After a dozen years leading the Los Altos School District and more than three decades in public education, Superintendent Jeff Baier has announced plans to retire at the end of the school year.

Baier first came to the school district over 20 years ago, working as a principal and then assistant superintendent before taking the top job in 2010. Choosing to retire was difficult, Baier said, adding that he is grateful to have had the chance to be superintendent.

"This has been really the greatest privilege of my life, serving this community in this capacity," Baier said in an interview. "We are so fortunate to have strong parental and community support, coupled with incredible teaching staff. It just makes great things happen for the children of this community and I've been so honored to lead it."

School board President Steve Taglio praised Baier's leadership, saying that he will be leaving the district in a stable position for his successor.

"The district's actually been lucky that we've had Jeff for 12 years. That's a very long tenure for a superintendent," Taglio said. "We've appreciated that dedication to the community (and) to the schools."

Baier plans to work through the end of June. The school board is expected to begin laying out plans to pick a replacement at a meeting on Monday, Feb. 7. If all goes well, Taglio said he hopes to have the new superintendent picked in time for there to be overlap with Baier to facilitate a smooth transition.

"I want everyone to feel comfortable with the person that comes in," Taglio said. "I'm not looking to make dramatic changes. I'm looking to create a place where we can build upon what's been done."

The decision to retire was not influenced by the pandemic, Baier said, but rather comes as his youngest son has now graduated college and Baier and his wife look ahead to the future.

"It's exciting having our boys launched, and it also makes us think about what might be next for us," Baier said. "We aren't sure what that is yet, but we want to have that opportunity to explore."

Baier's roots in Los Altos date back to childhood. He moved to Los Altos at 3 years old and attended kindergarten in the Los Altos School District before transferring to St. Simon and then St. Francis High School. His wife, who teaches in the Cupertino Union School District, also grew up in the area and attended schools in Mountain View.

Baier worked in the Mountain View School District before switching to the Los Altos School District in 2001, where he was principal at Almond Elementary School for six years. He later joined the district office as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for three years.

Throughout the past dozen years, some of the highest profile moments for the Los Altos School District have involved the long-running and frequently contentious dispute with Bullis Charter School. Since its inception in 2003, the charter school and school district have tangled over what facilities the district is obligated to provide.

Those disagreements continue, with the process to find a permanent location for Bullis Charter School put on hold at the start of the pandemic. It's also an open question what school the district will place on a 10th campus that will be constructed on a site purchased in Mountain View several years ago.

Although those decisions will need to be made, Taglio said they are only part of the list of important tasks for the new superintendent to tackle.

"I don't think that's going to drive a (hiring) decision -- it's bigger than that," Taglio said. "It's part of the conversation, obviously, but it's not the only driver."

Baier similarly said that the charter school is just one issue and that the most important thing is to pick a successor who will focus on successfully educating the district's students.

In looking back at his career, Baier said one of the highlights has been the district's work to implement STEM education, including computer science and coding lessons for students. He also pointed to the community's strong support for its schools and the relationships he built with teachers and staff as being particularly impactful.

"To have the privilege of leading this particular district is incredible and I really don't think this can be beat," Baier said.