For the Reporter

Edward Lee Vargas is stepping down as Kent School District superintendent to accept a position with a national educational nonprofit organization, school district officials announced Friday.

Vargas will begin his transition over the next few months, the district office said.

According to spokesman Chris Loftis, Vargas has not disclosed his new position to the district. The superintendent is in Washington D.C. until next Wednesday.

The board will be begin an extensive superintendent search process after they accept his formal resignation next week at the board meeting. Loftis said that the process will include several panels and possibly contracting an outside agency to act as headhunters for prospective superintendents.

“Our teachers, instructional and operational support staff, as well as administrative team here in Kent, exemplify the very best in education,” Vargas said, “and I have mixed emotions about leaving. But while unexpected, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will allow me to serve many more students and be closer to family.”

Vargas spent six years as superintendent of the state’s fourth-largest school district. Under his watch, the district has grown, enjoying success in improving academic achievement, accountability and cultivating community relations.

Kent is the only district in the United States included in Microsoft’s Innovative Schools World Tour for technology in education.

Academic achievement improved steadily under Vargas’ leadership. Graduation rates grew by more than 20 percent and the number of schools recognized for academic performance has tripled.

The district has also gained a national reputation for innovative programs that create new and alluring pathways for success for all students such as the multiple-award-winning iGrad program, the Parent Academy for Student Achievement, and the Medical Careers Pathway program.

In each case, Vargas focused on high standards of student learning and success for all students.

Vargas was Washington’s 2014 State Superintendent of the Year, and before that, California’s State Superintendent of the Year in 2006.

“I had the great privilege of being on the Board when we hired Dr. Vargas,” said Kent School Board President Debbie Straus. “It is a decision that I have never regretted. It is with mixed emotions that I, and the board, will accept Dr. Vargas’ resignation. While we support his decision to be closer to family, he will be sorely missed.

“Dr. Vargas is truly an inspirational and visionary leader. Our district will continue to benefit from programs he has put in place with our students. We wish him continued success both professionally and personally.”