-18, in Hershey, at $13,214, included in board-approved 2021-22 curriculum, $12,464, and high school, $750, budgets

• Three-year service agreement, Reading Elevator Service Inc., for administration building elevator, $3,420, effective Jan. 1-June 30, 2024

At the Dec. 20, 2121, board meeting, school directors voted 8-0, with one director absent, to approve:

• Resignation of Justin Gober, maintenance, effective Dec. 6, 2021

• Voluntary transfer of Ryan Mertz, music teacher, NAHS and Northampton Area Middle School to George Wolf and Moore elementary schools, effective Jan. 3

• Resignation of Jill Stout, secretary, NASD assistant superintendent, for retirement, effective June 30

• Attendance of John Bendekovits, Jamie Horvath and C.J. McHugh at the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo & Conference, Feb. 6-9, Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, at $2,341.99, included in board-approved 2021-22 budget

• Alex Heckman, short-term substitute mathematics teacher, Lehigh Elementary, effective retroactive to Oct. 4,2021, through Dec. 23, 2021, at $125 per day

• Robin Torres, hall monitor, NAMS, effective retroactive to Dec. 13, 2021, at $13.82 per hour

• Sean Kelsey, middle-shift custodian Mondays-Fridays, NAMS, effective Jan. 3, at $21.47 per hour, with benefits

• Marisa Graver, special education instructional assistant, Lehigh Elementary, effective Jan. 3, at $17.28 per hour

• Dana Houser, health room assistant, Franklin Elementary School, effective Jan. 3, pending receipt of documentation, at $17.28 per hour

• Fuel-oil vendors, 2022-23 school year, as recommended by Northampton-Monroe-Pike County Joint Purchasing Board and approved at Colonial I-U 20 board of directors’ January meeting

• Agreement with Backupify to provide cloud-based backup and disaster recovery services at $6,545.88 per year

• Accept donation of buddy bench from Liza’s House Personal Care Home, Danielsville

The NASD COVID-19 dashboard seven-day building totals, Jan. 8-14, as of Jan. 14, are: NAHS, 67, down from 79 the previous week; NAMS, 33, up from 26; Borough Elementary Schools, 38, up from 20; Moore Elementary, 9, up from 5; Lehigh Elementary, 25, up from 12; George Wolf Elementary, 13, up from 10, and district administration, 1, up from 0.

The year-to-date NASD positive cases are 925.

The NASD board of education’s next meeting is 7 p.m. Feb. 14 in the NAHS auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave., Northampton.