It appears as if Tamaqua Area School District will stick to its plan to not raise school district taxes above the index in the 2016-17 school year.

On a 6-0 vote, the school board on Tuesday agreed to maintain the Act 1 index during budget preparation. Directors Thomas Rottet, Mark Rother and Melanie Dillman were absent.The index is 3.2 percent, which equates to 1.1 mills, or about $305,000 in tax revenue, business manager Connie Ligenza previously said.Other actionThe school board:• Hired Gregory Haney as a high school German teacher, at a salary of $39,500, effective Dec. 13.• Removed Mark Solon from the professional substitute teacher list.• Removed Jenna Milkovits from the substitute paraprofessional list, effective immediately.• Hired Debra Skripnek as a full-time custodian.• Hired John Franko as a substitute custodian.• Hired Kyle Smith as a substitute custodian.• Approved a medical leave of absence for Catherine Kenesky, secretary, to begin Jan. 28, and return on or about March 11, using sick days and personal days.• Reappointed Jeff Bowe of Bowe, Lisella and Bowe, as the district's solicitor.• Approved a partnership between Wilkes University and the school district to jointly prepare and support new reading specialists to improve curriculum, instruction and student achievement in its schools.• Approved the sale of a parcel located at 20 E. Spruce St. in Tamaqua for $400, as well as a parcel located at 241 Lafayette St. in Tamaqua for $1,986.• Agreed to begin the request for proposal process for athletic trainer services to begin at the expiration of the current contract with Coordinated Health.• Approved the first reading of policies related to school district facility use procedure, and public attendance at school events.• Approved the 2016-17 school calendar.