Northern Lehigh School District has received a $75,000 grant to pay for its school police officers.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tania Stoker told the school board on Monday that the Pennsylvania Department of Education posted the 2022-2023 Safe Schools Targeted Grant recipients.

“I’m happy to announce that Northern Lehigh received this grant for school police officers,” Stoker said. “We were the only district in Lehigh County that received the school police officers grant, and only one of three districts in our county that received any of the targeted grants.”

Stoker said the grant term runs for the 2023 calender year, and that the district will use the funds to pay for the salary, benefits and some equipment purchases for its officers.

Superintendent Matthew J. Link congratulated Stoker and Sherri Molitoris, director of Business Affairs, Business & Human Resource Officer, on obtaining the grant.

“The fact that Northern Lehigh was the only district in Lehigh County to receive that is a testament to their hard work and how successful they are at writing grants for our school district,” Link said.

In December, the board hired Mark Nicosia and Zachary Wargula as full-time officers at an annual salary of $40,280 each.

Afterward, the board at that meeting approved an amendment to its Administrative Support Staff Agreement, which states that the school police officer is to receive a salary effective Aug. 20, 2022 of $40,280, Aug. 20, 2023 and each subsequent year of the agreement.

In addition, the school police officer is to receive a salary increase equal to the salary increase agreed upon for all other employees covered within that agreement.

In November, the board accepted the resignation of Frank Gnas from his position as school safety and security officer/school police officer, effective at the end of the day Oct. 28.

The board on an 8-0 vote agreed to transfer David Jones from full-time school police officer to school safety and security coordinator/school police officer, at a salary of $60,000 effective Oct. 31.

Also in November, the board approved the creation of a third full-time school police officer position to be funded through the general fund with the expectation for administration to apply for applicable grants to subsidize the cost.