Change has been the theme permeating through Lehighton Area School District in 2021.

When the clock strikes midnight to usher in 2022, only one-third of the LASD directors who started the year remain in their seats, and administrative leadership will also look remarkably different.

John W. (Jack) Corby, a Nesquehoning native and former administrator in multiple districts around the state, will start the year as Lehighton’s acting superintendent after directors voted 7-1 on Dec. 8 to terminate Jonathan J. Cleaver’s contract after nine years in charge. The board, through its legal firm Fox Rothschild, alleges previous governing bodies approved illegal contract extensions. Cleaver was hired under a three-year contract with Lehighton on June 18, 2012, running until June 30, 2015.

Lehighton prepared a memorandum of understanding dated Dec. 24, 2014, to give Cleaver an “extension” through the 2017-18 school year. Fox Rothschild, however, deemed that extension violated school code because the state does not allow you to “extend” an original contract term past five years. It, according to attorney Jeffrey Sultanik, should have been termed a “contract renewal.”

Cleaver was given his most recent contract extension in June 2021, which would have taken him through the 2023-24 school year.

Two days after his contract was terminated, Cleaver filed a lawsuit against the district and the board members who voted for the action. His attorney, Catherine Rowe, alleges the removal of a superintendent could only occur following a hearing and a majority vote for one of the following causes: neglect of duty, incompetency, intemperance or immorality.

“None of the legal requirements for the termination of Cleaver’s contract were met,” she added.

Corby, meanwhile, said during his introductory meeting Dec. 20 that he is “excited” to get started and looks forward to putting the focus on student success stories.

“There are a lot of great kids here in Lehighton who have excelled in all of the important parts of a district: arts, music, athletics, and the reason we are all here, academics,” he said. “That doesn’t just happen in itself though, it takes a community in the school district including teachers, support staff, the board and parents working together. It’s time we start concentrating on those things.”

Board members

Cleaver’s departure followed a board shake-up through resignations and the 2021 election that brought new faces to the table including Jeremy Glaush, April Walker, Brian Shaner, Walter Zlomsowitch, Kerry Sittler and Barbara Bowes. The only directors remaining in their seats from the start of the year are Joy Beers, Richard Beltz and Nathan Foeller.

Larry Stern, who served as board president since December 2017, and Rita Spinelli, who was serving as treasurer, resigned their seats on Nov. 15. Both had two years left on their terms. Stern said after several motions were put forth by Bowes, including ones to remove him as president, investigate Cleaver’s contract and oust longtime solicitor Filer & Schwab, he felt there would be “no working relationship on the board moving forward.”

“It showed there would be no discussion on topics,” Stern said following the meeting. “The prime example is appointing a solicitor without even going through a request for proposals or have the board as a whole interview solicitors to see what their perspectives are on the laws from the Department of Education. It’s just a total covert action. It really proved the point that I could not add any value to the board any longer and it was my choice to just disassociate myself from the board.”

Spinelli also cited differing philosophies with the board majority as a major reason for stepping aside.

“I had hoped to start a new chapter during my last two years as a board member with a climate of honesty, cooperation and finding common ground,” Spinelli said. “Recent events have made me see that would not be possible.”

Those resignations followed that of Wayne Wentz in August. Wentz, a 14-year board member, cited health reasons for his decision to step aside.

“My health has deteriorated to the point where I need to focus on it,” Wentz said in a letter to the district. “My voting positions have not always been popular,” he said. “From time to time, I have changed my mind, and I am mature and secure enough with my conscience and my moral compass to admit that I have made mistakes along the way. Having an open mind and self-awareness is how leaders learn and grow to become even more knowledgeable, effective leaders.”

Bowes, who would go on to win a seat in the general election, was appointed to the board a few months early to fill Wentz’s spot.

After a round of interviews, Glaush and Walker were selected by the board to fill the seats vacated by Stern and Spinelli.

New attorney

At that Nov. 15 meeting, the board terminated Filer and Schwab law firm as district solicitor effective at the end of the meeting and replacing them with Fox Rothschild LLP at a blended hourly rate of $250 per hour for base services and $300 per hour for special services.

“We need an attorney we can trust,” Bowes said of the decision. “Fox Rothschild is the largest law firm doing educational law in Pennsylvania. Paying a little bit more can save tons of money in the long run. You don’t always get what you pay for, but very often you do.”

Filer & Schwab’s agreement called for the district to pay it $165/hour for an attorney and $75/hour for a paralegal. Other proposals during the summer came from King, Spry, Herman, Freund and Faul, the firm that handles the district’s special education and litigation matters, and Sweet, Stevens, Katz and Williams, which represents neighboring Palmerton Area School District.

King Spry listed an annual fee of $15,000 for 2021-22 for routine services. For other matters, the firm would have charged $160/hour. Sweet Stevens listed its regular hourly rates at $160/hour for attorneys and $125/hour for legal assistants.

Beers, Bowes, Zlomsowitch and Sittler, who campaigned together in 2021, swept the four open seats on the board.

Leading up to the election, Beers said her main issue with the district is that it “was not run as a professional organization.”

“Decisions are based on myths,” she said. “Poor decision-making is escalating costs.”

Bowes said she sought a board seat “to make sure we provide the best education and extracurricular programs possible to the students, to provide them with a safe and fairly administered education, to reach out to the community for input, to run a law-abiding government, and to run a fiscally responsible district, thereby reducing future tax burdens.”

Zlomsowitch said he hopes to “get the district back on solid financial ground.”

“The spending is out of control and we need to look at needs for education versus wants to keep up,” he said. “Student safety is an issue and needs to be addressed. Teachers need supplies to teach and not dig in their own pocket to do so.”

Sittler also cited fiscal management as a key goal.

The district has been fiscally mismanaged for too many years,” Sittler said. “We need to get a strong, balanced budget and stick to it. We need to listen to our taxpayers, parents and teachers. Their voice matters.”

Shaner was appointed to a two-year board seat that came open when Zlomsowitch won it, along with a four-year seat, in the 2021 general election. Zlomsowitch chose the four-year seat.

Administrative changes

Cleaver isn’t the only administrative change for the district as it enters 2022. Tim Tkach, assistant to the superintendent, is retiring on Dec. 31. Tkach, who has been with the district 24 years, called his retirement a bittersweet moment, saying he planned to spend more time with his five grandchildren.

“The decision weighs heavy for sure,” Tkach said. “It’s been such a privilege working with the staff, students, parents and community. It’s really a family here in Lehighton and it’ll be tough to leave, but I’ll still be around.”

During his time in the district, Tkach was instrumental in getting the Lehighton Education and Athletic Foundation off the ground. LEAF raises funds that go toward competitive teacher grants, scholarships and educational and extracurricular programs, among other things.

He won’t be a stranger for long, however. On Dec. 20, the board voted to add Tkach to its substitute teacher list.

Earlier in the year, Lehighton promoted from within for two new administrative positions.

Melissa Volcskai was hired as director of instructional technology integration and curricular innovation, while Rebecca Karpowicz was named business affairs/human resources coordinator.

Volcskai was previously principal for grades 3-5 at Lehighton’s elementary center and Karpowicz was the confidential secretary to the assistant to the superintendent.

Mark McGalla, who was the middle school principal, moved into the grades 3-5 principal position at the elementary center.

Stephen Ebbert was promoted from middle school dean of students to middle school principal.