RAVENSWOOD — In an email sent to parents late Thursday night, Ravenswood Elementary Principal Heather Connolly announced her resignation.
"With extremely mixed emotions, I must tell you that I have accepted a position with the Waterloo Public School District in Waterloo, Iowa," Connolly wrote.
Among the factors contributing to her decision: a desire to move back to her home state to be closer to her extended family and the "stresses of the constant turmoil that has plagued" CPS.
"My family has often taken a back seat to the needs of Ravenswood, and our family life has suffered," said Connolly, the mother of two young children. "I believe this move will allow my children and my husband to be my top priority again."
Like many CPS schools, Ravenswood reported significant budget cuts for the coming school year, a situation that Local School Council members said has become the new normal.
"There's a breaking point for everyone," council parent rep Greg Janes previously told DNAinfo.com.
The council now begins the task of searching for Connolly's replacement, a process made all the more urgent by CPS' earlier August start date for the 2013-14 school year.
"I am confident that they will find a new leader who embraces the educational philosophy and the values our community holds so passionately," said Connolly, who's been at the helm of Ravenswood for the past five years.
"Please don't stop believing in this school."
