Juneau School District Superintendent Glenn Gelbrich is resigning effective June 30.
Gelbrich was unavailable for comment, but district spokeswoman Kristin Bartlett says he turned in his letter of resignation on Thursday.
“The Board spent a considerable amount of time trying to discourage him from leaving and they expressed their unanimous support for him to stay and continue the work,” Bartlett says in an email.
Gelbrich’s contract ends in 2016. It is not known yet if there will be repercussions for breaking it early. Gelbrich has headed up Juneau schools since 2009.
Bartlett says over the past couple of months the superintendent has discussed with school board leaders the likelihood that he would be leaving.
He finally announced his intention to the full board on Tuesday, March 4, during an executive session on his evaluation, which Bartlett says was positive.
He has said he wants to live closer to family in the Pacific Northwest. At least twice this year, he was a finalist for superintendent positions out of state. He was ultimately passed up for jobs in Idaho and Montana.
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct when the school board held its executive session to evaluate Gelbrich. The evaluation occurred Tuesday, March 4, not Tuesday, March 11.)
