Amalia Cudeiro resigned as Bellevue schools supt. Tuesday. She cited family medical issues when she asked the school board not to renew her contract.

This comes six weeks after Cudeiro took medical leave to be with her mother, a stroke victim and cancer patient, in California. Doctors at that time were telling Cudeiro that her mother may not pull through, however, she survived the holiday season and is currently in hospice care.

Cudeiro said she made the difficult decision to leave the district because no one else is able to care for mother, and she wants to spend time with her in the last moments of her life.

“Being a superintendent is a 24/7 job, and if I were to stay now, I would be shortchanging the district and shortchanging my mother.”

Had she remained in her position, her three-year contract would have expired on June 30.

Cudeiro said her proudest accomplishment in her two-and-a-half years on the job was the creation of a qualified cabinet of leaders at the administrative and teacher level, including teacher leadership trainings.

Despite that 623 teachers in the Bellevue Education Association (the organization has about 1,100 members) voted 97 percent “no confidence” in Cudeiro this fall, the former schools supt. said she is pleased with the new teacher contract she helped negotiate.

“It was a very difficult and unhappy time for teachers, but I think it holds everyone accountable,” Cudeiro said.

School Board President Paul Mills hopes people remember the positive impact Cudeiro made in the district.

“I was disappointed in her decision, but I can certainly understand, having lost both my parents last year,” he said. “Family is huge.”

The School Board will be considering all its options for a new candidate, including the possibility of hiring internally. Ads will be placed across the country as soon as possible.

Mills said the board has already received a letter of interest from Susan Enfield, Seattle schools supt., and a former candidate for the Bellevue position who actually went head-to-head with Cudeiro.

“We had a very good feeling about Susan and had to make a difficult decision.”

Additionally, the board has set Feb. 14 and 16 aside to hold community forums to get input from staff and families on the qualities they are want in a new superintendent. People should check the district website as the finalized plans will be posted there.

During Cudeiro’s medical leave, Assistant Superintendent Eva Collins served as Interim Superintendent and will continue to do so until Cudeiro’s contract would have expired in June.

Michele Miller, Bellevue Education Association President, said things have improved in the few months Collins has been in charge.

“Internally, there’s been a greater feeling of collaboration in her messages to staff,” said Miller, who was vocal of her dislike in Cudeiro’s leadership style, along with many of the other 623 BEA members who voted no confidence. “[Collins] shows respect to everyone from the bus drivers in the snow storm to checking in with teachers.”

Miller said she hopes to see someone with a strong understanding of how a district works from the administrative side to the teacher-level.

“It’s no secret that the teachers were not happy with her leadership. It’s good she chose to resign now so we can work on a new direction for the district.”

Despite this, however, Miller said she wishes Cudeiro the best.

“You feel very sorry for anyone struggling with their family.”

Cudeiro will no longer be superintendent, but her career in education will continue.

During her time as superintendent, she stepped away from the California-based Targeted Leadership Consulting she and her husband cofounded, and will eventually reassume her position there, working with schools across the country.

Cudeiro will miss Bellevue teachers, staff, students and parents.

“If it weren’t for them willing to have faith in me, I wouldn’t have been able to do my job,” she said.