A Palmerton Area School District director called for the board president to resign from that role Tuesday claiming he wanted “a stronger leader” heading the search for a new superintendent.

Sherry Haas was elected in December over Earl Paules as board president for 2024, but Paules said Tuesday night he thinks it’s time to shake things up.

“We need someone to make sure we get the right superintendent in play,” Paules said. “We finally have an opportunity to do what is right for the people of Palmerton. We need a leader. We need a fighter.”

The call for a change comes in the midst of a superintendent search after Jodi Frankelli left earlier this month to take an administrative position in the Allentown School District.

Haas highlighted her efforts in the superintendent search, noting the influx of candidates.

“The end result is going to be starting to show when we get 12 people coming in here on Friday on applications that want to work for our school district,” she said. “Why is that? Because of the work that I have done in the background.”

After Frankelli was hired by Allentown, Palmerton voted 5-4 to reject an agreement with School Operation Services Group Inc. to provide an interim superintendent to the district.

The person who would be filling the role, district officials said, would be paid $130 per hour but would not hold a superintendent’s certificate, meaning certain paperwork could not be signed.

“You did not tell us the person couldn’t sign documents until that night,” Paules said. “You were not going to tell us. Why would you do that?”

Haas said the proposed contract with School Operation Services was sent to each board member in the days leading up to the meeting.

“It was right there in the contract,” Haas said.

Paules initially called for a reorganization vote at August’s board meeting where a vote on the board presidency could take place.

Attorney David Conn, however, said a Third Circuit court decision made it illegal for a board president to be removed midyear without cause.

“School boards are different from boroughs or townships in that they reorganize each year,” Conn said. “Boroughs and townships only do that in a municipal election year so it’s every two years. But unless you go through a hearing process and prove that it is for cause, you can’t remove a president midyear.”

Palmerton’s reorganization meeting is scheduled for early December each year.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit last month affirmed a lower-court ruling that a former Jim Thorpe Area School District board president was unlawfully removed from his position without due process in 2019.

The case involved Paul Montemuro, who was elected president but removed from office just a week later. Montemuro filed a lawsuit against the school district and board members, claiming that his property right in his employment had been violated.

Montemuro argued that he was not provided with proper notice or a hearing before being ousted from office.

The opinion, written by Circuit Judge Kent Jordan, noted that under Pennsylvania law, school board presidents could only be fired for cause.

“Jim Thorpe spent well into the mid-six figures when they removed their board president,” Kris Schaible, a Palmerton school board member, said. “If we can establish proper legal precedent, then we could move forward with this.”

Haas did not indicate any intent to resign during Tuesday night’s meeting.