He said he's leaving the school for new opportunities and to be closer to his home in the Watsonville area. The principal of three years said he won't miss the 45-minute commute or the 24 hours a day, seven days a week position.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," he said. "The staff and I have been working together really hard over the past three years, and we've accomplished a lot of the things we've set out to do."

Lawrence-Emanuel said he has four sons that he'd like to see more often and feels good about where he's leaving the staff as a cohesive team. He started at Fisher as an assistant principal in 2000 and was appointed to the principal position the following year. As principal, Lawrence-Emanuel said he's accomplished many of his goals, such as helping to restructure leadership positions among the staff and opening channels of communication. He's also been involved in a shared decision-making process with his colleagues and has helped to foster a self-study process of the school.

"Since I've been here, we've really taken a hold of the California content standards and made them a part of what we do," he said.

Lawrence-Emanuel said he loves Los Gatos and grew up in Saratoga. While there are many positive attributes to the area, there are also benefits to being a parent. Working 10 hours in an average day and then taking the work home with him on his laptop hasn't allowed as much family time as Lawrence-Emanuel said he'd like. There are also school board meetings, dances and evening events related to Fisher that he enjoys attending, but that extend his workdays into the evenings.

Lawrence-Emanuel added that he'll be involved in training his replacement, who has yet to be selected. The first of the interviews with candidates for the job started May 4, with a panel of parents, teachers, administrators and school board members. Top-ranked candidates are expected to be interviewed by the superintendent's cabinet and school board members on May 6. And an expected recommendation of a final selection for the position will be made at the May 11 Los Gatos Union School District board meeting.

"It's a great job to have, and I wish the person who comes in the best of luck, and I hope this person will take Fisher to the next level," Lawrence-Emanuel said.