BUXTON – Suzanne Lukas, superintendent of School Administrative District 6 for the past seven years, is leaving the district after accepting a position to lead Regional School Unit 24 in Ellsworth.

Lukas was officially hired by the RSU 24 school board at its meeting Tuesday night. She will tender her letter of resignation at the SAD 6 School Board at its meeting Monday, May 2.

Lukas is looking forward to the new position Down East, saying she and her husband Mark “have always loved that area of Maine and we feel we’re at a good juncture to relocate.”

Lukas’ husband is scheduled to retire from his position with the state of Maine and the two will relocate this summer to a coastal community in the district, which is located near Acadia National Park. Lukas and her husband are looking at the change as a “midlife adventure,” she said.

RSU 24 serves the communities of Eastbrook, Ellsworth, Franklin, Gouldsboro, Hancock, Lamoine, Mariaville, Sorrento, Steuben, Sullivan, Waltham, and Winter Harbor.

Lukas said the 12-town district, whose hub is Ellsworth, is a “very similar” district to SAD 6 in that it is a “large geographical area with a mix of communities including rural towns and small cities,” she said. There are 4,000 students in SAD 6, compared to 2,600 in RSU 24.