Central Kitsap School District Board of Directors member Mark Gaines announced April 15 that he will not seek re-election.

“After a lot of thought and consideration I have decided not to run for the school board position again in November,” Gaines told the board.

“I’ve really enjoyed my five and a half years here on the board. It’s been a great experience for me. I just wanted to share briefly how I arrived at my decision. Many of you know that our family adopted two children about six months ago and while it’s been a blessing to us it’s also brought a lot of new challenges we never expected going into the adoption. So my wife Kelly and I have spent a lot of our time and energy focusing on the children and thats taken me away from the board a little bit here at the district. And I think this board deserves somebody who is fully committed to the goals of the board and the district.

“I want to continue my focus at home and the growth of our family and so i think it’s right to step away from this. I looking forward to continuing on the board until my term is over in November.  And after that I’m going to be thrilled to hand over the reins to somebody who brings energy and excitement and passion to the position here. If there’s anybody from Director Area 2 who is interested in the position I would be happy to talk with you and share my perspective. You can contact me. My information is available on the district website,” Gaines said.

Gaines was first elected in 2009.

“Your expertise will be sorely missed,” board Vice President Jeanie Schulze said.

“I have a kindergartener so I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Gaines joked.

The CKSD board has had a few changes recently.

15-year board veteran Chris Stokke announced his retirement in February. A few weeks later, Scott Woehrman was selected to serve the remainder of Stokke’s term.