With Marilynn Berner retiring as Northgate's director of finance and operations at the end of September, the Northgate School Board has hired her replacement.

Christopher Urso was hired with a two-year contract at a salary of $66,000 per year. His 2011-12 salary will be pro-rated.

Ursu already has begun work at Northgate in order to be able to take over the district's business office in October.

The Northgate School Board has approved a preliminary budget just in case the district needs an extra-large property tax increase in the coming year, but officials warn that revenue figures are too uncertain to know anything for sure at this point.

With a philosophy of getting them all and sorting them out later, the Northgate School District will apply for exceptions that would allow the school board to increase property taxes more than three times the allowable index for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Avalon Elementary parking Borough officials and Avalon PTO members have come up with a plan to help ease parking problems created when parents drop-off and pick-up their child-ren at school.

A resolution approved by Avalon Council at its Aug. 18 meeting will allow parents to purchase a parking permit that will let them park in front of the school, between North School Street and North Chestnut Street, from 7:30 until 8:30 a.m. and from 2:30 until 4 p.m. on weekdays.

The Northgate School Board is expected to vote Monday on whether to spend at least $125,000 for improvements to a small Bellevue street used by students who walk to the middle - senior high school.

The Borough of Bellevue has obtained a $120,000 grant and has agreed to contribute $50,000 more toward the $300,000 project that will take over and rebuild a private portion of Glaser Avenue, and construct sidewalks along the street.