Palmerton Area School Board has a vacancy after its newest member, Magin Gursky, resigned from her position effective Jan. 18, just months after joining the governing body.

The board voted unanimously to accept Gursky’s resignation during Tuesday night’s meeting.

Director Earl Paules suggested the board’s internal conflicts contributed to Gursky’s decision to step down, specifically citing a motion to censure him that was also on Tuesday’s agenda.

Director Stacey Connell acknowledged Gursky’s brief tenure and expressed disappointment at her departure.

“Although her tenure here was short, we were lucky to have her with us,” Connell said. “She did win the vote. She was here. I was anxious to have her join our team.”

The board will now seek to fill the vacant seat through an appointment process, with applications being accepted through Friday.

Former board member Kris Schaible, who resigned in June to pursue professional and academic endeavors, formally expressed interest in returning to the board during the public comment period.

“I still find myself drawn back to the board in serving and supporting students and staff at Palmerton Area School District, which is why I continue to attend meetings even after I no longer needed to be here,” Schaible said.

Schaible expressed confidence she could quickly catch up on matters addressed during her absence, noting that district administrators could bring her up to speed on pending legal matters, construction and budgetary considerations, and education and safety issues.

“Most importantly, I would like to see this board refocus its efforts on what matters most to me, which is the children and the education that we provide here at Palmerton Area School District,” Schaible said. “I hopefully look forward again to being able to play an integral role in delivering what is important to me, which is the best possible education that we can provide here using the taxpayer funds wisely and being and remaining accountable for our words and our actions.”

Paules questioned Schaible about her approach to decision-making on significant financial matters, asking whether she would look beyond policy to consider the practical impact on the community.

“I know in the past you said that a school basically runs on policy, but sometimes you got to dig down deep making decisions like do we spend $7 million on an administration building or do we keep the money and spend it on education,” Paules said. “There’s no policy that says that. That has to come from you, the person, to realize what our town is and who the people that live here are.”

Schaible acknowledged the balance between following policy and making practical decisions as both a board member and taxpayer.

“What we have to remember is that because we’re school board members, we’re also taxpayers,” she said. “So whatever the project, if I get the seat back and I vote to raise our taxes 4.7% next year—I’m also raising my own taxes 4.7%, which certainly I don’t want to do because then I have to find 4.7% in my own budget. So I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make sure that I’m spending my own money wisely.”

Anyone interested in filling the board vacancy can send a letter of interest to Dr. Angela Friebolin, Superintendent of Schools, at afriebolin@palmerton.org.

The deadline for submission of letters of interest is the close of business on Friday.