Fresno Unified Trustee Tony Vang, who has faced months of public scrutiny over allegations that he has lived outside the school district, announced his resignation from the board Monday.

It should have come sooner, Trustee Michelle Asadoorian said, because Vang has been under fire since late May after revelations that he owns a house, voted and sent his daughter to school in the Clovis Unified School District while sitting on the Fresno Unified board.

"I wish him well; I'm glad he did the right thing," Asadoorian said. "I'm extremely disappointed that we have spent all these months dealing with this controversial issue, which has taken us away from our core issue of educating students in this district."

Community groups including the League of Women Voters called for Vang to step down and for an investigation by authorities. He also was the target of a recall campaign.

Vang -- who was first elected to represent the McLane High School area in 2002 -- didn't address the residency controversy in an email statement on his immediate resignation. Instead, his statement said "growing responsibilities as a faculty member at California State University Fresno and the increasing needs of my family require ever more of my time."

Vang didn't return calls seeking additional comment.

Fresno Unified announced that the school district will fill Vang's seat on the board.

That could have been done in the Nov. 6 election if Vang had resigned soon after his residency issue was raised in late May.

The state education code says that school districts can put a board seat up for election if it's vacated at least 130 days before the next election. In this case, that deadline was June 30.

Instead, the board has 60 days to name a replacement or call for a special election.

By law, the 60-day clock is supposed to start when a resignation letter is received by the county superintendent of schools. But Larry Powell said Monday he hasn't yet received that letter. He did, however, talk with Fresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson and told him "let's just go ahead and get started with the process."

Said Powell: "I think he's making an honorable decision. I'm glad to see it."

Powell said Vang's decision will "take the attention off of him and put it back where it should be -- on the kids."

In a statement, Fresno Unified said it will move "swiftly and deliberately to fill the open seat in the weeks ahead." There is no indication whether that means naming a replacement or holding a special election.

"We will replace him per the ed code," said Trustee Valerie Davis, who replaced Vang as board president in June. "We have ways that we do things and that's the way we're going to do it."

If the district holds a special election -- which would be next March -- it must shoulder the cost, said Linda Bacon, head legal counsel for the Fresno County Office of Education.

If trustees choose to appoint someone to fill the remaining two-plus years of Vang's term, the district would first advertise for candidates. Applications would then be reviewed by a committee of board members.

Eligible candidates would be interviewed at a public meeting, and the board would choose its appointee.

If the voters in the McLane district weren't happy with the pick, they would have 30 days to circulate a petition that could force a special election -- at the district's expense, Bacon said.

She said she has never seen this happen.

The Fresno Teachers Association -- which has often been at odds with Vang and Hanson over issues facing the district -- is fairly certain trustees will choose to name a replacement for Vang, President Eva Ruiz said.