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"I'm sorry to hear that," fellow board member Phyllis Carlson said.

Becker, a retired teacher, has served as board president four times, with a total of nine years on the board.

"Education has been my life," she said.

She said her involvement in Juneau education would not end with her term.

Carlson, also a past board president, said she would miss the advantage of Becker's longevity on the board and her diplomacy in contract negotiations.

"We benefited from her perspective," Carlson said.

Becker would not state a specific reason for her exit from the board but did say, when asked, that she had thought about running for the Juneau Assembly.

The city begins accepting Assembly nominations for the October election today.

The other School Board seat up for election this fall is that of board President Bill Peters, who could not be reached for comment today. Becker has talked with a few people in hopes of passing the torch, but did not say whom.

"I hope someone will come forward to do the job with enthusiasm," she said.

With her departure two months away, Becker will keep her eye on the start of the school year and her pet project - the construction of Thunder Mountain High School in the Mendenhall Valley.

"I have a few meetings left and will get them whatever they need as much as possible," she said.

She said her efforts to create TMHS and the remodel of Juneau-Douglas High School sit among her proudest achievements while serving on the School Board.

"I'm happy with my work on the board."

• Contact Greg Skinner at 523-2258, or greg.skinner@juneauempire.com.