Marilyn Calderon-Cruz wants to create future community leaders by serving on HASB
May 11—Marilyn Calderon-Cruz wants to create community leaders for the future by serving on Hazleton Area School Board.
"I have the ability to help the other directors. I have another perspective on life," said Calderon-Cruz, who has master's degrees in public education and curriculum but also understands Hispanic and Anglo communities.
She taught elementary school in Puerto Rico, where she grew up and worked with children in Northeast Pennsylvania through agencies like the Migrant Education Program and Step by Step while living in Hazleton and Freeland.
"I saw what my community needs," she said.
The board can meet students' needs with federal pandemic funds.
Do children need masks? Hand sanitizer? Do they have food at home? Clean clothes? A computer and internet service?
"That is COVID relief," she said.
Students also need remedial work and tutoring to catch up on learning that they missed during the pandemic.
"COVID changes everything," Calderon-Cruz said.
"We have to do a survey in the beginning of the year and focus on what the student needs. Are you going to do division if they don't know multiplication? No, that's impossible."
"Let's have a plan for that. Let's catch up," she said.
One of her daughter's fourth grade teachers stepped back to second grade material that students needed to master.
"She did that with patience and compassion," said Calderon-Cruz, who added that the teacher brought gifts of school supplies to her students in book bags at Christmas and baskets at Easter
"Because you made the kids happy, you made the kids comfortable (they are) well educated, and that is working," Calderon-Cruz said. "We have awesome teachers.
Dozens of teachers, however, are retiring.
When the board hires replacements, Calderon-Cruz recommended that half of the new teachers be bilingual.
She recalls that schools from Texas and New York recruited in Puerto Rico, where they gave teachers tests for emergency certification and hired them in a weekend.
Calderon-Cruz also wants to provide more mental health services.
"We have one psychologist for how many kids? They need a support team," she said.
Contact the writer: kjackson@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3587
