Five candidates are vying for four 4-year openings on Lehighton Area School Board. They are incumbent Joy Beers and newcomers Barbara Bowes, Jennifer Laible, Kerry Sittler and Walter Zlomsowitch. Zlomsowitch is unopposed for a 2-year seat on the board. Bowes was appointed to the board earlier this year when Wayne Wentz resigned, citing health issues.

Joy Beers

Town: Lehighton Borough

Background: A Lehighton native, Joy received her master’s degree in engineering from Penn State in 1999, then worked in Minneapolis for 15 years designing commercial buildings. She returned to Lehighton so that she can support her parents in their golden years. Joy spends her free time riding her bike and hiking in the woods.

Why you are running for school board: Upon returning to town, I learned that there was turmoil surrounding the school district. Primarily this was related to misinformation related to new building projects and related to a suppression of public engagement at the school board. The district told the town that building new was less expensive than renovating and that the elementary center would save the town money in the long run. The Auditor General’s report later chastised the district for this misinformation.

The top three issues you have identified at Lehighton Area School District and solutions: The top issue is that the district is not run as a professional organization. Decisions are based on myths. Poor decision-making is escalating costs. The second issue is a disconnect between the district and the community. The district’s value system does not reflect the needs of the community. The third issue is a lack of response. Arising issues are not addressed. This “head in the sand” approach to problems allows problems to intensify and worsen.

Bullying is an issue in every district, especially with social media today. What should be done to protect students: Staff members are the adults and the supervisors at school where students are separated from their parents. New staff training is essential to getting our students back on track. Bullying needs to be identified quickly and resolved in such a way that it does not psychologically harm the students. Both students (the one being bullied and the one doing the bullying) need to be protected and need to educated.

How you would balance funding programs and dealing with unfunded mandates while keeping taxes at a manageable level: Our district’s escalating costs are caused by poor management. The number one way to solve this problem is to replace the board with new people. Please vote for Beers, Sittler, Bowes and Zlomsowitch. A way to control costs is to utilize solutions that solve problems in multiple sectors. For example funding programs that also satisfy unfunded mandates, so we are paying for one solution that solves two problems instead of paying for two separate solutions.

Barbara A. Bowes

Town: Lehighton (Mahoning Township)

Background: I have been a Lehighton resident since 2004. When my father passed away I fell in love with this area and moved here. I have 2 children and 3 grandsons. My daughter has a BA and 2 master’s degrees. My son is an electrician. I have attended every school board meeting since Feb. 26, 2018, and have spoken at most of them. I am detail oriented.

Why you are running for school board: I’m running for the LASD School Board to serve the community. To make sure we provide the best education and extracurricular programs possible to the students, to provide them with a safe and fairly administered education, to reach out to the community for input, to run a law-abiding government, and to run a fiscally responsible district, thereby reducing future tax burdens. Our students are the future leaders of tomorrow. We must prepare them well.

The top three issues you have identified at Lehighton Area School District: 1. Fiscal mismanagement - The fiscal mismanagement has been documented. Directors need to make sure they are living within the budget.

2. Outdated Policies - Make sure ALL school policies are up to date with current laws, and that they are followed and applied fairly to all.

3. Lack of input - Open and honest communication with staff, parents, the community, and students removing any fear of intimidation real or perceived.

What should be done to protect students from bullying: The best way to solve a problem is to first recognize you have one. Make sure the staff is properly trained to recognize and remediate bullying. Reporting ALL incidents of bullying should be mandatory for staff even if successfully remediated in order to successfully track repeat offenders and apply proper discipline. Better promote Safe2Say. The Reprisal section in the Anti-Bullying Policy needs to have clear disciplinary actions defined.

How you would balance funding programs and unfunded mandates: Build the budget from the bottom up. Mandated costs and programs first. Prioritize anything added on as to importance. Reduce waste and redundancy. Efficiency and proper financial management reduces costs. We have a larger debt service payment looming in 2023. We must be mindful of how much the community can bear in taxes and plan accordingly.

Jennifer Laible

Town: Lehighton

Background: I started my educational consulting business in 1991 to help students, support parents, and partner with school teachers to help youth gain confidence in various subjects and on the SAT and ACT exams. I enjoy volunteering in our kids’ school and community activities (Red Cross, AWANA Bible Club, cross-country, softball, track and FT baseball). Teaching youth in academic subjects and mentoring them on service trips fuels me to invest in the next generation.

Why you are running for school board: Education and excellence are passions of mine. I have spent my life helping students of all ages - and with various learning abilities and differences - to chase their dreams by excelling in academics and by pursuing extracurricular activities that interest them. By learning a new subject, volunteering in town, or trying a new sport, I encourage students to pursue nationwide awards to help them learn skills necessary for future careers.

The top three issues you have identified at Lehighton Area School District and solutions: The school board needs stability by conducting meetings “in an orderly and businesslike manner (Local Board Procedures; Code 006)” to encourage healthy discussions and avoid name calling. We need continued financial responsibility to manage current bills and designate extra funds to reduce our outstanding debt. Students need access to quality education and extracurricular activities within a safe environment.

What should be done to protect students from bullying: The issue of bullying starts at the top. If board members exhibit bad behavior, parents and students who are watching or attending the meetings see it, too. There should be accountability for students and everyone working or volunteering in the district through a NO TOLERANCE policy to give immediate consequences (detention, suspension or firing) to any and all bullying actions depending on the severity and quantity of people targeted in person or online.

How you balance funding programs and dealing with unfunded mandates while keeping taxes at a manageable level: Unfunded mandates like some Title IX requirements must be kept within restricted budgets. Legislative reforms, especially in the areas of pension reform to offset the statewide loss of funds that falls on our school district (and thus the taxpayer) and charter school funding (which takes taxes out of our school district), will need continuous review and support. Funding is always a juggling of monies to create an optimal solution for students, teachers, staff and administration.

Kerry L. Sittler

Town: Lehighton

Background: I’m a wife and mother of one middle school girl and one high school girl. 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.

Why I am running for school board: I’m running for school board to provide the best quality education that our district can afford, to also provide opportunities for every student’s growth and development through extracurricular and sport activities, to regain financial stability, to ensure sustainability for our district, and to be part of the solution by listening to our community, teachers, parents and fellow board members.

The top three issues you have identified at Lehighton Area School District and solutions:

1. Fiscal management: The district has been fiscally mismanaged for too many years as stated in the auditors general’s report. We need to get a strong, balanced budget and stick to it.

2. Disregarding the community’s input. We need to listen to our taxpayers, parents and teachers. Their voice matters.

3. Keeping the parents informed. Many things happen at the school that many parents don’t know about. That has to change.

What should be done to protect students from bullying: Bullying has been around since the beginning of time; but that doesn’t make it right. The parents need to check their kid’s phones and computers regularly. If they find suspicious activity they need to contact the appropriate people and go from there. They need to work together with school officials as a team to come up with the best solution for all parties involved.

How do would balance funding programs and unfunded mandates: We need to regain financial stability. 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 and needs and live by the districts 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 to find the best solutions for all involved.

Walter Zlomsowitch

Town: East Penn Township

Background: Born in Lehighton raised in Mahoning Township. Two children and two grandchildren and a stepchild in LASD. Owns K and K oil for 23 years and West Penn Diner for over a year.

Why you are running: I decided to run for school board again to try and help the kids and community recover from some real financial issues the district faces. I hope to help get the district back on solid financial ground. This is a volunteer position and I want to give back for the many years the community supported my business.

The top three issues you have identified at Lehighton Area School District and solutions: The spending is out of control and we need to look at needs for education versus wants to keep up. Student safety is an issue and needs to be addressed. Teachers need supplies to teach and not dig in their own pocket to do so.

Bullying is an issue in every district, especially with social media today. What should be done to protect students: Bullying is an issue in every district but when a situation arises it needs to be addressed. Some of the bullying has led to some very serious situations in our district. Some serious injuries have occurred.

How you balance funding programs and dealing with unfunded mandates while keeping taxes at a manageable level: I believe most taxpayers want to fund our kids’ education. They want to know their tax dollars are being spent wisely and the kids and teachers are getting some value for the tax dollars. We have some serious financial issues ahead of us no matter who wins. We need to look at what we need to educate our kids and wants as we can afford them.