MONTAGUE — Gill-Montague Regional School District Superintendent Brian Beck has announced he plans to resign, citing a personal decision.

Beck, who has served as superintendent since July 2020, announced his decision during the School Committee meeting Tuesday night.

“Tonight I am notifying the School Committee and the community of my intent to resign as superintendent of the Gill-Montague Regional School District,” Beck said, adding that he’ll be working with the committee to choose a departure date to make sure the district can find a replacement ahead of time. “I am grateful to the School Committee for the opportunity to serve in my home community in this capacity, and I have been blessed to work with so many talented and dedicated faculty, staff and administrators in this role. I have learned a ton from you all.”

When asked after the meeting if this decision was prompted by the Gill-Montague Education Association’s December 2024 vote of no confidence, Beck said he had nothing to add to what was already said in his statement to the School Committee, but that the decision was personal in nature. At the time, GMEA President Heidi Schmidt said members of the union cited concerns about “matters of communication, management, leadership and a safe working environment based on comprehensive data collection.” Of the 181 union members, 166 voted no confidence.

In terms of when his resignation will take effect, Beck said there is no definitive timeline, but he told the School Committee that he’ll be part of the transition process to find a new superintendent.

After Beck concluded his statement, Vice Chair William Tomb said there will be more information to come as the transition process begins.

“There will be a lot more to come about that situation,” he said. “The first thing that the committee will have to focus on is setting up a committee to look forward to the transition, interviewing people, establishing an application, etc.”

One item on Tuesday’s agenda that related to a yearly superintendent evaluation — which allows School Committee members to provide feedback on superintendent performance based on their success of meeting personal goals, district goals and state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) standards — was up for a vote, but was passed over. Tomb said the evaluation is still in progress and will be revisited at a later meeting.

Before starting as the Gill-Montague superintendent, Beck was principal at Hopkins Academy in Hadley. Prior to that, he had been principal of Athol High School and he had worked at Mohawk Trail Regional School, as assistant principal and as principal.

When he was going through the hiring process at Gill-Montague, Beck stood out to the hiring committee for his record at Athol High School, his understanding of restorative justice and his connection to Montague as a resident, giving him a better understanding of the community compared to other candidates.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.