Nearly half of the incumbents whose terms expire this spring on county boards of education will not be seeking re-election.

A total of seven seats will be available on three different county school boards in the May 6 election. Three incumbents have indicated they’ll be stepping down.They are Lizabeth Venie from Suttons Bay, Lois Counterman from Northport, and Adriene Kokowicz from Glen Lake.

“I let my board colleagues know … that I would not be a candidate for another term,” said Venie, who taught at Suttons Bay prior to her election to the school board. She now teaches secondary mathematics at Lake Leelanau St. Mary.

“I have served since December 1998, with a variety of personalities who have all worked well together to make decisions in the best interest of the students of Suttons Bay. It’s been a positive experience to look at education from the other side of the desk.”

David Buffum, the other Suttons Bay trustee with an expiring term, confirmed last week he will seek re-election.

Counterman is the current trustee with the longest tenure on the Northport Board of Education. Her two children are Northport graduates and her husband, Jim Levy, is a former school board president in Northport.

“It has been an honor to serve on the Board of Education at Northport Public School for the past five years,” she said. “I will not be seeking another term on the board.”

Jeffrey Dyer, elected last year to serve the one year remaining in the unexpired term of Richard Wiebe, said he is “undecided” as to whether he’ll be a candidate this spring for one of the two seats available at Northport.

At Glen Lake, board president Joan Hawley confirmed she will seek re-election on her district school board on which there are two 4-year terms and one 2-year seat available. Board member Adriene Kokowicz will not be seeking re-election after serving at least two 4-year terms on the board.

Also available at Glen Lake is the two years remaining in the unexpired term of David Harris, who stepped down shortly after he was elected in May 2006. Frank Skrocki was appointed to serve in Harris’ place until the next school election, when the seat will be filled for the next two years.

There will be no May school election in the Leland district since the Board of Education voted last year to move its annual election to November. The terms of board president Andrew McFarlane and trustee Peggy Miller have been extended through the November election.

County residents who are seeking the seven seats on the three local boards of education have until 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, to declare as candidates with the county Clerk’s office. Candidate declarations may be done in two ways: filing nominating petitions, or paying a $100 non-refundable filing fee. Nomination petitions must be circulated by township. Six to 20 signatures are required of candidates in Leelanau County.

Anyone who signs a petition must be a registered voter and write their signature in the presence of the circulator.

Two affidavits of identity that contain the campaign finance act compliance statement are also required.

Further information is available by calling the county Clerk’s office at 256-9827.