During the November 28, 2022, Board meeting, Oak Harbor Public Schools Board Director Erik Mann announced his resignation after accepting the position of Executive Director of the Hawaii Habitat for Humanity Association. His resignation comes after five years of service to Oak Harbor Public Schools as the Board of Directors Legislative Representative and recently serving as the Vice-President. 

“It’s been an honor to serve the students and community of Oak Harbor since 2017,” said Director Mann, “I am proud of the progress and accomplishments I’ve been a part of during my time on the school board. The opportunity has taught me many valuable lessons in leadership, compassion and service to others, and I know that my fellow directors and our amazing team of leaders are working diligently to increase academic achievement for all students.”

In his announcement to the Board, Director Mann outlined challenges and opportunities to bring positive changes to all Oak Harbor Public Schools. 

“While we continue to make progress in many key areas, there are challenges ahead related to our aging school facilities”,” said Director Mann, “The upcoming bond proposal provides us with a monumental opportunity to replace three aging schools, enhance safety at all schools, and address critical needs of our Oak Harbor community at a greatly reduced cost. This is only possible because of funding available from the Department of Defense and WA State matching funds. I just hope that our community recognizes the unique opportunity this is for our children and the future of the school district. There will likely never be another opportunity to leverage this amount of funding to reduce the local community’s investment in school construction. Although I will not be on the Board, I look forward to seeing the Oak Harbor community come together on behalf of students as #OneOakHarbor.”

“Director Mann has been a valuable member of the school board,” said Board President Jessica Aws, “On behalf of the Board of Directors, we want to thank him for his contributions, service on behalf of students, and commitment to the Oak Harbor community.”

“The board will miss Director Mann’s leadership, vision, and advocacy efforts at the state and national level,” said Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula, “He has certainly left a permanent mark here in Oak Harbor and we wish him and his family all the best in their new adventure.”

Filling a Board Vacancy

The school board is conducting a search for his replacement following the legal requirements and recommendations of the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA). State law requires the remaining school board members to appoint a replacement within 90 days of his resignation date. The appointed board member will serve the position until November 2023. 

All interested applicants must complete the following application by December 9, 2022 at 5 PM.  To be eligible for consideration, the individual must be a registered voter in the Oak Harbor School District and a U.S. Citizen. The board will screen applications and conduct interviews in a public meeting. The date for the interviews is tentatively scheduled for January 9, 2023. If you have questions or want to learn more about the position or application, please contact Katey Andrews at kandrews@ohsd.net.

More information about the process and the school board duties can be found on the Oak Harbor Public Schools’ website.