Lawrence school board member John Mitchell has decided not to seek a second term in the April 7 election.

“I do not believe that I can meet the time commitment that will be necessary to continue serving on the board past June 30,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Mitchell, a longtime Kansas Department of Health and Environment staffer, had filed to run last week along with seven other candidates for three seats. He was the only incumbent who filed after Craig Grant and Linda Robinson decided not to run.

Mitchell, who was promoted last year to be KDHE’s director of the division of environment, had said one experienced board member needed to run due to the challenges facing the district, including the statewide budget crisis and the retirement of Superintendent Randy Weseman.

But Tuesday, he said his new job responsibility would likely make it difficult to commit to serving four more years.

“The more I thought about it, the more I decided I just don’t have the time that I feel is going to be necessary in the next year,” he said.

The school board will need to spend considerable time helping the new superintendent take the reins and making tough budget decisions in the next year, Mitchell said.

“When I filed for re-election on Jan. 22, I was concerned that there would not be an adequate candidate pool to fill three board positions,” Mitchell said. “Despite my withdrawal from the race, there remain seven candidates from which to choose.”

Although MItchell has decided to not seek another term, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said Mitchell’s name will appear on the ballot. State law does not allow city or school district candidates to officially remove their names from the ballot once the filing deadline passes.