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Public speaker urges board to reject 2% administrator raises; board approves personnel slate with dissent
Summary
A parent urged the board to deny 2% raises proposed for four administrators, citing low proficiency rates and a reported multi‑million dollar deficit; the board approved the bundled personnel slate — including the raises — by voice vote with multiple members registering opposition and a request for legal review of allegations involving a district nurse.
A local parent and taxpayer, Jennifer Parzal, addressed the board and asked members to vote against 2% salary increases proposed for several administrators, citing performance, prior audit findings and a reported $15.6 million deficit found earlier in 2025.
"I ask you to vote no tonight," Parzal said during public comment, reading a prepared statement that named the proposed raise recipients and criticized district performance and financial planning.
Parzal urged the board to withhold the increases for Chief Human Resources Officer Kara Dufour, Assistant Superintendents Benita Draper and Josh Sciatic, and Chief Financial Officer Jack Trent, arguing that salary adjustments under Act 93 are performance‑based and within the board’s discretion. Her statement also cited academic proficiency data for Easton Area High School and referenced a previous state audit that found internal control deficiencies.
After public comment the board moved a bundled personnel motion that included athletic and coaching agreements, resignations and the proposed 2% administrative raises. The motion was adopted by voice vote; during the call for opposition several board members registered objections to specific items and to portions of the personnel slate.
Unidentified board members registered dissent during the voice vote. One member said, "I oppose on, n for q," and another listed multiple items they opposed by reference number (7B, 7M, 7N, 7O, 7P, 7Q). The chair recorded the dissent and moved on with the approved motion.
Later in the meeting Parzal read a second submitted statement (non‑agenda public comment) alleging misconduct by district nurse Kelly Keegan — including accusations of political speech and threats — and requested Keegan be suspended pending investigation and a forensic review of district devices. The statement referenced EASD policy 707, Pennsylvania education code "15 12", 24 PS 5-514, Title IX and the PPRA (quoted in the statement as "20 USC 1232h").
A board member asked whether the statutes and accusations should prompt action. The board’s legal representative responded that each cited statute had been reviewed in consultation with administration and that guidance had been provided where applicable.
No disciplinary action, suspension, or investigative finding was announced at the meeting. The board did not vote on personnel discipline during this session; the personnel motions it approved were procedural employment and pay items presented for board action.
