After seven years as the leader of the Prior Lake-Savage district, Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver will step down at the end of this year.

Gruver has been involved in education for 32 years, first in Indiana and later in Minnesota. Before she was superintendent, she served as assistant superintendent in the Mahtomedi district, an elementary school principal, a reading teacher, librarian and classroom teacher.

Since 2008, she has led the district in passing a referendum that built a new elementary school and maintained class sizes, helped the district expand an environmental education and E-STEM (environmental education, science, technology, engineering and math) focus, guided the district in a 1:1 student-to-tablet plan and opened an addition to Prior Lake High School.

Gruver, a mother of four with 12 grandchildren, announced her decision at the Jan. 12 board meeting. At the Feb. 9 meeting, the board will share a timeline the process used to hire a new superintendent.