Mercer Island schools superintendent, Gary Plano, has withdrawn his application for superintendent at the Ashland Oregon Public School District. In a letter sent to school staff last evening, Plano said that he found he did not feel the same synergy and connection that he felt when he joined the Mercer Island School District five years ago. “It wasn’t a good fit,” he said.

Plano was one of the three finalists out of 13 applicants. The Ashland School Board had already traveled here to conduct interviews of Island community members and school staff concerning Plano.

He wrote that he has told the Ashland board that he will assist them as they finalize their decision for a new superintendent. Plano owns a second home in the southern Oregon city that he visits regularly.

“I will continue to work and serve the Mercer Island community in the capacity as your superintendent,” he wrote to his staff, “and I look forward to the continued partnership with the board, the MIEA, the city and most importantly, you, who do the hardest work every day, whether it be in the classrooms, our facilities, the offices or the buses, supporting our amazing students.”