The Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 School Board approved an agreement with Tamaqua Area School District and 11 other school districts to provide special education services for the school year 2010-11 in action taken at its monthly meeting held Monday evening at the Maple Avenue Campus in Norwegian Township

Special Education Services will be provided for students attending the Education Center for Exceptional Children and for students attending District Located Classes in other host districts including related services for those students, other support services for those students as necessary and the maintenance of the Education Center for Exceptional Children with the exception of Gifted Program.The total cost of the services for each of the school districts is as follows:Tamaqua Area, $1,164,391; Blue Mountain, $439,121; Mahanoy Area, $1,012,866; Minersville Area, $1,272,073; North Schuylkill, $815,898; Pine Grove Area, $1,375,407; Pottsville Area, $1,532,119; Saint Clair Area, $816,416; Schuylkill Haven Area, $1,149,261; Shenandoah Valley, $827,403; Tri-Valley, $512,601; and Williams Valley, $2,525,266.The board approved agreement with 10 school districts for the provision of English as a Second Language (ESL) Education Services for the coming school year.The costs to each district is as follows: Mahanoy Area, $4,725; Minersville Area, $5,011; North Schuylkill, $8,597; Pine Grove Area, $7,199; Pottsville Area, $11,777; Saint Clair Area, $3,674; Schuylkill Haven Area, $5,951; Shenandoah Valley, $4,607; Tri-Valley, $3,851; and Williams Valley, $4,666.Approve budgetThe District Special Education Budget for 2010-11 was approved in the amount of $14,902,466 and it is for Maple Avenue Campus, District Located Classes and related services.The budget covers classroom programs in life skills support, emotional support, blind and visual, autistic support, physical support and multi-handicap. District Located Classes programs include life skills support, deaf and hearing, emotional support, autistic support and learning support and related and other services include speech and language, occupational therapist, blind and visual support, deaf and hearing support, orientation mobility behavioral support, psychologist and social workers.The board gave authorization to Dr. Diane M. Niederriter, the executive director, to suspend (furlough) the least senior certified and licensed staff and least senior teacher aides as deemed necessary and to develop a furlough pool. Also, the board granted authority to fill vacancies and employ essential personnel in all programs operated by the IU which are ratified by the IU Board.Summer hiringsKim Sutter, Pottsville, was hired as the lifelong learning Center's site coordinator at $5,000 for additional duties related to coordination of the center. Also, Susan Oswald, was hired as a special education teacher, to provide homebound instruction for a North Schuylkill School District student for 13.5 hours at $25 per hour.Hired as development teachers to provide preschool screening, therapy and evaluations the weeks of June 9 through Aug. 13, for a maximum of 300 hours at $23 per hour were, Allison Lesher, Alretta Schwenk, Sandy Davenport, Linda Butcavage, Liz Wetzel, Jessica Wiscount, Reginal Casella, Casey Moyer, Kathy Stuck, Jessica Fickinger Krevinas, Kayla Trumbo, Natalie Apellaniz, Janelle Siket, Andreas (Lutz) Hannon,Colleen Cannon, Jennifer Pahira and Mary Beth Lang.Hired as teacher aides in the preschool summer program were, Susan Barry, $12.50 per hour; Jacqueline Toomey, Ida Chesko and Johanne Shomper, at $9.85 per hour; Eleanor Ryan, $9.35 per hour; Heather Quinn and Angela Honish, $8.25 per hour and Pam Bonk, Joy Schwenk, Stephanie HJones, Sabrina Zuppert, Caitlin Faust, Nicole Schuster, Brionne Dyszel, Malerie Zimmerman, Kristy Nork, Lidsey Petrousky, Bryan Skonsnick, Amanda Pavalko, Matthew Kroh, Emily Duffy, Megan Kane, Gloria Hollenbach, Emilie Baker, Abigail Malloy, Kristyn Rakus and Ashley Wade, at $7.75 per hour.Hired as therapists in the preschool summer program for 300 hours were, Erica Polley, Ashley (Miller) Kovatch, Judy Kimber, Kathy Mendinsky, Nina Bindie, Andrea Bucher, Gwen Stokes, Ashley Thompson, Joanne Klitsch, Amy Wasilewski, Tonya Stoffregen, Jaclyn Gretsky, Vanessa Fleurant, Nikki Cole, Nicole Leonzi, Amy Ryder, Holly Brosius, Luaren Hoffman, Lauren Foulke, Veronica Lepley and Ashley McCabe, at $23 per hour; Lisa Reidler and April Rusnik, 150 hours at $23 per hour; Kelly Erbe, Tracy Cavanaugh, Karen Wallace and Megann Riland, 100 hours at $23 per hour; and Gemma Haas, 100 hours at $21 per hour.Registered Nurses hired for the summer program, academic summer school program, school-age extended school year program and counsel house, were Barbara Merwind and Nanette Lingenfelter, 250 hours at $23 per hour and Teresa Palamar and Beth Guldin, substitutes if needed.Staff to be employed to provide extended school year services to eligible students during the summer were, Amy Britton, Williams Valley Elementary; Mary Cagle and Beth Brinich, Schuylkill Haven Area Elementary; Melissa Engelman, Schuylkill Haven Area Middle; and Donna Dennis, Lisa Gideon, Tina Green, Sue McGovern, Tara Mistysyn and Kate Snitzer, Maple Avenue Campus, all at current rates and Allison Bennet and Moira McCormick, Maple Avenue Campus at $7.75 per hour.Teachers for the Academic Summer School Program from June 28 to July 29 were, Patrick Brennan and Lisa Hollenbach,$5,000 per course; Brian Pearson, Michelle Beaver, Elise Popalis, Katherine Gorenty, Adrian Portland and Jamie Rizzardi, $2,500 per hour and Alan Hack, Dennis Kutz, Juliann Mogish, Jen Hemming and Katherine Callaghan, $1,250 per course.Hired as summer maintenance staff to complete outdoor and indoor tasks from June 9 through Aug. 13 were, Albert Wank, Llewellyn, $19 per hour; Charles Taronis, Pottsville, $11 per hour and David Baker, David Bolich, Christian Gardner and Lauren Ondeck, Pottsville; Thomas Monaghan, Ringtown; John Hunyara, Minersville; Michael Fetterolf, Llewelyn; Ryan Merwine. Ashland; Justin Lingernfelter, New Tripoli; and Amanda Onisick, Shenandoah Heights, $8.25 per hour.Hired as mentor teachers for 2009-2010 school year were, Rosemarie Schneider, Kristen Greenawalt, Rochelle Angelo and Marci Fegley, $700; Mary Wasilewski, $525 and Knuite Brayford, $350.Payment approved for special olympic coaches and extra curricular advisors for the term which ended were, Chirstopher Olsen, special olympics coordinator, $2,600; Sharon Wenrich, swimming coach, $1,150; Natalie Stramara, volleyball, $1,150; Mary Wasilewski, soccer coach, $1,150; Kyra Marks and Knute Brayford, basketball coaches, each $1,150; Teresa Bensigner, softball coach, $1,150; Rochelle Angelo and Janet Stock, Senior Class Advisors, each $1,200;p and Christina Seiger and Janice Gately, yearbook advisors, $1,2000 each.Report rejectedThe board rejected the arbitrator and fact finder report dated June 1 regarding the contract negotiations with PSEA Local Association of the Schuylkill County Intermediate Unit 29 Exceptional Children's Program.A contract was approved with the American Red Cross to provide CPR and First Aid certification and training for special education personnel at a cost of $10,475. The program includes recertification of current staff and training of new staff from the IU, Schuylkill Technology Center and from the 12 member school districts.Fees setTuition and fees were approved effective July 1 as follows:Practical Nursing Program enrollment deposit, $225, no increase; postsecondary tuition, increased from $7.50 to $7.75 per hour; nurses aide tuition, increased from $1,250 to $1,350; tuition for heavy equipment and commercial driver's license program, commercial driver's license at $5,995, no increase; heavy equipment $8,795, an increase of $340; CDL and Heavy Equipment combined, $14,309 increase of $340 and Class B license, $1,695, no increase.Hourly rates for the as-needed part-time CDL instructors were set for Dennis Wiscount, from $16.50 to $17 per hour and for William Hyland from $20.50 to $21 per hour. Stephen Mazur, Frackville, hired to provide CDL training at $25 per hour for a maximum 680 hours; David Moyer, Schuylkill Haven, to provide heavy equipment training at $25 per hour for 400 hours.An agreement was entered with Mount Carmel Area School District for 15 to 25 students to attend the Schuylkill Technology Center's North and South Campuses at a tuition cost of $6,000 per student.The board directed the administration to obtain bids for ceiling replacement and door replacement at the North and South CampusThe board announced a vacancy exists for the position of program specialist for postsecondary.