Sam McElravy has resigned from  the Quillayute Valley School District Board of Directors.

The school district is seeking candidates to replace McElravy, who has served for three years on the board as District No. 5 representative.

He is a former Forks Elementary School and Forks Middle School Principal. At the Dec. 14 meeting of the school board he was voted in as Board Vice-chairman, with Brian Pederson voted in as Board Chairman.

McElravy told the Forks Forum he resigned due to personal reasons, and had planned to leave the board in fall 2011 when his seat came up for reelection.

“I’m absolutely pleased and excited about the direction the school district is going in,” McElravy said of his work on the board.

He complimented QVSD Superintendent Diana Reaume, his fellow school board members, and the teachers and staff of the schools.

“Of all the superintendents I’ve worked with in last 35 years, she’s the best one I’ve ever worked with,” he said of Reaume. “She really has the district at heart, she wants everyone to work together for the betterment of the schools and the community.”

The former school principal, who is a life-long resident of Forks, brought to the QVSD board an in-depth knowledge of the workings of the Forks public schools. He often livened up meetings with a bottomless supply of puns.

Reaume called a McElravy’s recognition a loss to the school board.

“Sam’s resignation as a QVSD Board of Director is a huge loss to our kids, parents, staff, board, and community,” she said. “He truly brought focused work to our board and our schools; he has played a critical role in assisting our district to focus on the well-being of our students and increased academics for all. As a result of our work together, I have learned and grown as a leader. Sam always asked the hard questions and pushed us to expect more. He has a huge heart for all kids and will continue to support our work in the schools.  I will personally miss his passion for the craft of teaching, and of course like everyone, will especially miss his puns.”

At recent QVSD board meetings McElravy closely monitored the construction of the public-funded Forks High School addition, asking that general contractor Primo Construction hire locally when possible, and for details on architectural cost overruns on the project.

At the Thursday, Jan. 27 QVSD board meeting, OAC Construction and Project Manager Kasey Wyatt told the board that the project was running about two weeks behind schedule. Unforeseen problems found underground included a sewer line that needed to be moved and a concrete vault. She said concrete footings for the new buildings were being poured, and that the completion date schedule should be put back on track during the structural steel and masonry work.

“Things are going faster now that work is above ground,” she said.

She said the steel work frame of the new buildings are scheduled to be put in place within four to six weeks, providing a visual outline for the new school addition.

To be eligible for McElravy’s vacant seat, a candidate must be a registered voter and reside within the boundaries of District 5, be over the age of 18, and a citizen of Washington state, and the United States.

The notice sent out by QVSD Superintendent Diana Reaume states: “This is an exciting and challenging time for our School Board Directors. They oversee a budget in excess of $28 million, with responsibility for policy and governance of our local schools as well as Insight School of Washington. The district is currently constructing the addition to Forks High School scheduled for completion in December 2012. School board members help our students and our schools reach challenging federal and state standards while maintaining local control.”

Anyone interested in filling the vacant District 5 QVSD board seat should submit a letter of interest to Carie Micheau in the QVSD office at 411 South Spartan Avenue no later than Monday, Feb. 14.

District 5 begins near Palmer Road and Calawah Road and runs north of Forks almost to the Gaydeski Road area, and wraps around into Beaver. Check with the QVSD for the exact location.