A wave of change swept through Lehighton Area School District's board meeting Monday night.

Board President Hal Resh resigned his seat on the board after missing two consecutive board meetings and a workshop session.No reason was given at the meeting for his resignation, and district officials said his letter announcing his decision was brief.Resh, who has been on the board since 2009, was appointed president in December after three new board members, Byron Arner, Richard Beltz and Marianne Dwyer were elected.He replaced Gloria Bowman, who by a 5-2 vote was reseated as board president Monday.Arner and Beltz, current vice president, voted against the move and Dwyer was absent."Gloria has the experience that we need right now in that position," said board member David Krause."In the last four months we have had committees without full appointments, absenteeism at meetings and things have been slipping through the cracks. Gloria has done a good job and knows the district as well as anyone on the board."Bowman thanked her colleagues for their confidence and said she planned to look at the committee appointments to "refocus" some of the work.Larry Stern, a former board member who ran for re-election in 2015 but did not advance past the primary election, will fill the vacancy, pending his accepting the seat, on the board left by Resh's resignation following a 6-1 board vote.Resh came under criticism at a Feb. 22 board meeting when Stern said he was disappointed in Resh's "negligence" regarding property tax delinquency.On July 7, 2015, Lehighton Area School District, through its collection agency Portnoff Law Associates, filed a lien for nonpayment of 2014 real estate taxes against Resh and Nancy Wilk, who both have a Pinewood Road mailing address.The lien included three different properties:• 748 Pinewood Road in East Penn Township: $3,211.69.• A Lizard Creek Road property in East Penn Township: $533.33.• 850 W. Bowmans Road in East Penn Township: $2,472.09.Only Beltz voted against Stern's appointment.Stern was one of six candidates interviewed by Carbon County Judge Nanovic to succeed William Hill Jr., a Lehighton board member who passed away Jan. 1.Nanovic ultimately awarded Hill's seat to Krause.Stern was not at Monday's meeting, but during his interview in front of Nanovic, he said, "Education is a lifelong journey and we need to make sure we support all of our students in the most efficient way possible."Stern has supported a controversial elementary center project that would result in a new $32.5 million building and closing the district's four existing elementary schools.Board members reviewed the resumes submitted when the previous vacancy was created."We've thoroughly reviewed the candidates and I support Mr. Stern's appointment," Krause said.