By March 21, Lehighton Area School District will have a full nine-member board of directors for the first time since Jan. 1.

Six hopefuls vying for the board's vacant seat made their pitch to Carbon County President Judge Roger Nanovic on Friday morning.Larry Stern, David Krause, Duane Eidem, Stacey Duerst, David Bradley and Frank Tamburri all fielded questions concerning their reasons for wanting to serve on the board, educational background and ability to put in the time commitment it takes to be a director.A vacancy was created on the board following William Hill's death and Lehighton's remaining eight members deadlocked 4-4 multiple times on Hill's successor.The issue is now before Nanovic, who admitted Friday he wasn't the best man for the job."The best group to do this would have been the school board, but the law requires I do it and I will," he said.Before Friday's testimony, Nanovic told the six petitioners he did not want their comments to be solely focused on a building project which has divided the current board and community.Four board members currently support construction of a new elementary center to house all K-5 students in the district, while the other four hope to repair and renovate four existing Lehighton elementary schools."I am aware this appointment will likely serve as the critical vote, but the concerns of the candidate need to go beyond a building decision," Nanovic said.Fellow Carbon County judges Joseph Matika and Steven Serfass recused themselves, leaving Nanovic to hear the case and make the appointment, which he said would not come Friday so he had time to review testimony."The district is fortunate to have such interest in the position," he added. "I do believe everyone was sincere and I'll have to make a careful examination before making a decision."Larry SternFirst to testify was Stern, who was represented by Matthew Schnell.A former board member, Stern spoke of his eight years as a director, including two stints as vice president, and love for the community, having lived in Lehighton for 49 of his 52 years."Education is a lifelong journey and we need to make sure we support all of our students in the most efficient way possible," Stern said.The district has recently implemented a new reading and math series, and discussions are underway about transferring from block scheduling back to a traditional schedule.Stern cited those examples as ways the district works to give students maximum potential to succeed.Having helped to negotiate the most recent teacher's contract in Lehighton, Stern said he strove to meet the needs of the professional staff and the business office."My goal was effective communication and meeting the needs of both sides without there having to be animosity after the fact," Stern said.In the 2015 primary election, Stern fell short of advancing to November, causing Nanovic to ask if that should be a concern."I don't feel that is the case," Stern answered. "There was some information put out that I don't believe was truthful."Lehighton school board member Gloria Bowman spoke in support of her former colleague."He is dedicated in attending meetings at any time of day and sharing his research and information with the board," Bowman said. "We're looking for positive movement on the board and Larry has been a tremendously positive influence."David KrauseFor Krause, just getting to Friday's hearing was an adventure.The former Lehighton School Board president said he drove over seven hours through a snowstorm after his request to testify by phone was denied.Also an eight-year board member, Krause said he didn't run for election in 2015 because he felt the district was headed in a positive direction, an opinion that changed after Marianne Dwyer, Richard Beltz and Byron Arner joined the board in December."I see some of that growth going backward and I'm concerned," Krause said. "I think there is a lack of experience on the current board and feel I could help."Krause said he and Hill were on the same board together for a period of time and voted together "95 percent of the time."While on the board previously, Krause said he helped get financial audits in line after a period of instability."Before the end of my tenure, the district auditor said it was the best audit he had seen in 25 years at Lehighton," he added. "My goal would be to make good, sound financial decisions based on research and facts."Duane EidemAnother candidate with eight years of Lehighton School Board experience, Eidem said he was also satisfied with the direction of the district before the most recent election."I want to help move the district forward again," Eidem told Nanovic. "My previous board experience, which includes contract negotiations, helps me to know the ins and outs of the district."Eidem said he still does extensive research before board meetings, which he regularly attends."I like to stay current on any issues coming before the board," said Eidem.A welder at Kovatch, he previously served on the board from 2001-05 and 2007-11.Stacey DuerstTime commitment is not a problem for Duerst.After her position at Air Products was eliminated after 15 years due to corporate restructuring, she has dedicated her time to volunteering for the district, including her current role of Franklin Township Elementary Parent Teacher Organization president."With my background in corporate research and volunteer experience, I think I bring a unique set of skills," Duerst said during her testimony.Duerst has a student in Franklin Elementary School, giving her a vested interest in the direction of the district, she explained.Like several of the other candidates, Duerst said she is concerned about the direction of the district since the turnover of the last election."I've been to the board meetings the last two months and the leadership has a laissez-faire attitude," Duerst said. "I haven't seen their consistent attendance at committee meetings and I don't think they are putting in the necessary time commitment."Duerst said she had advocated for increased technology in the district and has the best interest for the students in mind.Former Lehighton teacher John Lopata said he would favor Duerst, Stern, Krause or Eidem."From time to time, people get on the board because they have an ax to grind, but we need someone who will be here for the students," Lopata said.Frank TamburriTamburri's beef with the school district, and his reason for wanting to be on the board according to his testimony, started over a tax assessment dispute.After building his home in 2005, he noticed around three to four years later he was paying $9,700 in property taxes for his 2,650-square-foot home."I came to find out this was a mistake made in the courthouse when they listed my home at 4,900 square feet," Tamburri said. "Immediately, the county and municipality changed the figures, as I was paying double what I should have been paying. The district, however, wanted me to keep paying what I was paying. All I wanted was the $6,000 I felt they owed me. That is when I started attending meetings."Tamburri's career in commercial construction has led to him working on anything from a small building to a $1 million building."I read things and do the research and things just aren't making sense to me in the district," he said. "This has never been about a new building or renovating, this has been about the money."An EI Architects feasibility study, last updated in 2014, lists renovating four elementary schools and building a new elementary center at an equal $32.5 million before interest.To get to that point, Tamburri said, the district added new bathrooms, new roofs, new cafeterias and new gymnasiums to each existing building."Without all of that stuff, they could have renovated all the schools for $20 million and done it out of pocket with the cash they had on hand," Tamburri said. "Now with everything we're looking at $90 million with interest. I won't pretend to have the education background, but there are others on the board who do. If you want change here, you want me."Wilmer Everett and Wally Putkowski asked Nanovic to appoint Tamburri."This is all about democracy," Everett, a Mahoning Township resident, said. "Frank was the next man up on the ballot from the last election and I feel he should be in now. I think we're being cheated out of democracy. We all want what is best but we're not going to sell our homes to do it."Running a school district and sitting on it's board is a tough job, Putkowski noted. He, however, doesn't feel he's getting straight answers to his questions."The district is paying these architects, probably by the hour, and yet I read that plans are being shot down at planning commission meetings or sent back for improvements," he said. "Are capable people being hired? Frank has the construction experience to know if he's being cheated."David BradleyAs he did in his interview before the sitting Lehighton School Board members, Bradley said Friday he felt Tamburri is the best man for the job."I'm qualified if you should choose me, but Frank has the construction experience and the voters chose him in the last election," Bradley said.Tamburri garnered over 1,700 votes in the general election and was the only candidate on the ballot not to be elected.Bradley said he sees the school director post as one requiring leadership, asset management and financial management."What the job should entail is collecting data from the people you represent, vetting that data and deciding what is in the best interest of the district," he added.The owner of several companies in the area, including Thermal Solutions Inc., Bradley said if the board members were his employees, they "would all be fired.""I heard the cries from residents for justice, a voice and representation," he added. "The voters are the underdogs here. They do not want to be burdened with generations of indebtedness."The board, he said, is not fulfilling their responsibility."At least gets bids for an architect before you spend millions of dollars," Bradley said.