(1) To appoint an executive director and determine his salary.

(2) To appoint assistant executive directors upon recommendation of the executive director and determine their salaries.

(3) To approve professional staff appointments made by the executive director.

(4) To adopt employment policies for nonprofessional staff.

(5) To adopt a program of services. Each intermediate unit may provide, but shall, except as hereinafter provided, be limited to, the following services: (i) curriculum development and instructional improvement services; (ii) educational planning services; (iii) instructional materials services; (iv) continuing professional education services; (v) pupil personnel services; (vi) State and Federal agency liaison services; and (vii) management services. Each additional service to be provided shall be first approved by a majority of all the boards of school directors comprising the intermediate unit at a meeting called by the intermediate unit board of directors for the express purpose of approving or disapproving any such additional service. Each intermediate unit may provide for the furnishing of any of the services mentioned in this clause or elsewhere in this act to nonpublic, nonprofit schools which schools are hereby authorized to contract for and purchase services from intermediate units so as to participate in the intermediate program.

(6) To adopt and advertise the intermediate unit budget. The budget shall be approved by (i) at least a majority of the school districts comprising the intermediate unit; and (ii) at least a majority of the proportionate votes of all school directors and shall be filed annually with the Secretary of Education and advertised or notice thereof given to the public in each of its component school districts as required of local school district budgets by section 687 of this act¹ on or before the first day of May. Budgeted expenditures shall be those expenditures classified as current expenses, capital outlays, debt redemptions and outgoing transfers according to the Manual of Accounting and Related Financial Procedures for Pennsylvania School Systems and amendments and supplements thereto published by the Department of Education.

(7) To provide for and conduct programs of services authorized by the State Board of Education, including services performed under contract with component school districts. Except as otherwise provided by law, all powers and duties of county boards of school directors in regard to classes and schools for exceptional children, educational broadcasting, audio-visual libraries, instructional materials centers, area technical schools and area vocational-technical schools² are hereby transferred to and conferred upon intermediate unit boards of directors. An intermediate unit may contract with school districts to provide services on behalf of the intermediate unit.

(8) To contract for specialized services.

(9) To receive Federal, State, school district and other moneys and expend the same to conduct programs of services.

(10) To designate one or more banks or bank and trust companies as a depository or depositories for its funds. Each such depository shall furnish a bond or collateral in lieu thereof as is provided in the case of depositories of school funds.

(11) To lease land and buildings and to own office space and warehouse facilities.

(12) To employ a solicitor for such purposes as may be required and fix his compensation.

(13) To select a name for the intermediate unit, which shall be filed with and approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.³

(14) To consolidate and let combined bids for bulk purchases.

(15) To perform such other duties as may be required by regulation of the State Board of Education.

(16) To prepare and submit to the State Board of Career and Technical Education proposals for arranging school districts of the intermediate unit into area career and technical attendance areas or any revisions thereof. A school district in an adjacent intermediate unit may be included in such proposed attendance area with the concurring approval of the board of school directors of the school district and the intermediate unit to which it belongs.

(17) To purchase or lease equipment and motor vehicles to be used for educational programs and services.