Scotland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shirley Prince said Monday night that she plans to retire July 1 to become Executive Director of the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals Association.

Prince informed school board members of her decision in closed session during the board's retreat.

Board Chairman Charlie Bennett called the news "shocking."

"I understand she has got a better opportunity to go forward in her education field, and I wished her well," said Bennett, who added that the process to select a new superintendent would "probably start" within the next week.

Prince said recent concerns raised about her salary of $214,000 a year had "absolutely no bearing" on her decision. She added that she told the board when she signed her last contract that she would likely not see it to its conclusion.

Still, she did say that a recent board resolution in support of her did lead to her feeling a "tug" to stay.

As a chief advocate for the Smaller Learning Communities model at Scotland High School, Prince has been a driving force behind its continued implementation.

Whether or not the model will persist is unclear, according to Bennett.

"I don't really know at this time, that is something we'll have to look into and see."

Prince stated that she was confident that the board was "progressive and wise enough" to continue in the current direction of educating all students for the 21st century.

According to Prince the position with the NCPAPA will not offer a salary increase over her current job, but with state retirement factored she could make more money.

Prince called the position a "dream job."

"It is an opportunity that doesn't come along very often and it's one of those things I just couldn't pass up.

"Retirement from the state while I'm still young enough to pursue something I can really get excited about, dealing with principals, which is the favorite part of my current job, how could I not accept?"

Asked about her legacy, Prince said that she hopes that "a few years down the road people will begin to see that the quality of our graduates has been really, dramatically and visibly improved."

Prince said that she found out about the position last October, and then after "not sending in anything", Prince said she was called one month ago and asked to interview.