Jim Thorpe Area School District's full-time cafeteria workers got a raise from the school board Monday night, bringing them in line with the district's other support staff.

The board voted 8-0 to give the district's full-time cafeteria workers a $0.50 per hour raise. Board member Dennis McGinley was absent.The raise, which needs approval from the workers' labor union, will take effect immediately.The board was split over whether to table the vote after board member Gerald Strubinger made the motion for the raise. That was what they elected to do the last time Strubinger made the request, last fall.Strubinger said the eight full-time cafeteria workers did not receive a raise in the most recent contract agreed to by their union, Teamsters local 776. As a result of that negotiation, the board decided to make most of their cafeteria workers contractors."They only kept eight, and they didn't give them a raise," Glen Confer said.Some board members wanted to first contact the union to get their thoughts. Instead, the board made the vote contingent on the union's approval."I'm not against anyone getting a raise," Confer said. "I'm just asking if we're breaking a contract illegally."Teamsters Local 776 represents the district's maintenance and cafeteria workers. They signed a new contract in 2014, which included annual $0.50 pay increases for everyone except the cafeteria workers throughout the contract.The raise for the cafeteria workers is one time only, but Strubinger pledged to equalize that as well.After the meeting, cafeteria workers said they were pleased with the board's decision, especially the unanimous vote.Bomb threatsThe board also praised their administration's response to recent bomb threats.Pearl Downs-Sheckler said she heard good things from community members about administrators' response."The evacuations went smoothly, the kids were disciplined. It was a yucky situation that was made bearable."In two separate incidents leading up to the winter break, suspicious messages alleging threats were found to district schools.A student at the K-8 Penn Kidder campus admitted making a threat and has been charged. The other incident still under investigation.