Albright steps down from MSD board

After almost a decade on the Marysville School District board of directors Tom Albright has resigned due to health reasons.

Albright’s resignation was accepted during the Feb. 18 school board meeting.

The school board plans to appoint a new director to fill the seat until the next board election in 2021.

School officials plan to discuss the process for the replacement at a future school board work study session.

Albright was initially elected to the school board in November 2010.

“Tom was a very respected member of our school board, and respected member of our community,” said school board president Pete Lundberg, who began serving on the board only a year later.

“If it was up to him, he’d still be on the board,” said Lundberg.

Albright was a"big picture guy" who kept the school board focused on their oversight role, said Lundberg.

“I’m going to miss his leadership skills, his analytical skills,” he said.

“A lot of times the school board gets off track. We get into details of things that are really the work of school district staff, and our job is really oversight,” he said.

Lundberg said the goal of the school board is often to make sure things get done, not to get into the weeds of how everything gets done.

“Tom liked that saying ‘we’re at the 50,000 foot level, we’re not a the ground level,’” said Lundberg.

As a pastor of 39 years Albright also took on many responsibilities for faith groups around the region, not just his church.

“He had lots of life experience leading people,” said Lundberg.

Throughout their many years on the board Lundberg said they saw many challenges.

One of the most prominent was the Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting which impacted many at the school for years.

“Tom had just had hip replacement surgery five days before that happened, and two days after it happened, he was standing at a podium in Jim Linden Field House addressing everyone, and I don’t think he was even supposed to be on his feet,” said Lundberg.

During the Oso slide disaster earlier that year Albright had served as a chaplain so he already had many first responder connections during the shooting incident.

“He was connected to all emergency service personnel,” said Lundberg. “So he was instrumental in keeping a sense of calm and organization during that time.”

The board also faced other issues such as the sudden departure of former Superintendent Becky Berg due to health issues.

“That was difficult and there was a lot of different opinions about what should be done and how it should be done,” said Lundberg.

Lundberg said Albright will be missed on the board.

“I just hope he gets back to the way he wants to be,” he said. “I just want to say ‘hey Tom, get well fast and come back and see us.’”