With the first day of classes looming, Carbon Career and Technical Institute's Joint Operating Committee on Thursday approved a slate of employees and contracts.

First and foremost, students need to get to the Institute from their home schools throughout Carbon County. The committee approved transportation contracts.Each contractor will be paid any cost for gasoline used over $2 per gallon. The contractors are the Jim Thorpe Area School District, $52/day per bus; George's Transportation Company, Lehighton, $89/day per bus; Leon George II School Buses, Palmerton, $224/day per bus; Panther Valley School District, $96/day per bus; Weatherly Area School District, $140/day per bus.Once students arrive, they'll need teachers.The committee hired Richard Cannella, Diane Luicana, Bonnie Dopira, Courtney McCarroll, Marcia Evans and Dennis Vavra as part-time integrated reading teachers at $30 an hour each. It also hired Marlon Kohan, Diane Luicana, and Jerald Neuman as part-time integrated math teachers, also at $30 an hour each.The committee hired certified math teachers Kimberly Bittle, Marlon Kohan, John Gunsser, Diane Luicana, John J. Huber and Nancy Ann Shiner as tutors, also at $30 an hour each.It also approved Harold Resh, Kevin Kuehner, Donald Flexer, Jeremy Pease and Michele Klock as adult education instructors at $21 per hour. The committee also signed a one-year professional services agreement with Francine Garenty-Kluck, part-time adult education site supervisor. Garenty-Kluck will work 24 to 28 hours a week beginning Aug. 19.In other personnel moves, the committee approved Jeffrey A. Hazelton as a carpentry instructional aide beginning at $12,417 and accepted the resignation of instructional aide Gary Rodgers.The committee approvedDonald Flexer, Jerald Neuman, Cathryn Seachrist, SaigeHancharick, Frank Parano, Nancy Ann Shiner, BrendaHarrison, Wilmer Redline Jr., William Stoudt, Marlon Kohan, Jeffrey Reed, Dennis Vavra, Courtney McCarroll, MarieRosahac, Rita Washick and Seth McLaughlin as substituteteachers.It also approved Jo Anne Mitzen as a substitute health/medical program teacher at a per diem rate of $100, and Mitzen Nikki Jo Nothstein and Geri Vavra as substitute school nurses.Joseph Horvat Jeffrey Reed were approved as substitute instructional aides.Also on Thursday, Principal Brent Borzak was given permission to attend the Center for Safe Schools 2014 Safe Schools Conference on Oct. 8-9 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey, Grantville, at a cost of $250 to cover the expenses of registration, meals and mileage.