No matter who the final victors are at the end of vote-counting in Tuesday’s Owen J. Roberts School Board election, one thing is certain: The school board will include at least five new faces, changing the dynamic of the infamous 5-4 voting scenario that has prevailed in recent months.

On the current board, four incumbents lost their bid to appear on the November ballot in a crowded field of primary election candidates.

Board President Edward Kerner and board members William LaCoff, Eric Scheib, Karen Zelley and Eugene Endress were not among the top vote-getters from the primary, and thus were not on the ballot Tuesday. Incumbent board member John Dutton appeared on the Republican line on Tuesday.

Kerner, Dutton, Zelley and Endress along with board Vice President Debbie Bissland comprised the bloc of five who in June terminated the contract of popular Superintendent Myra Forrest and later hired retired Pottstown Superintendent Ray Feick as interim superintendent.

The controversial actions played out throughout the summer, with as many as 1,200 citizens showing up at emotionally-charged board meetings to argue that Forrest should be reinstated or that a decision on a new superintendent should await the new board being seated in December.

Eight candidates were on the ballot Tuesday for six seats. Due to the large number of local races being tabulated, minimal results were available from the Chester County Board of Elections by press time early today. (Complete results will be available at www.pottsmerc.com and in Thursday’s editions of The Mercury.)

Among the eight candidates, two — John Stone and Douglass Hughes — are seeking two-year terms and the remaining six are contending for four four-year terms. Both Stone and Hughes are cross-filed on the Republican and Democratic ballots.

Also cross-filed on both ballots is newcomer Kris Barcus, along with Debbie Eddinger, a former board member who served from 2004-07. Running on the Republican ticket is Dutton, the only sitting board member on either ballot, along with newcomer James Frees.

On the Democratic ballot are William Kleinfelter and Maria Notare-Cantarero, both new to the board.

LaCoff was not on the ballot but was running an active write-in campaign.

The candidates all stressed fiscal responsibility and uniting the community as goals for the coming year.

The community became noticeably fractured over Forrest’s firing, with some supporting the bloc of five led by Kerner as fiscally prudent and others blasting them for actions they called blatantly defiant of community concerns.

As of press time, the only precincts reporting results were two in North Coventry and two in East Vincent.

Votes reported were as follows: two-year terms: Stone, 943; Hughes, 999. As the only two candidates for the two two-years, both are virtually assured election. They will replace Zelley and Endress on the board.

The four four-year seats were as follows: Barcus, 989; Eddinger, 918: Kleinfelter, 764; Frees, 666; ; Notare-Cantarero, 429, and Dutton, 400. There were 377 write-ins recorded. The top four vote-getters will be elected.

Hughes, of East Coventry, works as the director of nursing at Paoli Hospital. He holds an MBA from Alvernia University and a BSN from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He believes that the district’s financial situation will be the most pressing challenge facing the board in the coming year.

Stone has an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. The father of four children in the district, he is employed as the vice president of marketing and client development for General Reinsurance Corporation.

He believes the most important issue for the new board will be “getting back to the business of education.” If elected, he’ll push for better communication between the board and community.

Eddinger is a former OJR school board director and is currently the president of the Owen J. Roberts Education Foundation. She is employed as the director of Paoli Hospital for Sleep Medicine, Neurodiagnostics and Vascular Services.

For her, the key issue facing the new board will be to regain the community’s trust in the board.

Barcus, a newcomer, has a BA in elementary education from Arizona State University. She is employed as a teacher at Brookside Montessori School.

She feels the new board will have three difficult challenges to deal with: balancing the budget, earning back the community’s trust in the board, and ensuring a quality curriculum is in place for all students.

Dutton, the only incumbent in the race, is seeking his third term on the board. He is employed as an operating engineer and apprentice instructor and was formerly president of Norchester Baseball.

He believes new state testing and graduation requirements will pose the biggest challenge for the district over the next few years. He also hopes to continue his role in guiding any district building projects in the future.

Frees has a BSBA from West Virginia University and is vice president of Ephrata National Bank. A 1989 graduate of OJR, he believes that rebuilding the district’s image and returning professionalism to the board will be the most pressing matters for the new board.

Kleinfelter has a degree in business administration/computer science from Ursinus College. He is employed as a global service principal for Siemens Health Services.

He feels that handling district finances will be the major challenge of the board next year.

Notare-Cantarero is currently a stay-at-home mother. She has a B.S. degree in finance from Montclair University. She believes it will be essential for the new board to engage the community in board decisions.