Schuylkill Valley residents accuse district leadership of toxic culture amid high staff turnover

At the Schuylkill Valley School District reorganization meeting on Dec. 3, 2024, several former employees and parents used the public-comment period to challenge board statements about staff departures and demand accountability from district leadership.

Lauren Matthews, a 13-year former employee and union leader, said she was one of the staff members a board member had cited as leaving for "opportunities close to home, more money, etc.," and strongly disputed that characterization. Matthews said she left because of the district's culture and described being given 24 hours to clean out her office at the end of her tenure. "I left the district because of the culture, and the way myself and other teachers were treated," she said.

Other speakers echoed Matthews' account. Joanna Schlotman urged the board to investigate beyond exit letters and recommended the board conduct direct outreach to current and former staff or hire a third-party firm to collect candid information. "Relying on information from exit interviews and letters of resignation is not the same as investigating," Schlotman said, and asked whether the results of a prior outside climate review had been shared with new board members.

Multiple speakers said turnover numbers shared by the board understate or misattribute the causes of departures. Commentators referenced "over 100" staff who have left in recent years (a figure several speakers said they compiled independently) and flagged 45 teacher resignations over three years as particularly serious. Joseph Brown and Beth Hoover read statements from former staff describing toxic workplace environments, lack of timely follow-up on personnel complaints and, in some cases, being discouraged from speaking out.

Speakers also raised concerns about special-education staffing and support. Stephanie Gradus warned that the district's social worker position was eliminated when grant funding ended, that several school psychologists have left and that the district now relies on part-time contractors for evaluations. She said a full-time board-certified behavior analyst had been replaced by a contractor working nine hours a week and noted that paraprofessional positions have decreased; she cited a paraprofessional pay rate of $12.19 per hour compared with $15.56 for some other support staff.

Several commenters warned that shortages and staffing changes could affect students' legally protected services and said parents should monitor IEPs for potential violations. Many urged the board to be proactive and transparent. "Please stop hiding from the reality of what is happening and start confronting the hard truths," Joanna Schlotman said.

The public comments closed before the board moved into the reorganization agenda. The board did not announce at the meeting any immediate, formal inquiry stemming from the comments.