Jon Martin has stepped down from his seat on the Niles Community Schools Board of Education after moving to a new home outside of the Niles school district.

State law requires school board members to be registered voters within the same district.

“That by itself disqualifies me,” he said. “It’s just one of those things.”

Martin said while his family still lives in Niles, their new home is in the nearby Brandywine Community Schools District.

He said his children would remain enrolled in Niles through Schools of Choice.

“That was their requirement for any move that we made,” he said.

Martin is an insurance professional who has lived in Niles for 30 years. He has served on the board since 2011.

“I am going to very much miss it. I really enjoyed working with all of the people,” he said. “This group has been through a lot the last few years and I will miss that.”

Martin said he is most proud of being able to step down with the district headed in a positive direction.

“I really appreciate everyone — the teachers, staff, administrators — they were always kind to me,” he said. “It is not an easy job that they have to do every day. So I really appreciate that.”

Now that Martin has stepped down, the school board is seeking applications for the vacancy.

An individual will be appointed to fill the seat through December 2016 and will be replaced by the individual elected to the position (based upon the Nov. 8 election results) on Jan. 1, 2017.

Candidates must meet the following qualifications in order to be considered: A candidate must be at least 18 years of age; a citizen of Michigan for at least 30 days; and a resident of the Niles School District on or before the 30th day prior to the date of the election.

Interested persons must submit a letter expressing interest in the board position and their qualifications for the position no later than 4 p.m. Friday, April 15. Materials may be submitted in person or mailed to Mr. Greg O’Toole, Niles Community Schools, 111 Spruce St., Niles, MI 49120.

Following a review of the submitted materials, the board will schedule interviews with selected candidates.

Not all candidates for the board vacancy will be interviewed.

For questions, contact Supt. Dan Applegate at (269) 683-0732.