RACINE - Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard resigned Monday as the Racine Unified School District's chief academic officer, a position she held for nearly two years.

Vanden Wyngaard announced Monday that she was leaving to accept a similar position in Eden Prairie, Minn., southwest of Minneapolis.

Vanden Wyngaard will be the executive director for teaching and learning for the Eden

Prairie Public Schools, a

district roughly half the size of Racine

Unified, with about 10,000

students.

Her resignation is effective July 1.

In her short time running Unified's academic division, Vanden Wyngaard proposed a number of changes in the district, including transforming the district's high schools and tackling the achievement gaps between white and minority students.

She also tried to push for more opportunities for professional development in the district to help address issues like poor

results on state standardized tests, especially among the district's black and Hispanic

students.

Asked if she made any enemies along the way, she said no.

"I ruffled some feathers. I have a low patience for adult issues," Vanden Wyngaard said.

Former Superintendent Tom Hicks hired Vanden Wyngaard in October 2006 to take what he called, at that time, the district's No. 2 position.

The newly named position was part of a larger restructuring of the district's administration in an effort to carry out Hicks' educational plans.

School Board President Tony Baumgardt said he was sad to learn that Vanden Wyngaard decided to leave, especially given the fact that Barbara Pulliam, Unified's new superintendent, is scheduled to start later this month.

"I'm disappointed. I think she brought a vision to us of what our schools could be for the future," Baumgardt said.

The news didn't entirely surprise Baumgardt, who has known that Vanden Wyngaard was interested in other job

opportunities.

Vanden Wyngaard has been a semifinalist for superintendent jobs in Madison and in Tacoma, Wash., in the past year.

"We knew she was interested in these other positions," Baumgardt said. "We couldn't convince her to stay here."

Vanden Wyngaard came to Racine at a tumultuous time in the district's history.

She had been in her position for less than a year when a longtime district employee released documents raising questions about a contract Hicks negotiated with a private consulting firm.

While an investigation into the contract found no wrongdoing, the situation lead to Hicks' departure in August 2007 and made it hard for Vanden Wyngaard to settle in to her new job, she said.

"Timing was everything," Vanden Wyngaard said Monday. "I was the last Cabinet member hired by Tom. When things go awry, you get lumped in to that."

Baumgardt said it wasn't appropriate for the School Board to fill the vacancy created by Vanden Wyngaard's departure.

That will be Pulliam's responsibility once she has started in the district, he said.

That could involve re-evaluating the administrative structure Unified currently has in place, if that is something Pulliam thinks is needed, Baumgardt said.

Pulliam will have to be resourceful and creative in looking for help running the district's academic division, Baumgardt said, but he's confident the district will manage.

"We have a lot of great teachers who walk into the classroom every day and teach our children," Baumgardt said. "I have great faith in the staff that we have."