A 40-year transportation industry veteran who twice ran for a school board seat as a write-in candidate was appointed Tuesday to fill the vacancy left by the recent resignation of director Chris Fischi.

Edward Rehrig will serve the remainder of Fischi’s term through December 2027. If he chooses to seek a full term, he will need to file for the ballot next spring.

The seat was vacated earlier this month and board members solicited letters of interest from residents and received four responses, three of whom appeared at Tuesday’s special meeting.

In his letter, Rehrig said he was a write-in candidate in both the primary and general elections last year.

“I think I can bring experience in many industries that affect school business, such as transportation,” Rehrig wrote.

When asked at the meeting what motivated him to seek the seat, he said his driving concern is accountability for public money.

“What motivated me, I believe, is just financial responsibility,” he said. “I like to see a return on my investment. I want to see what I get for the money I spend. I work hard for the money that I make, and I want to make sure it’s being spent properly.”

The three other candidates who sought the appointment were Chris Fallabel, a 24-year classroom teacher; Jesse Walck, a school finance professional; and Kristy Martin, a healthcare marketing executive.

Fallabel, who teaches in Hazleton, said he has three children connected to the district — one in sixth grade, one in eighth grade and a daughter who attended Jim Thorpe for her freshman year.

“I’d like to see equality for the students, equality for the staff, protections for the students,” Fallabel said. “There are certain things that are lacking in school districts that I would like to see improved upon, that I’ve noticed not only from a community member but in a personal manner, as a parent.

Walck cited hands-on experience turning around troubled school finances including a tenure at Panther Valley where he helped grow the fund balance from $90,000 to more than $8 million in a couple of years. He also previously served on Summit Hill Borough Council.

“I know there are financial issues here,” Walck said. “I’m very well versed, both in what the funding requirements are as well as a lot of the mandates, and what funds we actually have available to be able to do the things that we all would like to do.” Martin’s letter described her as a senior marketing leader in the healthcare industry with experience in “strategic planning, budget management, stakeholder engagement, communications, and organizational leadership.” A resident of the district and parent of two children at Penn Kidder Campus, Martin wrote that if appointed she would approach the role “with a commitment to transparency, collaboration, fiscal responsibility, and always keeping the best interests of students at the center of every decision.”

After the vote, Board Vice President Mary Figura thanked the three candidates who were not selected and encouraged each of them to stay involved.

“This is definitely a much tougher job than I ever thought it might be, and we don’t get paid for it,” she said. “Thank you for even putting yourselves out there to come here, and keep your name out there for the next election.”