Business View Civil Municipal - Sept 2023

150 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 Looking Ahead As the Hazleton Area School District continues to grow, its priorities are evolving to meet the needs of its expanding student population. The district’s top priority, according to Dr. Uplinger, is creating available space for incoming students. “The largest thing that we’re faced with is space for students because we have such an influx,” Dr. Uplinger shares. The district has been innovative in its approach to this challenge, transforming unused pools into classrooms and renovating libraries into media centers. These efforts have resulted in the creation of 34 new classrooms for less than $10 million, a significant savings compared to the cost of constructing a new building. However, with the continued influx of students, the district recognizes the need for a new building. “We are going to have to build a new building because of the tremendous influx of students that we’re having,” Dr. Uplinger acknowledges. The district is also considering reconfiguring its current K-8 and 9-12 structure to create middle schools, a move that would provide additional space for growth. Staff recruitment is another top priority for the district. “We are actively working on increasing our teaching staff because we’re so large. We have our police department too, so we’re looking at recruiting more school police officers,” Dr. Uplinger explains. The district is also seeking to hire more paraprofessionals and administrators to meet the needs of its growing student population. When asked about the future direction of education, Dr. Uplinger points to the need for a greater focus on trades. “I honestly think we need a complete overhaul to get students to think more about the trades and go into the trades,” he opines. He believes that there is a growing need for tradesmen and tradeswomen and