Regional School Unit 21 School Superintendent Terri Cooper announced on Friday that she would be resigning her position this summer.

Cooper, in a written statement, described her service to the district as “a great honor,” and said she was proud of the work she and the district had done since she took her position in 2020.

“While change can be challenging, I am confident that RSU 21 will continue to progress in academics and operations, and that the district's commitment to educational excellence will remain unwavering,” Cooper wrote.

RSU 21 covers schools in Kennebunk, Kennbunkport and Arundel. Cooper indicated her last day would be Aug. 31, 2025. The statement did not indicate a reason for her departure, but in a separate statement, School Board Chair Matthew Stratford said Cooper was leaving “in part to return to her home in North Carolina, where many members of her family, including her parents, still live.” 

Cooper’s tenure was not without controversy. Beginning in the fall of 2023, the district and the Kennebunk Arundel Kennebunkport Educators Association were locked in a bitter fight over a new teachers’ contract that lasted for more than a year. In that time, the union clashed with both the board and Cooper, sometimes publicly.

Neither statement on Friday addressed these issues. Stratford said “Dr. Cooper and the Board have mutually agreed” to her leaving after the end of the school year.

“The Board is grateful for her commitment to RSU 21 and appreciates her willingness to support this process in the months ahead,” Stratford wrote.

Stratford said the board will communicate soon regarding the next steps in seeking a new superintendent. 

Cooper declined to be interviewed for this story.