Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Hamlet will resign Friday, Oct. 1.
District Solicitor Ira Weiss made the announcement during a virtual press briefing on Wednesday morning.
Hamlet was the subject of an ethics investigation that found him responsible for several violations.
"Members of the board reviewed the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission report with diligence, discussed its findings in detail, assessed the overall situation and remain steadfast in the belief that this outcome is unfortunate, but necessary," Weiss said reading a statement on behalf of the board.
The board says it plans to accept Hamlet's letter of resignation at a meeting next week. In that letter, Hamlet told the board he felt it was the best time for his tenure to come to an end.
"After much thought and consideration, and because in light of current circumstances, I think it is presently the best thing for our students and families," Hamlet wrote in his letter.
The board will announce an interim superintendent on Sept. 29 and begin a nationwide search for Hamlet's replacement in December with the incoming school board.
Hamlet will be paid one year's salary plus the value of his benefits for a total of $399,687.
School Board President Sylvia Wilson said resigning was Hamlet's decision, and he was not pressured by the district to do so.
"Dr. Hamlet had choices," she said. "This was not a forced action. He chose to do this on his own."
Attempts to reach Hamlet thorough the district and his attorney were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Following the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission report, some City officials including Controller Michael Lamb, called for a change in leadership in the district.
“It is time to turn the page and move forward," Lamb said in a statement Wednesday following Hamlet's resignation. "With a renewed focus on improving student success and eliminating the racial achievement gap, there are bright days ahead for the children and families of Pittsburgh Public Schools.”
Lamb initiated the ethics investigation into Hamlet, which found Hamlet negligently accepted and kept travel reimbursements for trips already paid for by the district.
The report adds Hamlet negligently marked vacation days as work days. Additionally, he carried unused vacation and personal days over to the following year for himself and other employees against his contract.
The report also cites Hamlet for accepting payments for appearances related to his position.
Hamlet denied committing any violations regarding a trip to Cuba in 2019 with The Flying Classroom, but according to the consent agreement, agreed "if this matter went to hearing, the Investigative Division could, by circumstantial evidence, meet the requisite evidentiary standard and convince a fact finder that he violated" the Ethics Act.
Hamlet agreed to pay $7,908 in reimbursements and forfeit 14 days of vacation time.
Hamlet's resignation comes in the middle of the district's negotiations with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers union.
Union president Nina Esposito-Visgitis said the news took her by surprise, and she's concerned about what it means for those negotiations.
"We were in a really good place in getting the other two (contracts) done," she said. "For the PFT, absolutely, I'm nervous about our other two contracts."
Hamlet was sworn-in as superintendent in July 2016 and came from the District from Palm Beach County.