Springs School Supe Set To Retire at End of 2012 School Year

superintendent Michael Hartner will retire on June 30, 2012.

The Springs School Board of Education made the announcement and approved a resolution accepting his letter of resignation at a meeting on Monday night.

Hartner, who has been in education for 38 years, is in his third year at the school and had one year left on his contract.

In recent years, there had been some questions raised over Hartner's salary, which last year when his contract was extended. He now receives a salary of about $190,000, which is below the average of $200,000 for other superintendents in the area.  

Board president Kathee Burke Gonzalez said, in a statement on Tuesday morning, that Hartner had informed the board at the beginning of the school year that he was considering retirement, allowing the board to develop a plan to hire the next superintendent.

is also in the process of looking for a new superintendent after .

The first part of the process will be to select an executive search firm to assist the board. "The board is also committed to including opportunities during the search for parents, community members and staff to be involved in the process of finding Hartner's replacement," the statement read. "That kind of inclusiveness is a long-standing tradition at Springs when hiring key administrators."

“Mike has set the bar incredibly high," Burke Gonzalez said. “He will be leaving our district on strong footing. His dedication, keen work ethic, analytical mind, in-depth knowledge of human resources, attention to detail, and relentless pursuit to save the district money while improving the quality of education at Springs will be a greatly missed. He will be greatly missed."

She pointed to Hartner's accomplishments at Springs, including working to , instituting a pre-kindergarten serving all 4-year olds, lengthening the school day, expanding the campus to include the Town Youth Building and Most Holy Trinity elementary school building, and improving traffic safety, among other things.

The statement said that Hartner felt it was the right time to retire. His wife Ann Marie Hartner is a retired Registered Nurse, and his youngest son, Daniel, will graduate from high school in June.