After five-and-a-half years of service, Jessica Jurasin resigned from the Aberdeen School District Board of Directors at the Board’s July 15 meeting.

In her letter of resignation, Jurasin wrote that she is grateful for the opportunity to serve the community and its students during her tenure, and thanked her fellow directors for their commitment.

“It has been an honor to serve alongside you as we navigated the complexities of school budgets, difficult decisions, superintendent hirings and a historic pandemic that changed the landscape of education,” Jurasin wrote. “I am so very proud of our district, students and community for harnessing a focused resilience that allowed us to emerge from the pandemic with new perspectives and ideas for growth.”

School Board President Jennifer Durney cited Jurasin’s dedication, thoughtful insight and her student-centered approach to her work on the Board.

“She played a key role in many initiatives and served with distinction on the board’s Legislative Committee — ensuring that the voices of Aberdeen’s public schools were heard in Olympia,” Durney said. “Her leadership on legislative issues helped strengthen our advocacy efforts and gave our district a stronger presence at the state level. We are truly grateful for her service and the lasting impact she has made.”

The Aberdeen School Board will establish the appointment process for Jurasin’s replacement at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 5. School Board policy states that a person is legally qualified to become a board member who is a United States citizen and a qualified voter resident in the school district.