Parents of students at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School are trying to understand what led to last week's surprise resignation of principal Tom Sindelar.

Sindelar, who's been at the helm of Brooks since 2005, announced his resignation at the March 13 board meeting. He'll leave the job, which earned him $122,032 in 2011-2012, June 30.

Related: Brooks' New Principal Clear on Challenges (Wednesday Journal, June 2005)

Oak Park Elementary School District 97 spokesman Chris Jasculca declined to discuss the details of the departure, citing privacy reasons. "Since this is a personnel issue, the district is prohibited by law from providing specific details about the matter," he said.

Sindelar's sudden resignations means Oak Park's two middle schools will have vacancies at the top spots. Longtime Percy Julian Middle School principal Victoria Sharts announced her retirement earlier this year.

About 75 people have applied for the Julian vacancy, and school officials may now pool those applicants for the Brooks job.

"With that said, [Supt.] Dr. [Al] Roberts isn’t going to rush through this process," Jasculca said.