Refugio “Ref” Rodriguez, member of the Los Angeles Unified School District board, stepped down as the body’s president, a position he was named to in July, he announced on social media Tuesday.

The move came a week after Rodriguez and a cousin of his were charged with conspiracy and other allegations related to Rodriguez’s 2014 and 2015 run for a school board seat. Rodriguez was elected to the board in 2015, representing District 5, an eastern portion of the school district that stretches from Eagle Rock to South Gate.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office alleges Rodriguez and his cousin, Elizabeth Tinajero Melendrez, hid the source of nearly $25,000 in campaign contributions that Rodriguez claimed on campaign finance reports.

RELATED STORY: LAUSD Board President Ref Rodriguez charged with conspiracy

Rodriguez announced in November 2014 that he was running for a board seat and raised more than $50,000 during his first campaign reporting period that ended Dec. 31, 2014, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors allege that nearly half those contributions were fraudulent because Rodriguez and Melendrez reimbursed those who gave them.

In total, 25 donors, most of them family and friends, were allegedly paid back $24,250. The donors’ names were listed on a campaign finance report that was allegedly signed by Rodriguez under the penalty of perjury and submitted to the commission, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez was conspicuously absent from the start of Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting of the board, but he arrived 10 minutes after it began, along with board member Richard Vladovic. It appeared Rodriguez posted his announcement about stepping down as president just before he entered the board room.

I am committed to the Kids First agenda, and have decided to step aside as Board President, so this Board can remain focused on the work. pic.twitter.com/vKCDbZimPT — Dr. Ref Rodriguez (@DrRefRodriguez) September 19, 2017

On Facebook and Twitter, Rodriguez released a statement saying he was stepping down to avoid being a distraction, but he didn’t address the allegations against him directly.

“When I was elected board president, I committed to highlighting the Kids First agenda for L.A. Unified,” Rodriguez said in his statement. “I remain committed to putting kids first, and so, in order to allow the board to remain focused on the hard work ahead of us, I have decided to step aside as Board President.

“I do not want to serve as a distraction to my colleagues, or to any of the other dedicated teachers, principals and employees who do the hard work of educating students every day,” he continued in the statement. “I have always been driven by my passion to give all kids, but especially those with backgrounds similar to mine, a chance at a brighter future, and I believe this decision will help us continue doing exactly that.”

With Rodriguez stepping down, the board will determine the next step, said Jefferson Crain, executive officer of the board. But in the meantime, the board rules apply: the vice president of the board, appointed by the president to serve as president pro tempore, will have the duties and powers of the president in a meeting if the president is absent. The rules don’t appear to specifically address presidential succession.

Board Member Monica Garcia, representing Board District 2 which covers East Los Angeles and most of downtown schools, is the current vice president of the board. In Tuesday’s meeting, she sat in the center seat of the dais as the chairperson of this meeting of the Committee of the Whole. During regular, monthly board meetings, the board president sits in the center.

If convicted on the felony counts, Rodriguez faces a possible maximum sentence of four years and four months in local custody, which could include jail or house arrest. Melendrez, 45, faces up to three years in local custody.

Rodriguez and Melendrez appeared in court in downtown Los Angeles last week. Their arraignment was continued until Oct. 24, said Greg Risling, spokesman for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.

Rodriguez was largely quiet during Tuesday’s meeting, in which the board heard presentations, discussed college graduation rates and highlighted accomplishments of schools in their districts but didn’t make any decisions. Rodriguez didn’t speak until one hour in, when he noted the 90th anniversary of Eagle Rock High School in his district and recognized students and the school’s principal.

However, last week after the D.A.’s Office announced its charges, the then-school board president issued a statement about the allegations, saying “This decision by the District Attorney comes after attempts by my legal team and me to resolve these issues with the Los Angeles Ethics Commission for over two years. … I have cooperated with authorities and hope these issues will be resolved expeditiously and fairly.”

On Tuesday, School Superintendent Michelle King issued her own, brief statement on Rodriguez’s decision, saying, “We respect Dr. Rodriguez’ decision to step aside as Board president. We will continue our mission to provide all students with access to high-quality schools so that our graduates are prepared for college and careers.”