Kim Bundgaard, the embattled president of the Park County RE-2 Board of Education, announced she would resign effective Nov. 21, the date of the next school board meeting.

Park County RE-2 teachers are on the fifth day of a walkout over teacher salaries in the district, which includes Fairplay. 

Bundgaard announced her resignation during Thursday night’s regularly-scheduled board meeting. She said she had actually made the decision to resign in July but held off until Thursday night. She didn’t cite a reason for resigning. Bundgaard said she would not be a the Nov. 21 meeting because she would be out of the country.

But by waiting until November to step down, Bundgaard would still be able to vote on a contract should one be agreed upon by the two sides.

She could not be reached for comment Friday.

Members of the South Park Education Association called on Bundgaard to resign Thursday morning.

“Educators have completely lost confidence in President Bundgaard’s ability and interest to end our educator retention crisis,” union president and elementary school teacher Taya Mastrobuono said in a statement. “She has been absent during our strike this week and Superintendent Joe Torrez is paralyzed to negotiate critical compensation issues directly with us without her approval.

“Bundgaard is committing dereliction of duty as an elected official and clearly needs to go for educators and the District to reach a compromise and plan ahead for our students’ futures. We want to get our kids back in school and need to work with board members who are committed to fulfilling their duties and obligations to this community.”

The teachers walked off the job Monday in protest over a salary dispute with the district, which has offered a $2,000 raise for some but not all district educators. The union had asked for a $6,000 raise for all teachers. The district and Board of Education rejected that request, stating the union had lost its right to bargain on behalf of teachers when the last contract expired on June 30.

The two sides began discussions in August but with little progress.

Kayla Mack of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in Denver came in Wednesday and Thursday to try to resolve the differences between the two sides and how to set up “reentry” after the strike, but negotiations ended Thursday without an agreement. Both sides are expected to be back at the table Friday afternoon.

The Park County RE-2 board appointed two new members Thursday night to fill existing vacancies. Two more board members will be elected on Nov. 5 to replace two current members who are not seeking re-election.

Bundgaard was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board in November 2013. She won election to the board in 2017.