The Board of Education for the Jim Thorpe Area school district approved a number of student teachers and long-term substitutes during its normal meeting on Monday evening. The board also heard a motion to change the way the district buses its students and set dates for a number of upcoming committee meetings.

Two long-term substitutes were approved to work at the L.B. Morris Elementary. Derick Reis was hired at the BS Step 1 level at a salary of $38,960 and Mary Ellen Galvin was approved as an instructional aide at $11 per hour.Three student teachers from East Stroudsburg University will be teaching in the district. Telsa Sparks will be a cooperative teacher for Mrs. Oswald, Heather Heiney will be a cooperative teacher for Mr. Ellison and Laura Tatusko will be a cooperative teacher for Mrs. Rosenberger.During the new business section of the meeting, board member Gerald Strubinger made a motion to put a new transportation contract out for bid that would allow the district to choose a single vendor to operate all of the school's buses starting with upcoming school year. The district currently splits that business between two contractors, Getz Transportation and Kuhn Transportation. The district spends about $2 million a year on transportation."We just want one contractor because there will be better use of the buses, less fuel and we can ask them to keep buses at the schools," Strubinger said. "That cuts down on the fuel for sure."Board president Dennis McGinley pointed out that the district has a 10 year contract with the current vendors. Board member Dr. Clement McGinley asked Solicitor Gregory Mousseau whether if the board could even vote on the issue with a contract in force, to which the attorney suggested an executive session.When the boardroom doors were opened again, a motion had been made and properly seconded to table Strubinger's motion, which was then unanimously approved by the board. The issue was handed down to the transportation committee, which is set to meet on March 17.Two other committees will also have meetings in the near future. The Policy and Personnel committee will meet to discuss the district's new dress code on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. The Finance and Insurance committee will meet on Monday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. to begin discussing next year's budget.