Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel school district, or RSU 21, announced the resignation of school board member Lesley Stoeffler at a meeting on Monday night. Stoeffler, who served as board chair in 2024, is the second board member to resign since July. Rachel Kennedy-Smith announced her resignation from the board late last month.

At Monday night’s meeting, board Chair Matthew Stratford thanked Stoeffler and Kennedy-Smith for their contributions to the board.

“I’m sorry that both of you are resigning,” Stratford said. “This is definitely a loss for the board, and I’m going to miss working with you.”

Superintendent Terri Cooper, who will step down at the end of the summer, also thanked Stoeffler and Kennedy-Smith for their support.

“Holding this position is certainly not an easy position,” Cooper said. “Trying to listen to a plethora of people and doing the right thing for the district is often hard. It doesn’t come with a big reward, or a big crown.”

Cooper wished both board members “the best of luck” on their next endeavors.

Other board members also expressed their gratitude for both Stoeffler and Kennedy-Smith. Abigail Spadone said she “appreciated” Kennedy-Smith’s “sometimes unique” perspective.

“I’ve really valued it,” Spadone said. “You think outside the box in a way I think a lot of us don’t, and I have really appreciated that.”

Spadone thanked Stoeffler for the work she put into the Facilities Committee, saying it has been a “huge value” for the board.

“I’ve watched you navigate that committee with such ease and grace, and I think that will be a huge loss,” Spadone said.

Board member Megan Michaud thanked Stoeffler for stepping up as board chair during a “really hard time” for the board.

“I think you handled it as gracefully and professionally as possible,” Michaud said.

Stoeffler did not give a reason for her resignation, and RSU 21 Communications Specialist Matthew Shinberg said she did not send a resignation letter to the district.

In a letter to town officials, Kennedy-Smith cited the choice of Martin Grimm as the next superintendent as one of the reasons for her resignation.

“I believe in the value of leadership and the fresh energy that they can bring,” Kennedy-Smith wrote. “That said, I’ve found myself out of alignment with the board’s direction, particularly regarding the selection of our next superintendent.”

The Kennebunk Select Board is now responsible for setting a deadline for nomination papers from those interested in joining the school board.