Breen doesn't give reason; he'll stay on through June.

Leland Public School principal Terry Breen is stepping down at the end of the current year.

Breen tendered his resignation at Tuesday’s rescheduled monthly board meeting. His resignation letter, dated Feb. 13, did not divulge a reason for his departure, and only “positive” comments were made by school official accepting his notice. He will stay on the job until the school year ends.

Terry Breen

“Terry has spent eight years doing a very tough job,” Superintendent Mike Hartigan said. “He is a very marketable commodity and will be a great asset in the next community he serves.”

In an interview Wednesday, Breen said the task of serving as a principal for a K-12 can be wearing. He again did not cite a specific reason for his departure, and said he doesn’t have employment lined up elsewhere. He said that after conversations with his wife, Mary, he agreed to step down.

“A lot of it is timing,” Breen said.

His youngest daughter, Erica, is scheduled to graduate from Leland in June. She will join her sister, Carly, a junior at Grand Valley State University. Breen said he believes budget constraints may force a shake-up in administration at the school.

“They’ve been able to make cuts without impacting students,” Breen said. “Instead of waiting until March, April or May, I decided to act.”

There was no discussion by the board about eliminating the principal’s position, or about selecting someone to fill the vacancy that will become effective June 30. However, the board agreed to ask voters to approve the sale of $600,000 in bonds to supplement its revenue.

Breen said his “dream job” would be a position with a more narrow focus such as a K-5 or middle school administrator. While reflecting on his eight years as principal, Breen pointed out several milestones.

“When I came on, there had been three failed bond issues,” he said. “We were able to get the issue passed and I spent two solid years keeping everything going until construction was completed.”

Unlike other districts in the county, Leland’s enrollment has increased during his tenure, necessitating the hiring of additional staff.

“I hired almost all the staff —18 or 19 teachers,” he said. “It’s an excellent staff.”

Another challenge has been aligning curriculum with state and federal guidelines and increased graduation requirements.

“It’s taken a lot of our energy,” Breen said. “We’ve added 11 new courses in the past year alone.”

A native of Kentwood, Breen was hired to replace Hartigan after he appointed chief administrator of the district. Previously, Breen spent 11 years in Hamilton, Mich. Breen said he hopes to ultimately retire in Leelanau County.

“I love this area,” he said. “I’m going to miss the daily interaction with the staff, students and parents.”

In other business Tuesday, the board :

• Approved a 1-year leave of absence for elementary teacher Tracy (McKenna) Barcey.

• Adopted an agreement with Leelanau Township, which will collect summer taxes for the district at $2.50 per parcel.

• Approved overnight trips for more than 30 high school students participating in Youth in Government programs in Lansing next month and in April.