(ABC 6 News) – After weeks of pressure from parents and community members, Byron Superintendent Dr. Mike Neubeck announced in an email to parents on Friday that he would resign.

RELATED: Byron superintendent resigns, email sent to district parents

Neubeck will serve out the remainder of the school year and his resignation will be effective as of June 30, 2025.

For Byron parent Amber Freese, who started a petition demanding Neubeck step down just two weeks prior to his announcement, she considers this a small victory. The petition gained 263 signatures before it closed for meeting its goal.

RELATED: Byron parent creates petition calling for superintendent’s resignation

“Obviously it’s what I was hoping for with the petition, so I’ll take that, but I think it’s good for our students, our teachers and the rest of the administrators,” said Freese.

“We count this as a good day and a step forward,” said Chris Schmitt, a former member of the Byron school board, with children who have all graduated from Byron schools.

Schmitt has been another strong voice calling for Neubeck’s resignation, and while she celebrates this decision as a win, she says there is still a lot more work to be done to get the district back on the right track.

“We still haven’t received financial data, there’s still a lot of unanswered questions, but the path forward seems clear now,” said Schmitt.

Neubeck declined a request for interview regarding his decision to step down.

Byron school board chairman Duane Quam III provided ABC 6 News the following statement regarding Neubeck’s decision:

“I can confirm the Byron School Board has received Dr. Neubeck’s resignation, effective June 30, 2025. It will be on the December 16, 2025, School Board Agenda for the Board to discuss and act on. It was submitted after discussion with the Byron School Board regarding the future direction of the district. Dr. Neubeck’s decision provides the Byron School District with the necessary time and opportunity to hire a new superintendent.

“The School Board expresses its sincere gratitude to Dr. Mike Neubeck for his leadership and significant contributions to Byron Public Schools since his appointment in July, 2021. We look forward to continued collaboration as we transition into the next chapter for Byron Public Schools.”

Freese says she would like to see a teacher or administrator who already works within the school district become Neubeck’s replacement.

“I sat on the board when we hired a superintendent, and most likely the board will need help in doing that,” said Schmitt. “If we could get an ethical leader, who’s transparent, we’re gonna be in good shape.”

It’s not clear what the process for hiring a new superintendent will look like at this time.