Melissa Bedford resigns from Spokane Public Schools Board

There will soon be an open seat on the Spokane Public Schools Board after Director Melissa Bedford announced her resignation Wednesday.

Bedford and her family are moving to the West Side of the state, where she will return to her professional roots, teaching fourth grade in Seattle Public Schools.

Elected in 2021, Bedford has three years remaining on her six-year term. Highlights from her term include grappling with schools’ return post-pandemic, and prioritizing equity and inclusion for the 29,000 pupils in her district.

“I am so grateful to know that in the district we have people who know that that work is never done,” Bedford said. “We’ve got to keep going because our students and families always need us.”

Bedford’s resignation is effective Aug. 14. It will be the former elementary school teacher’s last school board meeting, and she says she expects it to be a teary one.

The board has three months to appoint a replacement to serve until an election in November 2025. Bedford’s six-year term will expire in November 2027; if her replacement wishes to remain on the board for the rest of that term, they will need to run for the position in the 2025 election.

Bedford was near tears Wednesday afternoon. She had shed “too many to count” over her decision to vacate her seat and move from Spokane, but is looking forward to returning to teaching and living in Seattle and its varied culinary offerings.

“Being Asian American, I am very excited to be close to the Asian markets again,” Bedford said, recalling her childhood in the Bay Area where grocery stores specializing in Asian foods and ingredients were commonplace.

Asked what advice she would offer her replacement, Bedford implored them to prioritize connecting with the community: not just voters, but kids in the school she serves and immigrant families.

“Also, have fun with it,” she said.

A favorite moment from her time in office, she said, is attending school events such as graduations or Westview Elementary’s annual egg drop.

“There’s so much to do: You’re overseeing policy and doing the budget, you have all the technical stuff to do as a school board member,” she said. “So when you can, go to the egg drop. Really celebrate those moments because that’s what makes this job worth it.”

Bedford isn’t the first SPS board member to vacate their seat before the end of a six-year term. Riley Smith resigned in 2023 after serving less than two years to accept a conflicting job opportunity; Director Hilary Kozel replaced him. In 2020, Kevin Morrison resigned after serving less than a year.