The man who has been at the forefront of the sometimes controversial efforts to improve Youngstown's failing public school system will be calling it quits next year.

Krish Mohip, the first person appointed as the chief executive officer of the Youngstown City School District, announced in a letter to the academic distress commission that he would not seek a contract renewal.

“With the continued success of the district in mind, I believe it is important to inform the commission of my present intentions as soon as possible, as providing early notice may play a significant role in the commission finding a quality leader to carry on the worthy cause of transforming the Youngstown City School District,” Mohip wrote in the letter sent Friday morning.

Mohip became the district's first chief executive officer in the summer of 2016. His contract is set to expire in July 2019.

He was appointed CEO by the Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission under a new state law that was enacted in 2015.

Under the broad authority the law gives to the CEO, Mohip ordered sometimes controversial changes in the district.

The law which created the CEO job was the center of a long-running court battle mounted by teachers and even members of the Board of Education.

In addition, Mohip's home was the target of vandalism three times last year, just some of the reasons cited by Mohip when it was revealed that he was seeking employment at other districts.

“Indeed, the learning atmosphere and decrease in negative student behaviors is a direct reflection of the progress happening within our buildings,” Mohip wrote. “I firmly believe it is these and other achievements, together with the progress reflected in several areas in the 2017-2018 state report card, that will ultimately drive our district to exceed expectations.”

According to a statement issued by the district, under Mohip's leadership, the city schools saw a 39 percentage point increase in the Gap Closing component of the most recent state report card compared to the 2016-17 report card, from 3.3 percent to 42.3 percent.

The Gap Closing component shows how well the district met the performance expectations for the most vulnerable students in English language arts, math, graduation, and English language proficiency.

In addition, the statement also said that the YCSD also improved in closing the reading gap among African-American students. The reading gap is a measurement of the percentage difference between the actual performance of African-American students compared to the state average.

As part of an effort to return to a neighborhood school model and sports were revived district-wide and the Golden Bears was restored as the mascot of East High School.

“I remain dedicated to my role as CEO of the Youngstown City Schools and, by providing this notice now, confirm my commitment to support the commission and the district in a smooth transition to a new leader,” Mohip wrote.