Longtime Newhall School District Superintendent Marc Winger announced Friday his plan to retire in February.

Marc Winger, 62, told administrators, teachers and staff during a meeting of his plans to wrap up a 41-year career in education.

“I am retiring very proud of a number of things we have accomplished. We are a leading district in student achievement, including the achievement of the spectrum of students from all our neighborhoods, children who are English learners, and those who come from impoverished backgrounds,” Winger said. “I began my teaching career in the Newhall School District, and it is rewarding to have come full circle and retire from here. I have had the privilege of working with an amazing, talented staff, and they will ensure the district continues to go above and beyond.”

Newhall School District officials are expected to call a special meeting Sept. 23, when the district will be looking to choose a firm to help find Winger’s replacement.

Winger said he plans to go into executive coaching, specifically helping in the training of superintendents.

The goal is have someone in his place by the end of the calendar year, he said.

“Marc Winger is an institution in the Santa Clarita Valley and represents exactly what our district is about: collaboration, integrity, innovation, perseverance, transparency and excellence. As superintendent, he has been a tireless advocate for high-quality public education across the state and this community,” said Brian Walters, current president of the Newhall School District Board of Trustees. “With his counsel and advice, the Newhall School District has been able to weather one of the worst fiscal crises in state history to minimize impact on students, teachers and other stakeholders.”

Winger was named superintendent in 1997, it was a homecoming of sorts — Winger was an elementary school teacher in the district for 10 years, starting in 1974.

“The hiring of Dr. Winger is the highlight of my eight years of service to the district,” former district board member Ron Winkler said. “He inherited a good school district, and leaves an excellent school district – one of the finest in the state – as his legacy.”

From Newhall, he went on to the Burbank Unified School District, where he served as an elementary school principal for three years.

After Burbank, he was named assistant superintendent for instruction at Sulphur Springs School District, where he worked for 12 years.

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