Panther Valley School Board has a new member.

Christopher Kerestes of Summit Hill was unanimously approved as a member of the board Thursday night.Kerestes recently retired as a corrections officer at State Correctional Institution - Mahanoy. He is a 1984 graduate of Panther Valley and served in the Marines.Kerestes said that he joined the board to help his children."I have two children in the school district, and I'm retired, so I have time to help," he said.Superintendent Dennis Kergick welcomed him to the board shortly after he was approved."I'd like to say welcome to Mr. Christopher Kerestes. I wish you a lot of luck," he said.His term is up at the end of the year. In order to stay on the board past 2017, Kerestes must run for one of four seats available in this fall's general election, something he said he plans on doing.He replaces Brian Dolena, who resigned last month because of a new job opportunity.The board also agreed to pay $1,640 in invoices related to work on the roof at Panther Valley Elementary. The district has been looking at a project to renovate or replace the roof. They have hired a consultant, D'Huy Engineering Inc., which has been working on plans to eliminate drainage problems with the roof.Board member Gary Porembo said he would like to get an itemized list of the services paid for before the district submits payment.The board also moved its next monthly meeting to April 6 to avoid a conflict with Holy Thursday.