A Palmerton Area School District director who resigned from the Carbon Career and Technical Institute’s joint operating committee won’t be missed, said the JOC’s chair Wednesday.

“He spoke out of turn,” JOC chair Renee DeMelfi said Wednesday night in her report to fellow Panther Valley School Board members. “It’s very disappointing that he disclosed things that he shouldn’t have from an executive session.

“Not only did he divulge information from an executive session, but he also did not include the truth in what was going on,” she said.

DeMelfi was referring to Earl Paules, who resigned his seat on Tuesday, citing disagreements over CCTI’s search for a new administrative director and the interim director’s desire to stay for another two years.

David Reinbold, who retired as CCTI administrative director in 2022, came back as interim director after Bernt Borzak resigned after one year in the post.

Reinbold’s contract as interim ran through the end of June 2024, while the joint operating committee searched for a replacement.

Paules stated that Reinbold decided to stay through 2026 after the JOC interviewed two director candidates, including Lehigh Career and Technical Institute’s Darin Van Norman.

JOC members received an email from Reinbold saying that he would be willing to stay on hours after Van Norman, who Paules considered a front runner for the job, was given a tour of CCTI, he told Palmerton school board members Tuesday night.

“I just don’t think it should have happened this way,” Paules said.

Paules’ wife, Danielle, who serves an alternate representative to the CCTI joint operating committee, also resigned.

DeMelfi said Paules shouldn’t have made the comments about CCTI’s joint operating committee and Reinbold.

“He also acted inappropriately when he contacted a candidate without my direction as CCTI chair, nor did he have the support from the JOC,” DeMelfi said. “He has no basis for his derogatory comments.

“He had a lot to offer the JOC from Palmerton,” she said. “However, he’s not going to be missed, as far as someone who is going to conduct himself in that manner.”

DeMelfi has been in touch with the two new representatives from Palmerton, Alyson Krawchuk, and alternate Kris Schaible.