It was back, then it was gone, and now it appears as though a popular preschool program for low income children could be reinstituted next year in the Northern Lehigh School District.

The consensus of the school board on Monday was to utilize Accountability Block Grant funds to reinstate the Pre-K Head Start Program at Peters Elementary for the 2011-12 school year if said funds become available.The program is contingent upon final approval of Gov. Tom Corbett's budget, the restoration of the ABG funds, and that those funds would be enough to sustain the district's portion of the program.Director Gregory Williams thanked the board for its support of the program, and noted that its fate rests in with Harrisburg.Before the board's vote, Karen Nicholas, assistant to the superintendent, asked the board to take the matter under consideration so that she could inform Head Start of the district's intentions.Nicholas said the program would require about $90,000 in ABG funds, which would cover both classroom and transportation expenses.Last month, Nicholas informed the school board on Monday that the Head Start program would no longer continue in the 2011-12 school year due to the recent loss of the ABG funding.Nicholas said at that time the district would no longer able to fund the program because Community Services for Children - with whom the district has had a working relationship with - notified the district that it will not be able to help support the program.That information came after Nicholas said in April that Community Services for Children would be able to fund the program.Nicholas said at that time the district lost $90,000 in ABG funding toward the program. Of that, $65,000 was used to pay for classroom expenses, while the other $25,000 went toward transportation, she said.Business manager Jeremy Melber said last month that the district could receive about $139,000 in ABG funding next year if approved by the State House Appropriations Committee.Melber, who noted the district has lost $348,000 in ABG funding, said at that time that if the ABG funding were to be restored to the district, that could help ease the burden of full-day kindergarten in its general fund budget next year and help avert a tax increase.In other business, the board:• Approved the lease of laptop & desktop computers, data projectors, interactive whiteboards or their equivalent, Slatington Elementary, from California First Leasing Corporation, 18201 Von Karman Ave., Suite 800, Irvine, CA, for $61,000 per year, with a lease term of 36 months and a $1 buyout option at the end of the lease agreement.• Approved to purchase the wired and wireless networking equipment from IntergraOne, 7248 Tilghman Street, Suite 120, Allentown, for the total cost of $385,685, and professional services not to exceed $30,000.• Authorized administration to move forward with purchasing and installation of a lift gate on the district box truck in order to satellite food to Slatington Elementary during the construction process. Further plans are to satellite food to the middle school upon completion of the new kitchen facility at Slatington Elementary. The cost of the lift gate is not to exceed $4,205.• Approved the contract with Spotts, Stevens & McCoy Group, Inc., for environmental consulting (AHERA, Right-to-Know, MSDS, and IAQ Testing) to include all buildings in the amount of $7,000 for the 2011-12 school year; $6,855 for the 2012-13 school year; and $7,315 for the 2013-14 school year.• Awarded insurance coverage for the 2011-12 school year to Commercial Package and Automobile (vehicle liability, general liability property insurance and boiler and machinery) Graphic Arts (UTICA) National Insurance Company, $58,848, which represents a $397 increase over last year's rate; Commercial Umbrella Liability Insurance, North River Insurance Company, $15,810, which represents no increase over last year's rate; School Leaders Error and Omissions Liability, National Union Fire Insurance Company, $12,569, which represents no increase over last year's rate; and Workers' Compensation Coverage, School Boards Insurance Company, estimated premium of $61,137, which represents about a $4,642 increase and is an estimated total, with the final cost based on actual payroll figures.• Authorized First Niagra, Wells Fargo National Bank, Commerce Bank of Pennsylvania, Prudential-Bache Government Securities Trust and Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust (PLGIT) to act as approved depositories for school district funds and or temporary investments. The school board further authorizes the institutions to transfer funds on deposit to any other bank for the credit of the NLSD; and further authorizes the business manager and/or superintendent to enter into agreements, supplements, or amendments to implement the foregoing operations for the 2011-12 school year.• Granted permission to the business office to pay construction, insurance and utility bills that are scheduled for payment during the month of July as required by contract. There is no scheduled school board meeting in July.• Approved the appointment of Statewide Tax Recovery as the delinquent per capita tax collector for the 2011-12 school year.• Appointed First National Insurance Agency, LLC, as the 2011-12 Student Accident and Athletic Insurance Carriers. The renewal rate is $11,393, to include all interscholastic sports, band and cheerleading. Voluntary school coverage is $22 for the school time rate and $88 for the 24-hour rate.• Approved to renew a $50,000 expiring board secretary bond for the term of July 1, 2011 to July 1, 2012, at an annual premium of $175; and a $50,000 expiring board treasurer bond for the period of July 1, 2011 to July 1, 2012, at an annual premium cost of $269, for the 2011-12 fiscal year through HRH Palley Simon Associates.• Granted permission, according to board policy #707, for the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor to use the district's parking lot facilities on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, for their inaugural Delaware & Lehigh Heritage Marathon and Half Marathon. They anticipate participants will begin to arrive between the hours of 6-9 a.m.• Approved the Agreement of Sponsorship to Attend Another Pennsylvania Community College for Shane Ehrich, in accordance with the guidelines established under Policy #912. Beginning in the fall of 2011, he will be a full-time student at Northampton Community College to pursue his course of study in Architecture.• Approved the request of employee #3380 to take a family medical leave beginning on or about June 28, 2011. The employee will be using vacation days in conjunction with the family medical leave. The employee's intention is to return to their current position upon medical release from their attending physician.• Approved to authorize proper officials to enter into an agreement between the district and the PATH PA Treatment & Healing Cener for the purpose of furnishing educational services for disruptive students for the 2011-12 school year. The daily tuition rate is $50.• Approved a tuition fee of $30 per student for a six-week elementary summer band program, and also approved a stipend for summer band program director Camille Vernarr. Vernarr's stipend will be equal to the amount collected for student participation, but will not exceed $1,000. There is a $5 increase over last year. The summer band program will run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from July 5, 2011 through Aug. 11, 2011.• Appoint Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Company (HRH) Palley Simon Associates as the district insurance broker for property, causality, liability and workers' compensation insurance for the 2011-12 school year.• Approved to appoint Dr. Harry Shleifer of Professional Dental Associates as the school dentist for the 2011-12 school year at the quoted fee of $1 per dental exam needed.• Approved to appoint Dr. Nicole Sully and Dr. Amy Steigerwalt of Parkland Family Health Center as school physicians for the 2011-12 school year. The fee for grade level physicals will be $20 per physical needed. Consultant services will be provided at no charge.• Approved to appoint OAA Orthopedic Specialists to provide football game physicians for the 2011-12 school year at a quoted fee of $10 per regular season game, an increase of $25 over last year's rates, and $125 per postseason game, an increase of $40 over last year's rates.• Awarded various fuel bids to Inergy Propane, LLC (Farm & Home Oil Co.); Petroleum Traders Corporation; and Isobunkers, LLC.• Approved school board policy #210.1, pupils, possession/use of inhalers/epinephrine auto-injectors, as presented after first reading.• Approved the changes to the high school, elementary school and middle school student-parent handbook.There is no scheduled school board meeting in July.