At least three new faces are likely to join Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors in December.

Only one of four incumbent directors whose term ends this year, Joy Beers, is seeking re-election in the upcoming May primary. David Bradley, Stephen Holland and Gail Maholick will be leaving the board after November, unless they mount a successful write-in campaign.

Joining Beers in running on both the Republican and Democratic tickets will be Walter Zlomsowitch, Jay Barthel, Dache Zelrick, Jennifer Laible, Kerry Sittler and Barbara Bowes.

Robert Zellner is running only on the Republican ticket.

Larry Stern, Wayne Wentz, Richard Beltz and Rita Spinelli will have two more years left on their terms when the board reorganizes in December.

Many board issues have ended in 5-4 votes over the past several years, with Stern, Wentz, Holland, Spinelli and Foeller on one side, and Bradley, Beltz, Beers and Maholick on the other. We asked candidates questions. Their responses are listed in alphabetical order.

Jay O. Barthel

Town: Mahoning Township

Background: Tamaqua graduate and longtime Mahoning Valley resident, I am a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lehighton and a Mason, Lodge 621. I retired in 2016 from the retail and kitchen/bath installation industries, having spent over 50 years in the field. My business background /negotiation skills would be an asset to the board. My sons, Wade and Mark, graduated from Lehighton.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: • Bring back civility to board meetings by operating in a businesslike and efficient manner.

• Support upgrading technology for staff and students for the betterment of the district.

• Support fair funding for charter schools so all students have equal opportunities for learning in a safe environment.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: • Study all phases of the budgeting process to support a balanced budget.

• Review the budget quarterly and make adjustments as needed to comply with a balanced budget, ie. spending versus revenue.

• Encourage more grant writing in district to bring in more revenue.

• Create partnership with townships, councils, investors, Chamber of Commerce to promote housing and industry growth.

• Study refinancing bonds as appropriate to save money to rebuild fund balance.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: • Listen to others and respond with honesty and integrity.

• Research information as needed to support facts relevant to education.

• Work with committees, which are the foundation of cementing ideas, for the betterment of the district and the school board.

Joy Beers

Town: Lehighton

Background: Joy is a Lehighton native (1994 graduate), received two engineering degrees from Penn State, and was recruited by an architecture firm in Minneapolis where she worked for 15 years. She returned to Lehighton in 2015 to help her parents and learned of the turmoil at the school. After receiving threats and learning that others had been threatened, she felt motivated to run for school board in 2017 and currently sits on the board.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: • Improve education: The board is not education centric. Current incorrect spending leaves little for supplies or teaching aids.

• Fix spending: There is a lot of work to be done to understand the areas of spending and to get it focused on education and to cut waste.

• Bring professionalism: The level of unprofessional behavior on the board is staggering. The people of this district need to be treated with more respect.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: The current board does not have the proper experience to address financial concerns. The board decisions are dominated by five board members, and four board members’ concerns are completely ignored. The way to bring financial stability is to change the makeup of the board by bringing in folks who do understand finances and breaking the monopoly who continue to take the district away from financial stability.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: I have past negotiating experience from engineering boards. I thought four years ago that this experience could bring the board together. The problem of the board is not people who are unwilling to work together. The problem is that there are board members who share a common agenda that they have no intention of compromising even if for the good of the district. Voting for Bowes, Sittler and Zlomsowitch is the best answer.

Barb Bowes

Town: Mahoning Township

Background: Mother of two, grandmother to three grandsons. I was born and raised in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Lived within 10 miles of my hometown for 47 years. Moved to Lehighton in 2004 after my father passed and my days of caring for him were over. I did not choose my hometown, but I did choose Lehighton to live out the rest of my life. I work at Lehighton Giant in many different capacities.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: 1. To provide the highest quality education that the community can afford, and provide quality and diverse extracurricular programs for our students.

2. To bring back financial stability to the Lehighton Area School District.

3. To welcome and encourage input from the community.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: Build the budget from the bottom up. Mandated costs first, add from there. Spend less than revenue received. Identify and cut waste. It won’t be easy, given our financial situation and unfortunately raising taxes is inevitable. Listen to and respect the employees, all of them. They have some really good ideas. They are integral to the success of this district, as is the community. We can fix this by working together.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: Constructive, common sense, respectful debate is not a bad thing. Different points of view are integral to a well-run school board or any board. Differing points of view and the discussion that ensues is how innovation comes about. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. A successful board utilizes each individual board member’s strengths. To not do so is a waste of talent and a detriment to the district.

Jennifer Laible

Town: Lehighton

Background: As an educational consultant since 1991, my goal has always been to seek the best school options for each individual student in academics, athletics and extracurriculars. Those students passionate about academics need AP courses. Athletes need varsity sports. Other kids need STEAM activities, music, choir, art clubs, etc. If the goal of education is to teach kids to think and to love how to learn, we must open up their worlds to their passions!

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: 1. To provide accountability for the budget that ties commitments to results and minimizes tax increases.

2. To collaborate with administrators, teachers and staff to ensure that all students receive an equal and equitable education to achieve the best opportunity for college or trade school.

3. To continue to follow policies and procedures to improve curriculum and control costs.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: Financial stability begins with honesty, integrity and attention to detail. Each board member (including myself) must come to budget meetings prepared and willing to do what is best to reprioritize education. If it means cutting back somewhere to balance the budget, the board would need to decide what prioritizes the students and teachers first and foremost. Every tax dollar should be used wisely.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: Part of being on a team is to be respectful of different viewpoints and willing to work toward a mutually agreeable solution. Each board member should be allowed to share their expertise to guide decisions without being attacked. It doesn’t mean you win or you lose, but you work together to develop a plan that is workable for all.

Kerry L. Sittler

Town: Lehighton

Background: I am a wife and mother of two middle school girls. I lived in Lehighton for most of my life. I have a BS in management and an AS in recreation and leisure management from Johnson & Wales University, a Liberal Arts degree from Lehigh Carbon Community College and AS in Registered Nursing from Northampton Community College. Because of my experiences, I am a critical thinker and active in my community.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: 1. To provide the best quality education that our district can afford, and to also provide opportunities for every students growth and development through extracurricular and sport activities.

2. To regain financial stability and to ensure sustainability for our district.

3. To be part of the solution by listening to our community, teachers, parents and fellow board members.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: Regaining financial stability will not be an easy task. First we need to decide on a budget and stick to it. Second, we have to identify wants verses needs and live by the district’s means. This means we will have to be cost effective in everything we do. Third we have to get input from our staff and our community! Lastly, we have no choice but to raise taxes. Unfortunately, the damage has been done.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: We all have the same goal, doing right by our district, children and community. That being said, we need to act like adults, put our differences aside and work together. We need to listen to each other with an open mind and respect each other’s viewpoints. We also will need to politely agree to disagree at times. We need to understand this is NOT about us, it’s about our future generations.

Robert Zellner

Town: Lehighton

Background: Robert Zellner was born in Lehighton, graduated from Lehighton High School and Penn State studying electronics and engineering. He worked in reliability assurance for Honeywell and Lockheed Martin. He contributed to Global Positioning System III reliability analysis, leading to four successful on-orbit satellites that provide timing signals for GPS devices. Bob will utilize his engineering experience with attention to detail in making collaborative, thoughtful and informed decisions.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: • Monitor and maintain policies and processes relating to safety of students, staff and administration.

• Maintain public confidence that Lehighton board will actively listen and respond to student needs and taxpayers.

• Make informed decisions by striving for well-prepared committee plans, presentations and recommendations; collaborating on agreeing on courses of action based on respect and consideration; establishing solutions serving mutual interests.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: • Establish overall plan focused on returning fund balance to a reasonable target balance.

• Establish and maintain a balanced budget. Finance committee monitors for cumulative actual expenditures for comparison to critical budget items. Critical items include student services and student performance. Committee brings forward recommendations for board and administrative consideration and action. Establish accepted criteria for corrective action when expenditures are trending toward or exceeding budgeted items.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: 1. Collaborate with board members, administration, staff and taxpayers to resolve conflicts, negotiate for common advantage, agreeing to courses of action.

2. Refrain from inflammatory language while resisting assigning blame.

3. Strive for consensus by active listening and understanding while sticking to established facts and remaining on topic.

4. Rely on opinions from those with relevant experience and recognize evidence-based presentations and recommendations.

D’Aché Zelrick

Town: Lehighton

Background: I am originally from Naples, Florida, but as the Air Force moved us around, we are from all over. We have four children and a grandchild arriving later this summer. I have served on several parent-teacher organization boards in varying leadership positions from president down to secretary. I have also worked as a substitute, special education aide, and RTI tutor. I understand the education environment in the school buildings as well as in the home.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: Strong financial policies that provide an exceptional return on the community, staff and student investments.

Staff and students have the resources needed to excel in and out of the classroom.

Build a cohesive board that will work with all parties involved in the education process.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: Our budget, income and expenses should be just as important as the education of our students. Difficult decisions have to be made, whether that is adding more educators or reducing staff, increasing taxes or not, scaling back programs or not. The community has a financial stake in the education that is provided to our students. We need to honor that.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: We have to be able to speak to each other respectfully and hear what the opposing view has to say. We have to be able to compromise and move forward.

Walter “Wally” Zlomsowitch

Town: East Penn Township

Background: Born and raised in Lehighton/Mahoning Township. Founder and Operator of K and K Oil Co and West Penn Diner. I have a daughter, son, stepdaughter and two grandkids in the district. I owned several LLCs so I have a business background to apply as a director. I have negotiated union contracts.

Q: What are your three main goals if elected?

A: My goals are to make our district financially stable again, Protect our students, and provide the best possible education our community can afford. Busing is vital to students and much safer. Policies to protect our students need to be enforced. Fair contracts to attract and keep the best teachers. Sports are a vital part of the kids’ growth.

Q: How do you ensure financial stability (balanced budget, bringing back fund balance) without eliminating critical services for students?

A: We have serious financial issues and we need to look at NEEDS versus wants to get back on the path to stability. Critical services should be a priority along with mandated services. We need to look at all options to save money while providing the best education possible. You can’t borrow your way out of debt. Expensive mistakes were made and we need to correct them now.

Q: Lehighton Area School Board has had many conflicts. How will you work with people who do not share your point of view?

A: It is time to fix the issues in a respectful professional manner. Arguments should happen in executive sessions out of sight of the community. We have some passionate people on the board and arguments will happen. We need to address the issues, get input from the community and make the best decision for our kids. We need to provide for the best teachers to provide the best education. New or big is not always better.