BELOIT — The West Branch Board of Education Wednesday announced that Superintendent Micki Egli will be retiring at the end of the year.

In a statement posted to the district’s Facebook page, the board announced that during its November meeting Egli had submitted “her written notice of resignation, for purposes of retirement, effective February 1, 2026.” While Egli’s resignation is not effective until Feb. 1, the board’s statement specifies that she requested, and was granted, “a leave of absence through the remainder of her tenure.”

The board congratulated Egli on her upcoming retirement and shared its “sincere appreciation for her many years of dedicated service to West Branch Schools and to the students, staff, and community of our district.” The statement credits the district’s “strong position” to Egli’s leadership, which it states was “instrumental in securing significant grants and donations that have brought tremendous improvements” to the district “including the turf field, the new agricultural barn, and the wellness center currently under construction.”

Egli has been serving as superintendent for more than five years, having been named acting superintendent in August 2020 and hired to the permanent superintendent position in March 2021. Prior to being named superintendent, Egli served as the district’s director of special services.

Egli said that her decision to retire now was made in response to ongoing health issues — issues which she specified were stress related. She also said that those issues were why she had requested to go on leave for the remainder of her term.

“My health has suffered significantly, and it has finally spoken loud and clear that I need to step away,” said Egli.

Egli said that while the board was aware of her health concerns, her final decision to retire had been abrupt.

“I’ve been very open with the board about my ongoing challenges. However, this decision was very sudden and the board [of education] had no indication it was coming,” said Egli.

When asked if her decision had been impacted by the public scrutiny and negativity surrounding controversies surrounding the district’s handling of varsity girls basketball coach Walt DeShields’ contract and an incident in which DeShields’ son TJ reportedly struck a student in the leg with a resistance band in April; and the subsequent publication of text messages between Egli and Board President Mikki Kanagy discussing the situation by a podcast organization, Egli confirmed that it had influenced her decision.

“The stress of last spring has definitely carried over into this fall, which has ultimately affected my final decision,” said Egli.

Despite this scrutiny, Egli’s final message for the West Branch community was a grateful one, describing the opportunity to serve the district as an honor.

“I’ve been honored to serve the district and community that built me. It has been the highest privilege both personally and professionally,” said Egli.

According to the statement the board “will now begin the process of identifying the next superintendent,” a process which “will include participation from newly elected, but not yet seated, members of the board.”

While that process is in motion, the board “has asked High School Principal Brian Coffee to temporarily step into the role of Acting Superintendent Pro-Tempore and are confident that he will ensure continuity and stability during this transition.” The statement also notes that “given the shortened time frame, the board may appoint an interim superintendent to ensure stability and allow adequate time to select a permanent leader for the district.”

mahart@mojonews.com