LAKEWOOD — After serving on the Lakewood School District Board of Directors since Dec. 5, 2001, Board member Ken Christiansen is resigning this year.

Christiansen submitted a letter of resignation at the Oct. 17 Board meeting, and his resignation takes effect Dec. 19.

In his letter, Christiansen wrote, “It has been my privilege to serve on the Board these past 11 years. Throughout this period I have worked alongside very talented, dedicated and capable board members. It has been a worthwhile and rewarding endeavor to be a part of helping provide support to the district staff, administration and families in Lakewood.”

He further wrote, “Serving the Lakewood School District has been an honor and I will miss it. Lakewood School District has been and continues to be a source of great pride for me personally. Best wishes to everyone as the district continues the efforts to provide and deliver a high quality education to our students.”

After submitting his letter of resignation, Christiansen enumerated on his proudest achievements as part of the Lakewood School District Board of Directors, such as helping to address the facilities needs of students and staff alike.

“When I started on the Board, we had 36 portables, and that’s been drastically reduced,” Christiansen said. “We’ve not only caught up in accommodating the kids we had, but we’ve also kept up with the growth since then, which has admittedly flattened out in recent years.”

Another pressing need when Christiansen began his tenure on the Board was replacements for curriculum materials.

“We’ve gotten on top of that and stayed on it,” said Christiansen, who pointed to similar progress in technology. “When I began here, we had 85 computers in the whole system, none of which could be used in the classroom. Now, every teaching station has its own smart-board, as well as the professional development programs so that teachers can use them effectively.”

Christiansen looks forward to the opportunity to enjoy more personal time and engage in other civic areas of interest. He had already opted not to run for a fourth term when he took stock of his other commitments, to both his family and his career.

“They were taking up enough of my energy that, rather than serving out the remainder of my term in a marginal fashion, I thought it would be better to allow the Board to replace me with someone who could take on a more significant role.”

Christiansen advised his successor, whomever he or she might be, to learn how the Lakewood School District works and to make its long-term goals their own.

His last official Board meeting will be Dec. 18, and during that meeting, the Board will host a brief recess to thank him personally for his many years of contributions to the district. The public is invited to join them in wishing Christiansen the best.

Christiansen’s resignation will leave the Director District 3 position open, so the Board is seeking qualified applicants for the position.

Individuals interested in representing Director District 3 on the Lakewood School Board may complete the application form on the district’s website at www.lwsd.wednet.edu and send it to Robin Barker, c/o Lakewood School District, P.O. Box 220, N. Lakewood, WA 98259, or deliver it to 17110 16th Dr. NE, Marysville, WA 98271. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, registered voters in the state of Washington, and residents of the Director District 3 area. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 16. The Board will be conducting interviews for all qualified applicants at the Dec. 5 Board meeting.

The individual selected and appointed by the Board to fill this open position will serve through the remainder of that term, November of 2013. Prior to the expiration of that term, if the individual appointed wishes to run for election for the next four-year term, that individual would need to file for election with Snohomish County in June of 2013.

A map of the Director District 3 boundaries is available on the district website at www.lwsd.wednet.edu.

For more information on the Director District 3 vacancy, please contact Dr. Dennis Haddock, superintendent of the Lakewood School District, at 360-652-4500.