The Panther Valley School Board on Thursday elected Jeff Markovich for another four-year term as president.

School director John Williams was elected vice president, and Tony Demarco was elected the president pro tem.School director Roy Angst had nominated Williams for president, but he refused. Angst then nominated Irene Genther for the office, but she received only two votes.DeMarco swore in the four school board members, all Democrats, who were elected to four-year terms in the November general election.They were Genther, Nesquehoning; Dan Heaney, Nesquehoning; Brian Dolena, Summit Hill; and John Williams, Lansford."I am very excited for the opportunity and I am looking forward to working with everyone on board," Heaney said after the meeting.Dolena was appointed to the board in August to serve the months remaining on the term of the late Richard Zabroski, a Republican from Nesquehoning."I am getting used to everything; it is a learning process, and I am enjoying it so far and look forward to serving," Dolena said after the meeting."It is my thrill to serve my community," Genther said following the meeting.Markovich and Williams refused to offer comment regarding their election.In other matters Thursday, the board approved a proposal to hire an engineer for a $5.7 million building project to finance the building of classrooms in what was the swimming pool area of the high school.Based on a recommendation by The Architectural Studio, the board accepted a proposal from Philip Kitlinski, Halifax, Dauphin County, to provide geotechnical engineering services at a cost not to exceed $7,700.The new classrooms will allow the district to reconfigure student housing and to eliminate the use of portable classrooms at the elementary school in Nesquehoning. The project, expected to be finished by January 2015 at the latest, involves filling in the pool, which was closed in January to save money, and removing the locker rooms. The space would then be renovated to classrooms at a cost of about $5.5 million to $5.8 million.Williams suggested Kitlinski's proposal be tabled because he was concerned that the cost was an additional expense that they were told would not be necessary when they started the project. The board rejected Williams' motion after most members said they didn't want to forestall the process. They said the $7,700 that they were spending would be part of the total cost of the project.In other matters, the board approved Daniel Kesserlring, Frederick Herling, and David Weidner as substitute teachers for social studies seven-12, health and physical education, and art K-12 respectively. It also approved Erin Bonner as a long-term substitute elementary teacher, retroactive to Nov. 22, through the end of this school year.The board also paid bills: $1.2 million for general costs; $118,444 for cafeteria expenses; $34,03 for the athletics; and $150 for student body fees.Angst vehemently announced that he would be voting against paying the athletic bills, and also against cutting a $200 check to the former board president, and $2,544 to the law firm of Sweets, Stevens, Tucker & Katz of Pittston. In previous meetings he had expressed his feeling that the board was spending wastefully on an outside law firm.Also on Thursday, elementary school Principal Mary Figura said a cooperative coat drive with the Carbon County Association of Realtors succeeded in distributing almost 300 free coats and other warm clothing items to students in need.Middle School Principal Lisa Mace thanked student Meredith Bowmans, who organized a canned food drive for the middle school Humanitarian Club. Mace said the students donated 1,104 cans of food, which Bowmans delivered to Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansford. Bowmans was present at the meeting and was applauded for her charitable project.