Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman has resigned.

Gorman, who took over for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2006, announced his resignation Wednesday, June 8, effective Aug. 15

News Corp. announced that Gorman will help lead its newly formed education division, working to implement the agency’s technology in school districts.

During his tenure, Gorman was espoused by some national education groups for his approach to results driven education, but has been under fire  in recent months for shutting schools – in mostly poor neighborhoods – due to budget cutbacks. He also caught the ire of educators and parents as he pushed for a “pay for performance” model to pay teachers. Under that system teachers would be paid based on their evaluations and how well their students performed on standardized testing and not on their education or years of experience.

Gorman’s resignation came abruptly and was likely unexpected by most.

Earlier this year, after news reports said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emannuel was considering Gorman for a leadership position in the city’s school system, Gorman said he planned to stay put Mecklenburg County until his daughter, a middle school student, graduated.