Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Kevin Skelly announced Tuesday that he will resign at the end of the school year.

Skelly, who previously worked as an associate superintendent in San Diego, has served as Superintendent in Palo Alto since 2007. His current contract runs until June 2016.

In a letter to the school district community, Skelly cited personal reasons as the basis of the decision. He wrote that he made the announcement early in the year to allow the community to decide on what qualities and qualifications they will seek for his successor. Describing his next year as “the Gap Year [he] never had,” Skelly said he hopes to explore possibilities for the next phase of his life after he leaves his current position.

Under Skelly’s direction, the school district has undertaken a series of large construction projects and implemented more rigorous high school graduation requirements. In a survey taken last year, 90 percent of Palo Alto parents and 93 percent of students expressed satisfaction with the quality of education provided.

However, a string of civil suits against the district have cast a shadow on Skelly’s tenure. In 2013, Skelly’s handling of a bullying case prompted criticism from the community and the school board for the delayed disclosure of the results of a federal investigation into the disabled student’s civil rights.