Hazleton Area School Board approves routine agenda, hears public concern about stalled Drums parking lot and nepotism allegation

The Hazleton Area School District Board of Education approved routine grouped agenda items and heard public comment Wednesday, while a board member sharply criticized what they called nepotism in district personnel decisions.

Board members conducted roll call and approved the minutes and the August treasurer’s report by voice vote. The board advanced multiple grouped agenda packages covering curriculum (items 1–19), special education and staffing (items 20–27), facilities and technology (items 46 and 47–56) and finance items (58–74). One board member abstained on item 20; one dissent was recorded on item 74. Several agenda items had been removed before the meeting, including items 14, 43, 100 and 121, according to the board chair.

The board recognized student achievements and programs. Rachel Foley of Renaissance Learning presented district reading‑challenge awards and announced winners, including third‑grader Abigail O'Donnell and ninth‑grader Jia Patel, and said Renaissance provided iPads and a traveling trophy for the highest‑reading schools. The board also noted art competition wins at the Bloomsburg Fair and described vocational programming such as a weekly Jump Start cart run by high‑school and career‑center students.

During discussion of special education and related personnel items, board members praised long‑serving volunteers while asking questions about program expansion, bilingual staffing and participation in the district’s English‑learner program (the board referenced roughly 100 participants). Michelle Zukowski was credited with writing a Highmark Foundation grant the board said was ‘‘in the neighborhood of around $1,900.’’

A prolonged exchange occurred when a board member raised concerns after seeing a newspaper article. The member said a position that had been ‘‘$10,000 this past year’’ had increased to ‘‘almost $250,000,’’ calling that change ‘‘unacceptable’’ and saying nepotism ‘‘leads to resentment’’ and could prompt lawsuits. The speaker urged publication of a list of relatives connected to board members to increase transparency. The transcript does not record a direct rebuttal or formal board action in response to that allegation.

During the public‑comment period, resident Kate Rusnak asked about the status of the Drums Elementary‑Middle School parking‑lot expansion, saying site work done last fall had not continued and that grass was growing on the site. Rusnak asked whether a contractor breach or lawsuit was preventing work and whether the district or contractor was paying ongoing fence rental costs. Solicitor Chris Lester told the meeting the district shared her concerns but that the issue was ‘‘a potential or a threatened matter of litigation’’ and that officials were unable to discuss details at the public meeting; he said the district would provide information when it could.

The meeting closed with a motion to adjourn. No executive actions or formal policy changes were adopted in open session on the issues raised about the parking lot or the nepotism allegation; both remain matters for follow‑up.

Votes at a glance: minutes approved (motion passed by voice vote); August treasurer’s report approved (voice vote); items 1–19, 20–27 (noting an abstention on item 20), 28–37, 38–45 (excluding 43), 46, 47–56, 57, 58–74 (with recorded dissent on item 74), 75 (payment of bills) and 76–90 were approved in grouped voice votes. Where the record shows only vocal affirmations, specific tallies were not specified in the transcript.