The principal of Schwegler School said Wednesday she won’t return to the school next year.

Jane Ziegler, who plans for her resignation to take effect at the end of June, was hired last July to lead Schwegler. Schwegler is the district’s third-largest elementary school with 440 students.

The decision to leave the Lawrence district is based on a desire to “live closer to home” in the Overland Park area and to “seek other professional opportunities,” Ziegler said in an interview.

The district will search for her replacement with the assistance of Schwegler’s site council, parents and teachers.

Ziegler didn’t last nearly as long as her predecessors at Schwegler, 2201 Ousdahl Road.

Helen Norwood, for whom the school’s library is named, was principal from the time Schwegler opened in 1957 to 1978.

Gary Stauffer was principal at the school for 23 years, serving there from 1978 to 2001.

Prior to joining the staff at Schwegler, Ziegler was an assistant principal at Raytown Middle School in Missouri. She also taught physical education in the Joplin, Mo., and Shawnee Mission districts.