Bellevue School Board Member Mike Murphy to Resign

Bellevue School Board member Mike Murphy announced this week that he will resign from the school board, putting three school board positions on the ballot this year.

Murphy's resignation from District 4 will be effective May 8, and the board will accept his resignation at the next board meeting on April 5. Murphy did not give a reason for leaving his post.

The board will fill Murphy's vacancy by appointing an interim board member from Murphy's district to serve until the November general election. The district is along Lake Sammamish south of Northup Way, and goes south of Interstate 90. Click here for a detailed description of the geographic area of District 4.

Murphy has been on the school board since 2007. Murphy ran for school board in 2011, and his term would have expired in 2015.

The board will have three open positions this year on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.  

Earlier this month, Paul Mills, district 5, said he will not run for re-election. Chris Marks, district 3, said she will run for re-election for her seat.

The interim board member who replaces Murphy will serve until the November general election. If the appointee wants to continue serving in District 4 after the November general election, he or she will have to file for election for that seat, according to the district.

The Board will accept applications for the interim position. Candidate interviews will be done in a future public meeting. Patch will update this story and post a new story when the applications are available.

Learn about being a board member

Bellevue residents who are interested in learning more about serving on the board have several opportunities in the weeks ahead:

April 18—Candidate Information Session.  6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Wilburton Instructional Service Center (12241 Main Street)--Baker Room Current board members not running for office will provide an overview of what it means to be a school board member, answer questions and provide informational materials for prospective candidates. 

April 25 and April 27—Candidate Workshop—Visit King County Elections for times and locations.  These workshops provide information about filing for office, submitting voter pamphlet information, campaign sign regulations, public disclosure information, etc.  

One on one appointment.  Prospective candidates unable to attend the Bellevue Candidate Information Session can contact the Superintendent’s office at 425-456-4172 to make an appointment with a current board member to ask questions and learn more. 

Candidates may file with King County Elections by mail, in person, or online at www.kingcounty.gov/elections. The Board of Directors provides overall governance of the district. Five community members make up the Board, one from each of the five geographical districts within the school district. Board members are elected to a term of four years.  More about the roles and responsibilities of Board members can be found on the Board Governance page of the district website at www.bsd405.org as well as other information about the Bellevue School District.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated whether Chris Marks will run for her seat. She will run for her seat in 2013.