A day after his appointment by the governor to the Arkansas Board of Education, Jeff Wood on Wednesday resigned from the Little Rock School Board seat he held for almost two years.
The remaining Little Rock School Board members will discuss how to fill the now vacant seat when they hold a monthly work session at 5:30 p.m. today. It's a vacant seat that is open for election on Nov. 8 and is slated to be filled by Joyce Walker Wesley who last month was the sole person to file as a candidate for the Zone 9 seat.
Wood did not file for re-election to the seat.
The School Board has the authority to appoint a person to fill a vacancy until such time as an election is held. It is not uncommon for a school board to appoint a declared candidate for election to be appointed to serve out the final days of their predecessor's term.
Besides serving two years on an all-new Little Rock School Board, Wood also served four years on the district's Community Advisory Board. That board recommended policies, and employee-related actions to Arkansas Education Secretary Johnny Key at a time when the Little Rock district was operating under state control.
Wood said Wednesday in his resignation letter to Superintendent Jermall Wright and the remaining board members that the appointment to the state Education Board was an honor but also bittersweet "in that I must step away from my seat on the Little Rock board."
"I am so thankful for the two years I have served with all of you and for the extra years I got to serve with [Michael] Mason and [Sandrekkia] Morning on the Community Advisory Board" he wrote.
"We did good things. We did hard things. And it has been very rewarding. I know there is still work to be done in Little Rock; this is a task that never ends. But I am hopeful that the foundations we have laid over the last several years, the leadership we have chosen for our future, and the work you will continue doing will make a meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of young people all across this city."
Wood is an attorney who focuses on consumer protection. He is the father of three school-aged children.
He concluded his letter to the board members saying that he appreciated the kindness and friendship shown him.
"Please know that I will always be here to support your work of moving this school district to higher ground," he wrote.