Russ Kinzer, superintendent of the Bigfork School District, told staff this week that he intends to retire at the end of the school year.

Kinzer, who has been in education for 36 years including a little more than a decade in Bigfork, said he has been thinking about retiring for a while as he has a lot of personal goals he'd like to fulfill, including spending more time with his out-of-state family.

"It's time," Kinzer said in an interview with the Eagle on Tuesday. "I've appreciated my time. The only regret that I have is that it has gone so fast."

The school board is scheduled to confirm Kinzer's retirement at their January meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and discuss search procedures for candidates for the position. Kinzer said he wanted to give the board plenty of time to fill the position, as it can take four or five months for the search process. His retirement will be effective June 30.

Read more in the Jan. 21 edition of the Bigfork Eagle.