The Tamaqua Area School Board on Tuesday approved a two-year contract with its support personnel.

The pact sets starting salaries at $12.50 per hour for custodians and $13.50 for maintenance, paraprofessionals and administrative assistants. It also calls for raises of $1.50 per hour for 2025-26 and $1.25 for 2026-27.

The contract also guarantees a minimum of 1,300 hours for paraprofessionals, and sets rules for vacation days, terminal leave payments and days without pay.

Admin roles

The board also reconfigured some of its building-level administrators. Remaining in the same roles are Tom McCabe, high school principal; Chris Czapla, middle school principal; and James Betz, special education director.

Changing roles are Lisa Shirvinski, who moves from assistant high school principal to Tamaqua Elementary principal; Frank D’Agostino, who moves from assistant elementary principal to West Penn Elementary principal; Tara Orefice, who has a doctor of arts, education and administration, moves from elementary principal to student services principal; and James Hahn, who moves from assistant middle school principal/assistant principal for special education to assistant high school principal.

There was no discussion on this action at the committee meeting or board meeting, which were both held on Tuesday night.

Other actions

In other personnel moves, the board:

• Hired Quinn Coleman of Tamaqua as a substitute custodian at a rate of $12.41 an hour.

• Appointed Raymond Kunkel and Michel Kunkel as grounds and activities lead and utility lead, respectively, at stipends to be determined.

• Ratified the hiring of Antoniia Cirsten of Lehighton, special education teacher, at a salary of $48,030; Megan Taylor of Barnesville, elementary teacher, $64,995; and Emily Barrett of Hatfield, middle school English language arts teacher, $48,030.

• Hired Nicole Isamoyer of Jim Thorpe as full-time paraprofessional at $13.50 an hour and Christina Modesto of Brockton as part-time paraprofessional at $12 an hour.

• Rescinded motions approving Madeline Wittig and Madison McGilnchey as paraprofessionals for 2025 extended school year.

• Approved Amy Hefflinger as an extended school year teacher at a $2,500 stipend, and Sarah Hartranft as an extended school year paraprofessional at the current rate.

• Hired Stacey Prusak as an administrative assistant, school secretary, at a rate of $13.50 an hour.