Sugar-Salem district Superintendent Alan Dunn is announcing his upcoming retirement after 30 years leading Idaho schools.

Dunn, who has served as Sugar-Salem’s superintendent for 13 years, told the school board he will retire on June 30, the end of the 2017-18 budget year.

The school board has initiated a superintendent’s search, and hopes to name Dunn’s successor by January or February.

“This could be the best place there is to be a superintendent,” Dunn said. “We’re in excellent shape financially, our budget is balanced, we are doing well academically and we have few student discipline issues comparatively.”

Dunn began his education career as an elementary school teacher in Utah, a position he held for five years. He then moved to Idaho, and served as a principal in the Madison School District for 14 years.

After his tenure in Madison, Dunn served as West Jefferson’s superintendent for three years, before accepting his current position in Sugar-Salem.

Throughout his entire career in Idaho, Dunn was active with the Idaho Association of School Administrators — a visible organization that represents administrators and advocates for education policy. He served as the IASA’s president and past president, and said his service allowed him to become close with other superintendents and members of the Idaho School Boards Association.

“Idaho is in great shape with the quality of individuals in leadership positions,” Dunn said. “Those two entities complement each other well, and that bodes well for the future of Idaho.”

Dunn said he enjoyed a positive working relationship with the local school board, which he described as supportive and knowledgeable.

“They have given me a great deal of autonomy and freedom, which is just tremendous for any superintendent,” he said.

Dunn decided that he would retire a year ago, because he will meet the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho Rule of 90 eligibility requirements based on age and years of service. During retirement, Dunn plans to care for his family and allow his wife to continue teaching.

In a job description approved by Sugar-Salem’s board, the district says it is searching for a new superintendent who will be responsible for “setting and achieving the highest standards of excellence, so that each student enrolled in the district may be provided with a complete, valuable, meaningful and personally rewarding education.”

The board is looking for previous administrative, central office or teaching experience, and says previous successful superintendent’s experience is preferred.

Potential applicants can call the district office at (208) 356-8802 or may contact secretary Angela Yancey or business manager Becky Bates.