Centralia School Board President Lori Fast announced her resignation Wednesday, citing plans to move out of the district just months before her first term comes to a close.
Her resignation was effective immediately following the meeting.
“It has been a privilege and joy to serve the Centralia School District for the past four years. It would have been a pleasure to continue to serve the district and our community; however, I will be relocating to Vancouver, Washington, following our next meeting,” she wrote in her resignation letter to Superintendent Lisa Grant.
“I am hopeful that you and the board will be able to find a suitable replacement (who) will contribute to the continued work of the district. I am proud of the work we have done together in the past several years. I also believe that with continued focus and dedication, together, you and the board will make significant progress toward the improvement of the Centralia School District,” she continued in her letter, dated June 30.
Fast was elected to the school board in 2017 and has been an active member in the Centralia community for more than a decade. The board will now be tasked with appointing a temporary replacement to serve out the rest of her term, which expires at the end of the year.
Former Centralia Mayor Tim Browning, who Fast defeated in a race for the open seat in 2017, has filed to run unopposed for the seat in November.
He could also be considered to serve out the remainder of Fast’s term.
“We want to take a moment and just say thank you to Lori for her years of service on the board. It is an elected position, but it comes with a lot of time, a lot of effort, and not a lot of accolades, and we are just so thankful, from the whole district, for your support of our work as a district,” Grant said during the meeting. “I know, being in my first year here, I have truly appreciated that support and our weekly meetings and our ongoing work, and the board really helping set the direction of our district.”
The district has already begun the process of soliciting applications from the public to serve on the board for the remainder of Fast’s term.
Interested applicants must be a registered voter living within the school district boundaries. In order to apply, applicants must send a letter of interest and a resume to executive assistant to the superintendent Brittany Kindell by Monday, Aug. 9.
Board members are expected to attend both monthly study sessions and regular business meetings on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. According to information from the district, directors may also be required to participate in committees related to education and attend school events throughout the year.
The position is not paid.
Fast has served on the board since 2018. In her role on the school board, she served on the Oakview Elementary Leadership Team, the Instructional Materials Review Committee, the Dollars for Scholars Committee and the Citizens for Centralia Schools, according to her biography on the district’s website.
She’s been employed by the Centralia Community Church of God as pastor of worship arts and ministry development, and as a guardian ad litem for the Lewis County Juvenile Courts. She also has three children.
