Parents and teachers urge Hazleton Area SD board not to reassign Maple Manor, Heights Terrace principals

Dozens of parents, paraprofessionals and teachers told the Hazleton Area School District board on May 22 that planned principal reassignments would disrupt recent improvements at Maple Manor and Heights Terrace.

Many speakers described concrete examples of principals’ daily involvement with students and families. "Why uproot a school and students by moving a principal and what is working for them?" asked Owry Wagner, a bilingual paraprofessional at Maple Manor, who credited Principal Williams with reducing suspensions and increasing family engagement. Rachel Brimmer, a 19-year district music teacher at Heights Terrace, read a letter signed by 52 of 61 staff that urged the board to retain Kevin Shatter as principal, saying frequent leadership turnover has hampered consistency.

Speakers said the principals helped secure programs and facilities improvements and promoted parent participation. Betsy Joseph noted Shatter’s role in moving a long‑planned playground project into construction. Several teachers, including Anne Marie Chismar, who has taught at Heights Terrace for more than 30 years, said that changing principals every two years forces staff and students to “start over” with new rules and expectations.

Board members and administrators replied that principal transfers can be handled administratively and that historically the district has treated such moves as a courtesy to bring them before the full board. Board members asked staff to explain the legal and contractual process for transfers and whether votes were required; counsel said transfers can be done administratively but have sometimes been presented to the board for a vote.

The public pleas were concentrated in the meeting’s public‑comment period and came amid other agenda business, including routine approvals and a procedural vote on a proposed budget. The board did not announce a final decision at the May 22 meeting; several speakers asked the board to delay reassignments until planned construction projects and programs were complete.

What’s next: speakers said they expect follow‑up and asked the board to reconsider transfer plans. The board did not indicate a timeline for any reversal; further action on personnel assignments may occur administratively or at a future board session.