PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield High School Principal Maggie Harrington-Esko will step down at the end of the year after nearly 20 years in the building.

"I feel that it is important to let you know that this is a decision that I have come to on my own," she wrote to the school community on Monday evening.

Harrington-Esko is the second administrator to resign after the school became embroiled in a staffing scandal in December. Earlier this year, Superintendent Joseph Curtis announced that he would step down from his position effective June 30.

"This is not an easy decision because PHS is a place I love deeply," she wrote.

"For the past 18 years, this school has been my Home Under the Dome. It's where I've grown as an educator, a leader, and a person. It's where I've laughed, learned, and had the honor of standing beside so many of you through challenges, triumphs, and everything in between."

Harrington-Esko began her career at the high school in September 2006 as a social studies teacher, during which she also acted as a teacher leader, mentor, and adviser. After 11 years in the classroom, Esko was hired to the administrative team where she had multiple titles, including dean of students, vice principal, assistant principal of teaching and learning, and interim principal.

She was tapped as principal in 2022 and is "incredibly" proud of what the school has accomplished together.

"Our students have achieved amazing things — in the classroom, on the stage, in athletics, in service, and beyond," she wrote.