Five area professional instructional teachers were among 27 placed into a furlough pool effective July 1 by the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 School Board at its monthly meeting held Monday evening at the Maple Avenue Campus in Marlin, Norwegian Township.

Placed on furlough were: Amy Ryder, Delano, speech therapist; Matt Giannelli, Mahanoy City, MAC teacher; Ashley Hess, New Ringgold, Pottsville Hospital teacher; Ileen Yearick, Tamaqua, speech therapist; Kyle Culbert, Quakake, speech therapist; John Royer, Pottsville, psychologist; Dawn Turitto, Orwigsburg, social worker; Daphne Christiansen, Pine Grove, speech therapist; Danielle Locke, Ashland, speech therapist; Melanie Lehocky, Pine Grove, speech therapist.Also, Vanessa McCormick, Minersville, speech therapist; Carly Finkboner, Port Carbon, speech therapist; Nikki Cole, Kulpmont, speech therapist; Allison Lesher, Ashland, EI Teacher; Janelle Siket, Pottsville, EI Teacher; Janelle Siket, Pottsville, EI Teacher; Melissa Troutman, Frackville, WVSD Teacher; Matthew Grosser, Ashland, MAC Teacher; Jennifer Steiff, Ashland, WVSD Teacher; Christopher Olsen, Girardville, EI Teacher; Timothy Zelonis, Danville, MAC Teacher; Jill Wulf, Pine Grove, EI Teacher.And, Jennifer Pisarz, Ashland, MAC Teacher; Eileen Schwalm, Sacramento, MAC Teacher; Colleen Cannon, Ashland, EI Teacher; John Paul, Lykens, WVSD Teacher; Ashley Thompson, Pottsville, speech therapist; and Andrea Bucher, Mount Carmel, speech therapist.Business managerEdwin F. Musser, Port Treverton, was hired as the business manager at a salary of $95,000 per year. He replaces Charles J. Mannello who retired.The board accepted a number of resignations.James J. Haffey, Orwigsburg principal/administrator of Alternative Education, Counsel House and Operation Plus; Gloria Rushanan, Pottsville, part-time aide; John Donton, Cressona, part-time aide; and Maryann Barlow, Shenandoah, part-time aide.The board approved budgets for various programs. They included Core Services, $987,000; Act 89, $546.200; ACE Program, $19,253; Academic Summer School, $10,083 and English as a Second Language Course, $269,514.The board approved a Safe and Drug Free Schools grant of $5,000 received from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The funding will be used to provide student assistance program training for 13 staff members who are employed by the nine school districts in the IU 29 Safe and Drug Free School Consortium.Hire coordinatorChristianne Bayer, Tamaqua, was hired as the Schuylkill Learning Academy-Mental Health Professional Program Coordinator effective July 1 at $67,003 per year.Michelle Maccarone, Palo Alto, was reassigned as a secretary from the Schuylkill Technology Center North Campus at Frackville to the Maple Avenue Campus in Marlin to fill a vacancy.John Pickering, Coal Township, was reassigned as a technology support specialist from the Schuylkill Technology Center to Maple Avenue Campus.Kimberly Valentine, Frackville, hired as an English Language Learner instructor at $18.50 per hour. The tutoring will occur at the Maple Avenue Campus during the summer school.Summer schoolTeachers hired to provide Extended School Year Services to eligible students will be paid $23 per hour. Hired were: Dawn Walsh, Beck Luna and Alicia Murphy at Tamaqua Area High School; Knute Brayford, Andrew Schwalm, Eileen Schwalm, Susan Oswald, Thomas Wood, Jennifer Reeves, Kristen Greenawalt, Dan Scheuer, Abby Forney, Maria Strawhorn, Ashley Hess at Maple Avenue Campus; Aprile Goehring, Justine Majorsky and Ashley Romanot at Schuylkill Haven Area High School; and Melissa Troutman and Carol Dagan at Williams Valley Elementary.Ann Ulinitz, Terri Koch (Behr) and Elaine Wasserleben, Tamaqua Area High School, were hired as teacher aides at $8 per hour.Driver educationThe board agreed to continue the contract with Edward Savioz Driver Training School, Philadelphia, to provide an online driver education course for the secondary students in Schuylkill County. The cost of the course will be incurred by the student taking the course.