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Students and teachers urge North Pocono board to fill vacant teaching positions to preserve electives
Summary
Students, teachers and the district’s education association told the North Pocono School District board that multiple unfilled teaching positions threaten electives such as Bio2, public speaking and theater and will increase class sizes, as the board weighs budget-driven staffing choices.
At the May 6 meeting of the North Pocono School District Board of Education, students and teachers urged the board to replace retiring and resigning educators to avoid cuts to electives and larger class sizes.
"Two English teachers retired and only one was replaced," said Julie Morris, who submitted an online comment identifying herself as an English department chair. Morris said the district last year did not replace two retirees and that the current plan will leave the high school with only eight English teachers, reducing time teachers can spend with individual students.
Student John Michael Rice told the board he is concerned about "a snowball effect" as retirements and unfilled positions accumulate. Rice said six positions are unfilled across the high school — including English, math, guidance, science and Spanish — and listed electives that are already being cut or are at risk: theater 1 and 2, AP art history, drivers ed, chemistry 2, public speaking and the Bio2 elective.
John Krum, president of the North Pocono Education Association, said replacing "the retiring and resigning teachers in English, reading, elementary education, foreign language, and science with highly certified educators" is essential to maintain program breadth and provide individual attention to students.
High school teacher Spencer Austin and science teacher Lindsey Kroom amplified those concerns in public comment, warning that losing positions would force the district to eliminate courses that prepare students for college or careers. "If we lose a bio teacher, we may have to make cuts to important electives," Kroom said.
Several board members acknowledged budget pressures tied to declining enrollment and discussed efforts to reduce long-term expenditures, including pursuing solar projects and changes to transportation. "We are in dire straits," a board member said, adding that the district is looking at savings across programs.
Speakers representing classroom staff urged prioritizing classroom positions over adding central-office roles. General Zatano, speaking as NPA vice president, said special education teachers are "drowning" under paperwork and questioned whether hiring an assistant special education director was the right priority while vacancies remain in classrooms.
The board did not announce immediate reversals of staffing decisions during the meeting. Several motions and personnel appointments moved forward in the evening’s votes, while members who voiced opposition said they wanted more information about priorities and trade-offs.
Next steps: the board will consider staffing as part of ongoing budget deliberations and has scheduled future meetings (June 8 work session, June 10 regular meeting) where further discussion may occur.
