After nearly a year-and-a-half as Lehighton Area School District’s business manager, Patricia Denicola has taken a job in another district.

Denicola was approved earlier this month as the chief financial officer in the Boyertown Area School District.

Lehighton posted the business manager position on July 17.

“It was the lack of overall professionalism throughout the district that led me to look elsewhere,” Denicola said on Wednesday.

Denicola was hired in Lehighton in February 2019 at a salary of $114,500. She replaced Brian Feick, who left after almost five years to go to Schuylkill Valley School District.

“We’re very grateful to have had Patty for the short time we did,” Lehighton Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said. “She had an opportunity she couldn’t pass up and we certainly understand that. It’s going to be tough to find someone with her knowledge and background. Our loss is someone else’s gain.”

Denicola faced a difficult situation as Lehighton had a $3.49 million deficit early in the 2020-21 budgeting process with no money left in its fund balance. The budget passed last month included a 1.76-mill tax increase and the elimination of nonmandated transportation. She attributed the district’s troubling financial state to past overspending and past budgeting that didn’t align with actual expenditures.

“The district’s financial situation is a tough one,” she said, “but I still believe with the right decision making, the district can move forward and come out of this. The financial state of the district is not what led to my decision to leave. It was the lack of professionalism.”

Lehighton set an Aug. 14 deadline to receive business manager applications. Cleaver said it is one of the most difficult positions to fill in any school district.

According to Boyertown’s agenda, Denicola’s tentative start date would be Sept. 14.

“We’d love to have someone in place by that point,” Cleaver said, “but we’re not going to rush just to fill the position. We’ll do everything we can to have a smooth transition.”