Hanover Area board hires wellness coordinator, approves multiple personnel appointments

The Hanover Area School District Board of Education on Feb. 11 appointed Michelle Mazur as a wellness coordinator at an annual salary of $58,000 and approved multiple other personnel hires and routine financial and minutes votes.

The wellness coordinator post, the board said, is grant-funded and is intended as part of a three-year effort to reduce employee health-care claims. During public comment, resident Mike Pottsko asked what the coordinator would do. Superintendent Barrett said the district is seeking ways to lower health-care costs after a 7% increase in premiums this year and described the coordinator's role as providing in-house, individualized support to employees to reduce utilization and long-term claims. "If there's somebody who's trying to improve their health, there would be a person available to them readily to help them get on a program that's custom made or prescriptive to their, to their goals in hopes that that would would reduce their health care claims," Barrett said.

Barrett described the initiative as a three-year study period, saying the district expects to implement stress-management supports for professional staff and other outlets such as gym memberships to address burnout and reduce claims over time. The board indicated the position will not be paid from the district's general fund because it is grant-funded.

The motion to appoint Mazur passed on a roll-call vote following a motion by Mr. McDermott and a second by Mr. Stevens; seven board members voted yes and one member abstained.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (regular meeting 01/21/2025; Luzerne Intermediate Unit board minutes 12/18/2024): passed by voice vote. - Superintendent's report: approved by voice vote. - General recommendations: approved by voice vote. - Financial recommendations (items 1–7): approved on roll call; one abstention noted on item 2 (member not specified in the roll-call summary). - Personnel recommendations (items 1–5): approved on roll call. - Item 6 — Appoint Michelle Mazur as wellness coordinator, $58,000, effective immediately: motion by Mr. McDermott, second by Mr. Stevens. Roll-call record in the meeting: Miss Blaich — yes; Mr. Holmgren — yes; Mr. Heider/Hyder — yes; Dr. Kopko — yes; Mr. Majer — abstain; Mr. McDermott — yes; Mr. Reddick — yes; Mr. Stevens — yes. Outcome: approved. - Item 7 — Appoint Angela Stout as a paraprofessional at $20 per hour, pending clearances: motion by Mr. Majer, second by Mr. Holmgren; roll call recorded all yes. Outcome: approved. - Item 8 — Appoint Joseph Paladino as a crossing guard at $50 per day, pending clearances: motion by Mr. Hyder, second by Mr. Stevens; roll call recorded all yes. Outcome: approved.

The board held the appointments and votes as part of routine business; no additional conditions or contingency language for the appointments were recorded. The superintendent and board emphasized the wellness coordinator role is intended to be preventative and to address staff burnout over time rather than produce immediate financial savings.