Provided all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed as expected, Shelley Thompson plans to officially resign from the Englewood Board of Education March 30.

Thompson and her family are moving to Centennial and, once she moves, state law requires she resign from the school board.

She said all the hurdles have been cleared, closing on the new house is scheduled March 30 and, once the documents are signed, she will submit her resignation letter to the school board.

She said the family really didn’t want to leave Englewood but, while their home in the city was nice, it also was small. So, the family move was necessary to accommodate the needs of the three Thompson children, who soon will be teenagers.

Law requires the school board appoint a replacement within 60 days of receiving Thompson’s resignation.

Heather Hunt, school board president, said the board expects to receive and reluctantly accept the resignation letter March 30 and they will accept candidate applications March 31.

Starting March 31, applications can be downloaded from the school district Web site at www.englewoodschools.org or can be picked up at the school administration building at 4101 S. Bannock St. The application deadline is April 16.

To serve on the school board, an individual must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter, live in the school district for 12 consecutive months prior to the appointment, and have no criminal convictions against children.

The appointee will serve on the board and can run for election to the seat or simply serve until a new representative is elected.

Hunt said the board plans to meet April 21 to review the applications and the goal is to move quickly so the appointee can join the board at the May 7 meeting.

“I am resigning very reluctantly but the move was a must [for our family],” she said. “I had expected to complete my term that expires in November. But our house was sold quickly so now we have to make the move.”

Thompson was a successful candidate for the school board in 2005. It was her first run for public office.

She said serving on the school board has taught her a lot about elected government and it has been an excellent experience. She also said that she is proud of the fact that she has seen progress in early childhood education, a theme she stressed during her election campaign.

“One of the themes I stressed when I ran for election was educating children early and working with them when they are very young,” she said. “I have worked on that issue and I am pleased to say our district for the first time in its history instituted full-day kindergarten for all students.”

She said it definitely was the right thing to do and it was partially made possible by state money for early childhood education.

The challenge is to continue the program and she said hopefully there will be funds in the federal stimulus package to help cover the costs.

Thompson said she has enjoyed her time on the school board, it has been very educational and she is not ruling out the possibility she will seek public office some time in the future.

Thompson