Vacancy
Trustees taking applications to fill Smith's post
BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

BOB SMITH

Bob Smith has resigned from the Port Aransas Independent School District Board of Trustees.

"Most of the goals and objectives I set out to accomplish have been met, and I will soon be relocating outside the district," Smith wrote in a resignation letter that school board president Rick Adams read to fellow trustees during a meeting on Thursday, June 21.

Trustees held a special meeting on Tuesday, June 26, in which they voted 4-0 to accept Smith's resignation. The action is routine when a board member resigns. Technically, however, Smith remains a school board member until a replacement is sworn in.

Adams said it was "with great reluctance" that he accepted Smith's resignation.

"Bob was an exemplary president," Adams said, referring to the school board position Smith held during the 2006-07 school year. "I learned a great deal from his style. … He will be missed."

In an interview with the South Jetty, Smith said he resigned from Place 4 because he recently decided to move away from Port Aransas. He said the move is for "personal reasons" and declined to comment further on it.

Smith said he enjoyed his time on the school board. He said he is proud of the district's "outstanding leadership and exemplary staff." He also said he was proud to be on the school board when his son, Clark Smith, graduated from Port Aransas High School this year.

"One of the main things, from a personal interest standpoint, was seeing my son get the very best education he could get and then sign and hand him his diploma," Smith said. "That was a lot of personal satisfaction there."

Smith was appointed to the Board of Trustees in August 2003 to fill a vacant position. He then ran unopposed for the school board and was elected to a three-year term in May 2004.

Smith was re-elected to the board in May this year after again running unopposed. He told the South Jetty that he didn't realize at the time he filed that he likely would end up having to resign. "There were some unforeseen events" that occurred later, he said, declining to elaborate.

The school board has begun accepting applications to fill Smith's seat. Candidates should submit resumes and written statements on their reasons for wanting to serve on the board, said PAISD Superintendent Billy Wiggins.

The resumes and statements will be submitted to Wiggins, who then will turn the paperwork over to trustees. Deadline for submitting resumes and statements is July 12.

The school board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. July 12 to decide whom to appoint. By law, the appointee can serve only until May next year, when a city election will be held to fill the spot for the two years left on the three-year term. The appointee may run for the spot, but so could others from the community.

By law, a candidate for school board must be a U.S. citizen who has lived in Texas for at least a year and within the school district for at least six months. A candidate must be a resident of the school district but doesn't have to be a property owner.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old. Trustees are not paid for their service.