The head of Northern Lehigh School District plans to call it a career later this year.

The school board on Monday accepted the retirement of Superintendent Michael W. Michaels, effective June 30.He has served as superintendent for nine years.He was not in attendance at Monday’s meeting.However, Michaels did submit his letter of intent to retire to the board.“My journey at Northern Lehigh began nine years ago,” Michaels said in his letter. “I joined the Northern Lehigh School District family because I believed, and continue to strongly believe in the quest for excellence in education that parallels the Northern Lehigh School District goals.”Michaels added, “As I began my career at Northern Lehigh School District, I felt a surge of great joy in studying and learning about the Northern Lehigh Community.Michaels said, “I will always carry with me great memories fueled by great board members, support staff, administrators, and teachers. I am sadly concluding my journey at Northern Lehigh School District.”Michaels also thanked board members, past and present, “For the opportunity to be a member of this “Gem of the Lehigh Valley.”Board President Gary Fedorcha said the board will miss Michaels when he retires.“I know there was a lot of speculation that he was going to be leaving sooner than his contract was up, so it’s not really a surprise,” Fedorcha said. “I’m going to miss having him.The pool of superintendents out there is not that great.”Fedorcha said he believes the board has three options: To look to hire the Pennsylvania School Board Association or another source to conduct a search for a new superintendent; for the district to do an internal search; or to hire from within.“At this point, I don’t anticipate any other choices other than those three choices,” he said. “I always feel it’s good to have a choice.”In May of 2014, the board, on a 7-1 vote, agreed to accept Michael’s resignation, establish his compensation, and elect him to another five-year term.Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations stated that because Michaels was not within the final year of his contract, then he must resign his position so that the board could rehire him to another five-year term.Michaels’ new contract was to have run from June 1, 2014, through May 31, 2019.At that time, his contract was set to expire June 30, 2015.That decision came one year after the board agreed to approve a five-year contract for Michaels, effective Aug. 1, 2013, through July 31, 2018.Under the terms of that contract, Michaels was set to make $128,700 in the 2013-2014 school year, and then receive a 2.25 percent increase in the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.In February 2012, the board approved a five-year contract for Assistant Superintendent Karen Nicholas.Nicholas received $107,123 a year under that contract.