TERRETON — West Jefferson Superintendent Dwight Richins will retire at the end of the school year — sort of.

Richins will step down as superintendent and begin receiving state retirement benefits, but he won’t be leaving the education profession entirely.

The Blackfoot School District announced Monday that Richins will fill a part-time position as athletic director starting next school year.

“West Jefferson has been great, and I’m excited to go to Blackfoot,” Richins told Idaho Education News.

Richins, who lives near Firth, said six years of commuting nearly an hour to West Jefferson had “taken its toll.”

But the part-time job in Blackfoot allows him to “keep working with kids” and await military retirement benefits, which will kick in this fall.

Richins spent six years as West Jefferson’s superintendent. His education career has spanned 34 years and included numerous teaching, coaching and athletic director positions throughout East Idaho.

“I’ve had a wonderful career,” Richins said.

The West Jefferson School District is located in Terreton, some 38 miles northwest of Idaho Falls.