Polack, in her eighth year as principal of the school, is moving to Minneapolis where her husband, Daniel Slager, is taking a job as editor-in-chief of Milkwood Editions, the nation's largest nonprofit press.

The mother of two boys, 18 months and 4, Polack said that her husband's job opportunity was too good to pass up. She said she was also looking forward to spending more time with her children.

"I won't have to have such a high-pressure job," she said in an interview, "and I have these two amazing boys at home. I feel like this is a gift that has been suddenly bestowed upon me."

Polack, 38, said that "in a perfect world" she would have stayed for the remainder of the school year.

"Everyone's been stunned," she said. "It was not what the parents expected. But they have been incredibly supportive."

She said she hopes to have a month of working beside the new acting principal, who has yet to be appointed.

Judy Levine, a parent at the school for the past six years, said
she was "surprised at the timing" of Polack's decision
but believes that the reputation of the school will attract a "qualified,
interesting and thoughtful" replacement.