After nearly two decades at the helm of the Duchesne County School District, Superintendent John Aland will retire at the end of August 2010.

Aland, 59, announced his upcoming retirement at the district's School Board meeting Thursday night in Duchesne. He became emotional as he read his official retirement letter to board president Nancy West and other board members.

The letter states that his wife Marsha, a Neola Elementary School teacher, also will retire. “This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but we are excited about what lies ahead in our future,” he wrote.

In a phone interview on Friday, Aland provided more details about the decision than he offered at the board meeting. He said he has been employed in the education arena for 32 years, has recently dealt with some health issues, and simply felt the time is right to step down.

The past year has been difficult for Aland. He had two hip replacement surgeries, one in April and another in July. “But that had nothing to do with my decision,” he said.

What weighed more heavily was a heart ailment that caused him great concern on Labor Day weekend, he said. His heart was racing and wouldn't slow down. He sought emergency care, and it was confirmed that there were problems with blood flow to his heart. He also failed a stress test.

“I asked the cardiologist, 'Does stress cause this?'

“I consider what happened a warning. And it got me thinking, 'I've been at this a long time.' ” With medicine and a new diet, Aland is improving, and has been able to avoid invasive heart procedures.

Aland was hired as Duchesne's school superintendent in 1991 following a national search by the School Board serving at that time. Prior to moving to Duchesne County, he worked as a teacher and middle school principal in Montpelier, Idaho; a middle school and high school principal in Kanab, Utah; and a school superintendent in Bloomfield, N.M.

School superintendents typically only serve a few years within any given U.S. school district. Aland said he believes he has lasted so long because he has had good board members with which to work.

“One of the keys to my longevity here has been excellent school boards,” he said. “That's not the case everywhere.”

Asked to highlight some of the district's achievements during his tenure, he mentioned the new campuses for Duchesne High School and Roosevelt Junior High School; an additional wing at East Elementary; improved test scores across the district, including ACT exam performances; and the district's success in complying with the lofty goals set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act.

As for unfinished business, he said he had hoped to raise teacher pay. “We wanted to do it when the economy was booming, and as we got ready, the economy went south,” Aland said.

Coinciding with his heart trouble in early fall was the district's uphill campaign to convince county voters to pass a $49 million bond issue — and to raise property taxes to cover the debt — to pay for construction of three new schools.

The proposal, soundly defeated on Nov. 3, would have resulted in new campuses for Altamont and Union high schools and a new elementary school in Roosevelt to alleviate crowded conditions at East Elementary.

Looking back, he believes a strong national anti-tax mood, shared by local voters, effectively killed the bond-issue plan. “It was the right reason, the wrong time,” he said of the bond referendum.

He said the district still needs to make the physically deteriorating Altamont High School a top priority in the near future. And, he added, the situation in Roosevelt with overcrowding at East Elementary will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

At last week's meeting, Aland received a round of applause from board members and the audience after he finished the difficult task of reading the retirement announcement.

“The district will lose a good administrator,” said board member Doug Swasey of Altamont. “He wasn't scared to face the hard things he's had to face.”

“I know I've relied on you an awful lot and I appreciate you,” said West, who represents Roosevelt.

Aland said he will be active during his remaining time in the district. “I won't be sitting on any bags,” he said.

He wants to help with the transition to the new superintendent. Board members have not yet discussed their plans and procedures for finding his replacement.

Aland said he is looking forward to retirement, though, and plans to travel to visit children and grandchildren in warmer locales such as Atlanta, Winston-Salem and Tucson.

“I love Duchesne County School District and am very confident that the best lies ahead,” Aland's retirement announcement states. “Thank you to all who have been a part of my life and this great journey for the past 18 years.”