JOHNSTOWN — Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Jack Whelan is stepping down at the end of the school year after leading the district for nine years.

Whelan, 60, was hired in 1999 from among a dozen candidates after the Fort Ann Central School District Board of Education didn’t renew his contract.

Last year he was given a two-year extension by the Johnstown Board of Education, but Whelan — who is being paid more than $116,000 this year — said he’s been thinking about retiring early for a couple of months.

“As [Amsterdam Superintendent] Ron Limoncelli told me: ‘Someday you’re going to wake up and say that it’s time,’ ” Whelan said Friday.

“There’s some other things that I’d like to do in life, and the children live in Florida. I’d like to spend more time with the family,” he added.

Whelan said he appreciated the extension he was granted last year.

The extension was not unanimous. The school board approved the extension by a 6-3 vote with some members of the board saying he had lost the community’s confidence.

“This is a great place. Anybody coming into this position, it’s a great school. You’re not going to find anything under a rock. It’s in great shape financially and it’s in great shape academically,” Whelan said.

The outgoing superintendent pointed to the district’s strong academic performance as one of his three most important objectives, along with finances and the ongoing capital project. He noted that property tax rate hikes were kept to 3 percent or less during his tenure.

Board of Education President John David Praught said that he was sad that Whelan was leaving and added that Whelan contributed much to the district. Board member Bob Kosowicz said that Whelan was dedicated and hard-working and he was a major asset to the district and the community.