Parents, staff and students press Hazleton Area SD for more bilingual staff and higher paraprofessional pay

Students, bilingual liaisons and union leaders used the school board’s public comment period to press the Hazleton Area School District for more bilingual staff and higher pay for paraprofessionals, saying better compensation and staffing would improve student outcomes and parental engagement.

The chorus of appeals began when Angel Caba, a bilingual liaison at Hazleton Area High School, told the board that bilingual staff “help students grasp instructions, participate in discussions, and complete assignments” and urged three actions: review and adjust pay scales for bilingual liaisons, create professional-development pathways, and publicly recognize bilingual staff. Student speakers asked the district to provide translators at graduation so non-English-speaking parents can follow remarks; senior Ebony Bahena Marte said translations would help families “know what the superintendent, the valedictorian, and the salutatorian are speaking about.”

Paraprofessional Jenny Paredes described classroom realities where she frequently interprets for students and said low pay forces experienced bilingual aides out of the district; she asked the board for a “living wage” that would allow the district to retain qualified staff. David Dominguez urged the board to press state lawmakers on House Bill 777, a proposal he said would increase cost-of-living pay for paraprofessionals and support staff. Joyce Gambita, president of the ESPA union, called for a district minimum of $20 per hour for ESPs, citing research tying stable support staff to better student outcomes.

Administrators and board members said the district is advertising bilingual positions and trying to hire within budget constraints. Superintendent Dr. Epler highlighted barriers including a thin local hiring pipeline and state certification hurdles for teachers trained abroad, and said district communications are translated into the 27-plus languages represented in the schools through ParentSquare. Board members acknowledged the problem and described ongoing recruitment efforts but did not announce an immediate pay increase.

Next steps: board members said they would review logistics for translation at graduation with the graduation planning team and continue recruitment. The public comment period did not produce a formal board motion or vote to change pay scales; any contract or wage adjustments would proceed through negotiations or future board action.