Hazleton Area School Board- You Are On Notice

Director Elaine Curry officially has dropped out of the race for a seat on the Hazleton Area School Board, joining nine-year member Sean Shamany as incumbents who will not be seeking re-election.

As for who is running here is the current slate. Amilcar Arroyo, Peter J. Beltrami, Rocco G. Fallabel, Rocco Formica, Clarence H. John, Agapito Lopez, Bob Mehalick and Lawrence W. Sampson.

Unfortunately for the taxpayers of the school district directors Steve Hahn and Carmella Yenkevich are seeking re-election.

Let's put those seeking office and those in office on notice. This election will be about qualifications, not Who's Who of School Boards.

There are only three qualified candidates seeking election, Rocco Formica, Rocco Fallabel, and Clarence John. Why??- Their ceritifications, qualifications, and their professional careers.

Carmella Yenkevich and Steve Hahn, do you have college educations??? What courses have you taken that qualify you to be in charge of a $105 million corporation? Would you go to these people if you needed an operation? Heck no, so why would you turn them to be in charge of a $105 million dollar business? Yes Hazleton Area is in the business of educating students.

For too long the majority Members of the Hazleton Area School Board had a free pass(over many elections). There is too much micro management of the day to day operations by the board in fields where not one has a qualification. The main purpose of any school board is to provide the physical facilities to accomplish education of the students. The rest of the shenanigans that occur at school board meetings are just that. And everyone one of them should hang their heads in shame. How can they expect their students to follow the rules when they won't behave themselves? The bitter battles mar the educational process. What is going on is a struggle for power, not a struggle for the students.

Look at the fiasco that recently happened over the hiring of Frank Antonelli. A board member injected his own personal feelings into the process and chased away a candidate that was super qualified for the position. It was rumored this board member had his resignation letter written if Mr. Antonelli was hired. It's a shame. The district lost the wrong person.

The board pays an awful lot of money to adminstrators, people who chose the career of education, but puts up the biggest barriers for them to effectively do their job.

Let the adminstrators do the hiring. Let the adminstrators along with the teaching staff set the curriculum. Let professionals practice their profession. What a novel concept? Running a district like a business. Brilliant!

Mark Twain once wrote- In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made School Boards. Can you imagine that we are still seeing what he saw during his life.

When was the last time the majority of the Hazleton Area School Board survived an election? It had to be at least twenty some years ago. This year will be no different.