Lehighton Area School District will have a contested race for seats on its school board in November.

Five candidates will vie for four seats based on unofficial results from Tuesday’s preliminary election.

On the Democratic ticket, Jennifer Laible led with 614 votes. She will advance to the general election along with Joy Beers with 581 votes, Barbara Bowes with 541 votes and Kerry Sittler with 539 votes.

Walter Zlomsowitch, who campaigned alongside Beers, Bowes and Sittler, will also be on the November ballot based on his performance on the Republican ticket, where he totaled 1,250 votes. He finished second only to Beers, who tallied 1,313 Republican votes.

Finishing third and fourth on the Republican ticket were Sittler with 1,224 votes and Bowes with 1,179 votes.

Candidates who were not successful Tuesday in advancing to November were Jay Barthel (504 Democratic votes and 678 Republican votes), D’Ache Zelrick (392 Democratic votes and 535 Republican votes), and Robert Zellner (834 Republican votes).

Of the candidates for November, Beers is the only incumbent, with Laible, Bowes, Sittler and Zlomsowitch looking to sit on the board for the first time. Stephen Holland, David Bradley and Gail Maholick will be leaving the board after November, having not sought re-election.

The board is coming off a period of 5-4 votes on numerous issues, many of them dealing with financial matters.

A state audit report last year outlined the district’s dwindling fund balance, which had dropped from approximately $14.2 million as of June 30, 2015, to $874,439 as of June 30, 2019. The report also showed how a private contract with the National Education Foundation cost the district over $3 million.

Last year’s budget initially included the elimination of nonmandated transportation for students, though most of that funding was later restored.

The proposed budget for 2021-22 includes the full restoration of transportation funding as well as the full funding of extracurricular programs and athletics.

The district’s board is also debating a bond restructuring that could help it to begin rebuilding its fund balance.

As of May 6, the budget deficit for 2021-22 was down to $298,000, with district administrators predicting more students returning to the brick-and-mortar school from a cyberschool would completely erase that gap.