Leah Bowen has resigned from the Kent School Board after just one year as one of the five directors.
Bowen submitted a letter of resignation on Nov. 25, according to school board documents. She didn’t attend a Dec. 2 special board meeting about school boundary changes. The board is scheduled to accept the resignation at its Dec. 9 meeting.
“I was aware that the responsibilities of her position were weighing heavily on her schedule,” Board President Leslie Hamada said in a Dec. 7 email to the Kent Reporter. “She had added the great perspective of having younger children in our district to our board. I will personally miss her contributions. The work of a school director demands a lot of time to fulfill the duties. It is such a needed service to our community. … I hope we will have many great replacements applying for her district.”
As president, Hamada said she has worked more than 40 hours per week at times. Hamada announced last month that she will remain on the board but no longer wants to serve as president after this year when her one-year term ends. The board is scheduled to vote Dec. 9 on a new president and vice president, currently held by Denise Daniels.
Bowen has not yet responded to a Monday email request from the Kent Reporter asking her why she resigned or for a copy of her resignation letter. A Kent School District spokesperson also has not yet responded to a Monday request for a copy of the resignation letter. The letter was not included in agenda meeting documents posted on the school district website.
The board is scheduled to outline a timeline and application procedure for filling the vacant board position at its Dec. 9 meeting.
Voters elected Bowen, Hamada and Michele Bettinger in November 2019 to four-year terms. Bowen and Hamada ran unopposed. Bowen replaced Ross Hardy, who was appointed to the seat in 2017 by the board after Russ Hanscom resigned.
Bowen was the District 1 director, which covers a portion of the East Hill. Each director has a designated geographic area, but are elected by all voters in the Kent School District and represent the district as a whole.
Bowen has three children, ages 17, 7 and 6 and has lived in the Panther Lake/East Hill area for the past seven years.
Bowen was part of a controversial 3-2 vote in August when she voted in favor of extending the contract of Superintendent Calvin Watts for another two years after his current contract expires in July 2021. Daniels and Maya Vengadasalam also voted to extend the contract. Hamada and Bettinger voted against the extension.
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