Mark Johnson formally resigned from the Hood River County School Board on Wednesday evening.  The former state legislator stepped down in the wake of allegations that he made a racially-insensitive remark about another legislator while serving as executive director of Oregon Business and Industry, a position he was dismissed from two weeks ago.  Reading a prepared statement at the start of the meeting, Johnson noted his record of supporting policies both on the Hood River school board and in the legislature designed to close the achievement gap for Hispanic students, including establishment of a district equity policy for all students regardless of legal status during his stint as board chair, adding that makes it difficult to accepting that he made the alleged comment in a private meeting.  He said “Such comments don’t reflect who I am, what I believe or the commitment I’ve shown to the issue in my public and personal life.  I simply don’t recall having made the comments attributed to me.  It’s hard to believe I did as they don’t reflect my core values or my manner of speaking.  However, because I’m not in a position to dispute that I made them, I have apologized for them and truly regret any pain they may have caused.”  At the end of the meeting many members of the board thanked Johnson for his service.  One, Julia Garcia-Ramirez, called him a mentor and great board member, but also said while she was sure Johnson’s apology was heartfelt, it doesn’t take away the pain of a racist comment, and that racist behavior cannot be normalized.  District Superintendent Dan Goldman said applications to fill Johnson’s zone six seat will begin to be taken immediately, and will be available on the district’s website.