Down a member since the Jan. 1 passing of William Hill Jr., the Lehighton Area School District board of directors deadlocked 4-4 on three candidates to fill the vacant seat Monday night.

The board interviewed 10 applicants Wednesday but couldn't muster the five-vote majority necessary to fill the position.

Board member Byron Arner kicked off the debate by making a motion to appoint Frank Tamburri, who ran for the board in the 2015 election but was the only candidate on the ballot in November to fall short of earning a seat.

Voting for Tamburri were Arner, Hal Resh, Marianne Dwyer and Richard Beltz. Wayne Wentz, Andrew Yenser, Gloria Bowman and Stephen Holland voted against the appointment.

Wednesday's board interviews centered on the debate over whether to renovate four existing elementary schools built in the 1960s or build one elementary center for all K-5 students.

Following the vote on Tamburri, Wentz nominated former board member Larry Stern, but again the board came to a 4-4 tie. Wentz, Yenser, Bowman and Holland voted for Stern, while Arner, Beltz, Dwyer and Resh voted no.

Stern, who has supported an elementary center, ran for election in 2015 but did not advance past the primary ballot.

The same individuals voted yes and no respectively when Bowman nominated Terry Long.

Long, a 32-year employee of the district said Wednesday, said the decision on building versus renovating should be about what is best for the students.

District Solicitor William Schwab said the board has until Sunday to get at least five votes for a candidate before voters can ask for a Carbon County Common Pleas Judge to appoint someone.

Read the complete story in Tuesday's print and online editions.