COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d'Alene Public Schools on Tuesday received notice that Coeur d'Alene High School Principal Bret Heller will be leaving after his first year with the district.

In his statement to CHS students, parents and guardians, he wrote that "this is an extremely difficult message to send," but he wanted everyone to get the news directly from him.

"When I accepted the position of principal of CHS last June, I truly thought I would be here for a long time. We moved back to Coeur d’Alene with the belief this would be the best decision for our family," he wrote.

"For several reasons, this move has been very difficult for my family, which led me to pursue an opportunity in the West Ada School District where I worked previously. (Tuesday night), the district administration in West Ada will make a recommendation to the school board to hire me as Director of Curriculum and Instruction. While this is a great opportunity for me professionally, there are also personal and family reasons why this decision makes sense for us at this time.

"There have been some great moments this year at CHS and I believe the staff are doing wonderful work here at the school. I’m immensely proud of the work our Sources of Strength team of adults and students have done to benefit the culture at CHS. The completion of the bond project which added eight new classrooms, a beautiful new entry and an outstanding competition gymnasium has been a great addition to the school. I’m also proud of the work our teachers continue to do to reflect on their practices and work collaboratively to be the best they can be at their profession.

"I intend to finish out my contract year at CHS and do everything I can to put the school in the best position moving forward.

"I want to thank those of you who have shown great support to me this year."

Superintendent Steve Cook said district officials are disappointed to see Heller go, "but we wish him well."

"We remain committed to finding a high quality leader for the Coeur d’Alene High School students, family and community," Cook said. "We will post the position immediately."