South Portland’s superintendent of schools announced Wednesday that he is resigning in December.

Tim Matheney joined the district in July 2021 and will wrap up his duties on Dec. 5.

The superintendent has overseen the district through turbulent times, from the COVID-19 pandemic to a school shooting threat and recent layoffs.

“I have decided to leave the district after substantial consideration and reflection,” Matheney said in a letter to parents and colleagues. “While I have deeply treasured my time leading the school department, I have determined that at this point the board should have the opportunity to identify a new leader who is more aligned with them.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Matheney said, “The last four years have been full of significant challenges for our district.”

“I am incredibly proud of the hard work of our staff members who led the way out of the pandemic,” he said. “We’ve also welcomed dozens and dozens of new students, many of them from asylum-seeking families.”

Recent layoffs through the fiscal year 2026 budget have been Matheney’s most recent challenge, leading to criticism from parents and staff alike.

“We’ve confronted a really stark year financially,” he said. “It has been a time of significant challenges, but I think the result of our staff members and our leaders in the district collaborating, we’ve done some really phenomenal work.”

In his letter, Matheney noted rifts between himself and the school board during this year’s budget process.

“The board’s decision to eliminate the director of Mental and Behavioral Health position against my recommendation is just one of those differences,” he wrote.

The district has made an effort to provide more mental health resources for students in the wake of a school shooting threat last year and multiple students who have died by suicide.

“I am deeply concerned about our students’ mental health and remain steadfast that the board should place a high priority on expert leadership in that critical area,” Matheney wrote. “The community must not forget our recent tragedies and acknowledge the continuing substantial mental health needs of our students. As I support the transition to a new superintendent, I will most assuredly stress this critical priority.”

School Board Chair Molly Schen said that Matheney has served the district “with care for our students’ academic achievement as well as their sense of belonging and mental health.”

“He guided the district through COVID, figured out how to support new Mainers, and oversaw the construction of the middle school,” Schen said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “He has formed a truly impressive leadership team that has, in turn, supported the entire staff in the district.”

Schen declined to comment on any differences with Matheney that arose during the budget process.

The South Portland Teachers Association, which represents 298 teachers and counselors employed in the district, said in a statement Wednesday evening that South Portland schools deserve a leader who respects educator voices and values input from district staff.

“Over the past four years, (South Portland School District) staff unions have approached the superintendent with concerns regarding serious issues related to timely and respectful communication, transparency, morale, union relations, oversight, and safety,” the statement reads. “We have not yet seen those concerns adequately or consistently addressed.”

The union turned out in a show of opposition at a March school board meeting after Matheney sent layoff notices to more than 20 district employees. During a public comment period, staff, union members and parents criticized not just the layoffs, but the manner in which they were conducted.

SPTA President Sarah Gay said in an interview that staff have a number of longstanding concerns with Matheney’s leadership, especially regarding the administration’s openness to feedback and transparency in communication with staff. She said this year’s difficult budget process put those concerns under a microscope.

“Getting face time to talk about the budget process was extremely challenging for our union,” Gay said. “We have a legal right to meet and consult about changes to our working conditions, it was very difficult to have that right upheld. And as a result we really did not have a voice in the creation of the budget, which put us in a position, when speaking on behalf of our members and schools, it was all defensive and reactionary instead of proactive and constructive.”

Gay said the union recently conducted an informal poll which revealed an “overwhelming majority” of members lacked confidence in the superintendent. She said the union chose not to take a formal no-confidence vote in advance of the budget vote next Tuesday.

Matheney said in response that he and the assistant superintendent worked hard to be accessible to the district’s unions.

“We meet with representatives from one or more associations on practically a weekly basis. During this spring’s budget process we met with the SPTA leadership at least five times, for example,” he said. “While effective communication is something that every district can get better at, we strive to provide opportunities for our associations to express their views with us. During my final six months as superintendent, I will continue to prioritize being responsive to our employees.”

Matheney also said he is looking forward to seeing through his role as superintendent until his resignation takes effect in December. That includes the implementation of security improvements at some of the city’s schools, which voters approved in November.

“This will be the district’s most substantial facilities project since the completion of the new middle school,” he said.

At this juncture, Matheney said, he is focused on his current duties rather than seeking a new position.

“I haven’t begun to seek my next professional challenge. I’ll turn my attention to that in the next several weeks or months,” Matheney said. “My immediate plans are to serve the district well between now and December.”

This story has been updated to include an interview with the South Portland Teachers Association’s leadership.