Portola Valley School District board trustee Michael Maffia resigned from the board on Wednesday (March 6), effective immediately.

In an email to the board, Maffia announced he was stepping down from his board post, citing increasing demands of his work, including extensive travel, that made continuing his role on the board unrealistic. Maffia's term was slated to end in December 2020.

“The PVSD community remains an important and meaningful part of our lives and I will miss working with the qualified members of our board and staff," Maffia, who was elected to the board in November 2017, said in the email. "Resigning from the board has been a difficult decision, but the demands of my professional career have increased substantially and I need to commit my extra time to family life."

The board voted at a March 6 meeting to launch an appointment process to fill the vacancy left by Maffia's departure.

In a district statement, Superintendent Eric Hartwig thanked Maffia for "his dedication to the improvement of the district," especially the development of the district's facilities program. The district is currently interviewing candidates to replace Hartwig, who announced his resignation in November 2018. Hartwig will leave the district at the end of the school year.

Board President Jeffrey Klugman praised Maffia for his work in the statement. Klugman said Maffia's work on the board led to the passage of Measure Z, a $49.5 million district facilities bond measure that passed in November 2018.

“Mike has been an invaluable voice and resource on the Board and his work on guiding the Facilities Master Plan was essential to the passage of Measure Z," Klugman said. "And to the progress that we’ve already made toward initiating the building programs at both of our schools."

The district posted an announcement about the board vacancy, along with application instructions, on its website. The district will also post the information in local newspapers, according to the district statement.

Applications to fill the remaining 20 months of Maffia’s term are due by 5 p.m. on March 21. The board plans to interview applicants at its March 27 meeting. A successful applicant would be identified and seated at that meeting.

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