Valley Central School District Board of Education President Joseph Bond announced that board member Dee Wright-Kelly would be resigning from the Board effective the Monday, August 22, 2022, Board of Education Meeting.

Bond delivered a prepared statement from Wright-Kelly, where she expressed her reason for the announcement. Wright- Kelly offered her sincere thanks to the members of the Valley Central community who supported her in her campaign and explained that although her time on the Board was brief, she was honored to have the seat.

Wright-Kelly is known in the community, and her family business, the Hudson Valley Conservatory Performing Arts School in Walden, was started by her father the late Samuel Wright.

“As many of you know, the past few years have been difficult ones for my family. We have suffered a great loss at the same time as our responsibilities grew to include taking over a family business that has struggled through a pandemic, one that has impacted us all in so many ways. While my intentions were good when running for this position, I couldn’t have known how overwhelming the added responsibility of serving on this board would be for me and my family. It is with deepest regret that I have chosen to resign my position. I promise to continue to support its members, our schools, and most important, the precious children of our beloved community long into the future,” Wright-Kelly said in her statement.

Bond went on to share that the Board discussed its options for the seat and decided to keep the seat open until the May election. Bond expressed his well wishes for Wright-Kelly

“Dee was an important and valued member of the Board,” he said. “We thank her for her service. She will be missed and we wish her the best as she goes forward.”