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Board members and public speakers raise concerns about decline in Black educators as superintendent departs
Summary
At the Dec. 16 Bethlehem Area School District meeting, board members and public commenters acknowledged Dr. Harrison Bailey’s departure and raised concerns about losing leaders of color and teacher diversity; Mrs. Levy urged action to address the decline of Black educators.
Board members and public commenters used the Dec. 16 meeting to acknowledge a district leadership change and to press for attention to the district's racial and staffing diversity.
Board members congratulated Dr. Harrison Bailey, who was named superintendent of the Wilson Area School District, and said he will be missed in Bethlehem. Mr. Lozzi said the district will perform an "after incident evaluation" in response to a recent school incident and said he wanted to check whether the district handled three specific follow-up items.
During open forum, Mrs. Levy, a board member, delivered a lengthy statement about what she described as a decline in Black educators and school leaders. She reviewed historical context, cited a U.S. Department of Education report on racial diversity in the teaching workforce, referenced Brown v. Board of Education and other policy materials, and said the district must take action to protect representation. "We don't want to become an endangered species," Mrs. Levy said, urging the district to increase recruitment and retention of educators of color.
Mr. Lozzi had earlier noted that several leaders of color have left the district in recent years and asked the administration to consider the district's pipeline for diverse candidates. He said the departure of Dr. Bailey — among others — raised questions about long-term representation in administrative ranks. Several board members, including the board president, offered public congratulations to Dr. Bailey and extended best wishes.
Board discussion on these topics in the meeting record was primarily comments and requests for follow-up; no formal motions or personnel actions were recorded in open session concerning diversity initiatives or hiring practices.
