With graduation scheduled next week, and as a year that Williamsport School District Superintendent Timothy Bowers described at a recent board meeting as “challenging” draws to a close, Bowers told the board that about 80 percent of the hiring for next year has been completed.

The following personnel items were approved by the board:

• Sarah Kramer professional employee to teach Kindergarten at Hepburn-Lycoming Primary School, salary, $52,582.

• Melissa Shipman, professional employee to teach Special Education at the middle school, salary, $65,855.

• Kenneth Schetroma, temporary professional employee to teach 5th grade at Curtin Intermediate School, salary, $58,708.

• Timothy A. Miller, career and technical education teacher at the high school as production printer. Salary rate established between the district and the Williamsport Education Association.

• Academic Recovery 5th marking period teachers at the high and middle schools, effective June 14 through July 2 at a rate of $31.20 per hour. They are Charles Crews, social studies and Kayln Essick, English language arts.

• Substitute teachers, Sarah M. Jones and Alayne M. Smith at a rate of $120 per day for the first 45 days and $130 per day beyond that.

• Ian Perry, non-certified substitute teacher at a rate of $90 per day for the first 45 days and $110 per day beyond that.

The board approved the following position changes for newly created positions: Megan Hunter from full-time school social worker/home and school visitor, to full-time K-6 coordinator of trauma and mental health services, district-wide and Heather Way from full-time school social worker/ home and school visitor to full-time 7-12 coordinator of trauma and mental health services.

The resignations of Deborah Godfrey, part-time food service worker at Curtin Intermediate, Lukas Seyler, part-time food service worker at the high school and Brooke Rowles, 7th grade English language arts teacher at the middle school, were accepted by the board.

The board also approved one full-time attendance compliance specialist position in lieu of the three new part-time attendance compliance positions that had been approved May 4 by the board.

Handbooks for all district schools for 2021-22 were okayed by the board.

In other actions, the board approved:

• The renewal of student and staff learning management systems from Power School Group (Schoology) to include all student and staff subscriptions and the professional learning portal for the upcoming school year at a cost of $30,097, paid through EESERS/CARES Act funds.

• An MOU between the district and STEP, Inc., administrator of STEP Head Start, for the purpose of coordinating mutually beneficial activities of the parties involved to provide effective services for children and their families.

• The annual software license agreement with BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 for the IEP software DARTS. Cost will be paid from IDEA monies for special education staff at $175 per employee and a yearly Penn Data fee of $2,500.

Under bids and contracts, the board approved: a job change order with Clark Contractors, Inc., Bedford, in the amount of $5,707. Change order will be funded through bond proceeds; a project with MVT Flooring, Inc., Sunbury, to remove and dispose of carpeting in the hallways and to install luxury vinyl tile at Jackson and Cochran Primary schools. Cost is $62,650 for Jackson and $60,700 for Cochran. Funding is through ESSER grant monies; and the purchase of a Hustler SuperZ mower with bagger from Hustler Turf Equipment, Kansas, at a cost of $16,500.

The next board meeting will be at 6 p.m. June 15 at the District Service Center, 2780 W. Fourth St.