Lehighton School Board this week approved sound system upgrades for its meeting room within the administration building.

The board, voted 5-3 for the improvements, with Rocky Ahner, Willam Hill Jr. and Lori Nothstein.Andrew Yenser, Larry Stern, Wayne Wentz,Gloria Bowman and Stephen Holland were in favor.The upgrade will cost $11,387 and be bought through the COSTARS cooperative purchasing program."We actually scaled back the proposal from one that included double video capabilities on both walls of the board room and cost $20,000," Cleaver said. "This will allow for each board member to have a microphone without all the cords we have now and mount speakers on the wall. It's just for the sound system."Board President Gloria Bowman said the improved quality would allow meeting attendees to hear if there is an overflow crowd and they are in the foyer outside the actual meeting room."We are doing it to benefit the community and to help us with better quality in recording meeting minutes," she said.Nothstein said she would not vote for the expenditure because she felt it was "too much money."Hill said he thought the acoustics in the room are adequate."I can hear everything just fine," he said.