The Panther Valley School Board on Wednesday moved quickly through routine business, which included some resignations and hires as the school year begins.

The board accepted the resignation of elementary teacher Alexandra Costa, effective Aug. 8, and hired Lindsey Hittner as an elementary science teacher at a salary of $47,686.

Other resignations included: Kathy Geffert, a paraprofessional, retroactive to June 30; Susan Esposito, cafeteria worker, retroactive to Aug. 8; and Jo-Ann Petosa, lunch monitor, retroactive to Aug. 3.

Other hires included Grace Goldsmith and Christy McLean, paraprofessionals at the intermediate school at the contract rate; and Jennifer Brown, a lunch monitor at the elementary school at $12.50 an hour.

Supervisor of Curriculum Robert Palazzo also gave a review of ParentSquare, the new communication platform for Panther Valley families. It will be replacing programs such as ClassDojo and Remind.

In other business, the board approved:

• Conferences for Mary Louise Gauronsky, Julian Costa, Janet Fisher, Lisa Mace, Paula Jones and Robert Palazzo totaling $3,108.54.

• Three-credit college courses for teachers Theresa Williams, Kayla Kiraly, Renata Lawrence, Lauren Edsall and P. Jones. All of the courses were at $516 per credit.

• General fund bills of $1,213,925.23 and cafeteria fund bills of $6,780.

• A five-year contract with Kistler Transportation to provide transportation for students. Board member Keith Krapf was opposed.

• Booster clubs for golf, cheerleading and band for the 2025-26 school year.

• The following handbooks for 2025-26: Elementary School Student/Parent/Faculty, Elementary School Teacher and Staff, Intermediate School Teacher/Substitute, JSHS Student/Parent/Faculty, and Athletic and Activities.

• Memorandum of understanding with the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley for 2025-26.

• The PA Pre-K Counts formal agreement with the Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers Inc. for 2025-26.

• A contract with Behavioral Health Services for 2025-26.

• The 2025-26 Title I Letter of Agreement with the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29.

• The Woods Services Agreement for 2025-26.

• Mentors and volunteers for 2025-26.

• Second reading of a policy on Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education.

• Tenure for the following teachers who have completed three years of service with six satisfactory ratings: Kailee Heffelfinger, Adam Clark, Paul DiGennaro, Hannah, Spillman, Dylan Ryzner, Robert MacDonald, Mary Barndt and Michelle Teetz.

• Memorandum of understanding with Richard Holota, school police officer, for 2025-26.

• Agreement with Carrie Calabrese for speech therapy services through June 30, 2026.

• The teacher assignment list and the paraprofessional assignment list for 2025-26.

• Reassignments of Victoria Maier to part-time general worker/server, Veronica Vergara to part-time general worker/dishwasher, both at the intermediate school.

• Reappointment of Kevin O’Brien as junior/senior high school truant officer/disciplinarian at a salary of $43,000.

• Placement of Bruce Millheim, a junior/senior high school teacher, in the master’s degree column of the union pay scale for 2025-26 school year.

• An agreement for County Security Police from Aug. 20 to June 2027 for security services for events, such a sporting events and other school functions.

• A contract with Valerie Matika, assistant to the business manager, for 2025-26 school year. Board President Daniel Matika abstained.

• A three-year lease with Turf Tank for the Turf Tank 2, robotic line painting system for athletic fields, at $12,700 a year.