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Easton board approves assistant superintendent appointment and 2% superintendent raise amid budget concerns
Summary
The board approved appointing Josh Zayadek as assistant superintendent for operations and a 2% raise for Superintendent Tracy Piazza. Several members publicly questioned the timing and projected fiscal impact before the voice votes.
The Easton Area School District board voted to appoint Josh Zayadek to the newly posted role of assistant superintendent for operations and approved a 2% salary increase for Superintendent Tracy Piazza during Tuesday’s meeting, actions that drew dissent from some members concerned about timing and budget uncertainty.
Board member (identified in the transcript as speaker 14) asked why the contract must be approved now and noted a projected "near $2,300,000 impact on the budget over the next few years," saying, "I just question the need to do this now." The member said the board does not yet know the district’s current finances or the 2026–27 outlook and suggested delaying such hires until budget sessions provide clearer fiscal context.
Other board members responded that the position and compensation had been discussed previously and that the recommended candidate had been vetted. One member said they would vote "no" on the appointment but "yes" on the superintendent raise for financial reasons. Several members announced their intended votes aloud before the chair called for a voice vote.
The meeting record shows multiple explicit "no" or "nay" statements from individual board members before the chair called for the formal voice vote. The board chair then called the question; the motions proceeded by voice vote. The transcript does not include a roll-call tally listing every board member’s vote.
Administrators defended the timing and the vetting process and said forms and contract terms were prepared. The motion text presented to the board read, in part, "motion to appoint Josh Zayadek to the position of assistant superintendent for operations per the terms of the contract as presented" and "motion to approve the superintendent of schools Tracy Piazza to receive a 2% increase above the 2425 salary." Several members requested that the administration continue to exercise fiscal caution going forward.
Next steps: The district will execute the contract for the assistant superintendent and document the superintendent’s salary change as approved by the board. A board member requested a more detailed financial comparison between current budgeted projections and the newly announced state funding increases before future administrative hires and wage changes are finalized.
