The Bethlehem Area School District Board of Directors approved several facilities, curriculum, human resources and finance items during Monday night’s meeting at East Hill Middle School.

By an 8-0 vote the board approved a roadmap for the district entitled “District Goals of 2012-2013” and are based on the “Roadmap to Educational Excellence” agenda in addition to areas identified by school board members and the administration.

One of the two goals was to continue to strengthen BASD’s financial integrity by maintaining a fund balance in the range of 5 to 8 percent of the total district budget and to develop and implement a process for the Nitschman Middle School Project.

The second of the two main goals were more personal student development as much as educational in nature. Among core learning items, BASD is seeking to improve the overall PSSA proficiency attainment by each grade and attain Adequate Yearly Progress, known as AYP, for all district schools.

And also on the priority list for the school year is improving student engagement “while decreasing discipline issues through the consistent application of the Code of Conduct and through the implementation of restorative practices starting at Liberty and Freedom High Schools,” according to the document.

Another aspect of note was one of increasing “personal skill development” with a goal to improve “perceptions of students’ soft skills such as perseverance, leadership and teamwork” as reported in the district’s “School Improvement Survey.

In addition, the board approved the expansion of the 4 p.m. activity bus run runs from two days-a-week to four-days-a-week for an estimated cost of $24,000, funded through the receipt of the Accountability Block Grant.

At one point BASD provided the afterschool bus every day of the week and then cut it back to twice weekly. It was the recommendation of the administration that the eliminated bus runs adversely impacted younger students, unable to drive, as well as students who live further away from the school and was not encouraging to have student become more engaged in BASD.

Only board member Eugene McKeon voted against the measure.