Personnel additions throughout Lehighton Area School District highlighted the school board meeting agenda Monday night.

Per a unanimous motion, the district is abolishing the position of middle school assistant principal and adding a dean of students in its place.While the assistant principal position fell under the Act 93 agreement, the dean of students will be a professional position and in turn save the district financially, according to Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver.The dean of students will report to the district principal and “provide the necessary leadership and coordination to act as a liaison between the principal, the teaching staff, parents and students in assisting the principal in the total management of the school,” according to a job description provided by the district.“The dean of students will collaborate with district administrators, building principals, assistant principals, and teachers to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for all students.”Charles Bachert is the current assistant principal at the middle school.The dean of principals position will likely be posted this week, Cleaver said.According to Cleaver, the move will coincide with fifth grade moving out of the middle school and into the district’s new elementary center starting in the fall of 2018.“That leaves the middle school with three grades and the least amount of students of any of our buildings,” he said. “The salary will depend on where the person hired falls on our step scale since it is a professional position.”Lehighton is also adding a districtwide STEAM coordinator will still fall under the Act 93 contract agreement.“The salary for that position will be negotiated as part of the Act 93 administrator contract,” Cleaver said.“Under the direction of the director of curriculum education, the coordinator of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education will provide the necessary leadership and coordination to develop a K-12 interdisciplinary approach to STEAM education,” according to a job description provided by the district.“The coordinator will lead administrators and teachers to find ownership in district investments in high-tech learning, which will help ensure that the school district’s students gain the necessary edge to compete and succeed in the global economy.”The third position created Monday night is a districtwide social worker/transition coordinator, which will provide support to families in the district.“The social worker will help students procure relevant services that address issues that may have impeded their education.”All three new positions will be posted and the jobs will begin on July 1.The district also took a major step Monday night toward adding a STEM SmartLab at the high school.The board accepted a proposal and a five-year commitment for the SmartLab annual curriculum and support agreement running from the 2017-18 through the 2022-23 school year.According to the board’s motion, half of the cost will be paid through National Education Foundation funds, leaving the price tag for the district at a maximum $100,000.