Parents at Hazleton Area SD meeting warn warehouse hiring worsens teacher turnover, raise calendar confusion

Two public commenters at a Hazleton Area School District meeting raised concerns about staff retention and next year—s school calendar, saying low pay is driving prospective teachers and paraprofessionals into warehouse jobs and that some parents believe students will be off every Monday next school year.

A resident (public commenter) said, "The turnover rate is the thing that's of concern to me," and urged "providing an appropriate salary, so that the staff, so that the paraprofessional staff can maintain themselves and their families." The commenter referenced another speaker, Mrs. Gambita, while calling compensation a priority.

Another resident (public commenter) agreed and told the meeting, "there are a lot of people that would like to work in the schools, but they go to warehouses because they can make more money." That commenter added that with an influx of warehouses in the area, the district may face a growing staffing problem in coming years.

On the calendar, a commenter said many parents have asked whether students will be off every Monday next year and reported confusion about the schedule: "Some parents are under the impression that they're gonna be off every Monday for the whole school year." A commenter also said it was difficult to get students back into school routines when schedules had changed previously: "it was so hard to get their kids to go to school on Tuesdays because they were just used to being off."

The public comment period concluded and a motion to adjourn was made and seconded; no roll-call vote or tally was recorded in the transcript excerpt.

The remarks represent public concern about recruiting and retaining school staff, the impact of local labor markets on school employment, and a need for clearer communication about the upcoming school-year calendar.