Teachers association president urges Northern Lehigh board to spend budget on classroom hires, not new admin roles

Tim Weber, speaking as president of the Northern Lehigh Education Association, addressed the board during public comment to press for a different budget priority: hire more classroom teachers rather than creating additional district administrative positions.

Weber commended the administration and board for creative use of ESSER funding early in the pandemic but said the current preliminary budget appears to convert temporary ESSER‑funded roles into permanent positions. He told the board the proposal he had seen totaled “$474,200 plus, I think this is right, insurance costs” to retain a districtwide ELDP paraeducator, a Peters classroom teacher, a district‑wide TIS, and one administrator.

"Every educator would agree that we need more teachers and paraeducators in the classrooms… With this in mind, I would like to ask the administration and school board to really think about whether a districtwide TIS and a director of curriculum instruction technology is the best expenditure apart of the $474,000," Weber said, urging the district to prioritize hiring teachers to address anticipated enrollment growth discussed at a recent meeting.

He also commended the retention of the Peters classroom teacher and the districtwide ELDP paraeducator as positive steps, but asked the board to consider whether the remaining proposed positions represent the best use of limited recurring funds.