New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta will retire from his leadership post in April, he announced on Friday.

Pallotta has led the labor umbrella group since 2017 and has been a longtime and influential teachers' union advocate in New York. 

"After 37 years in education and the labor movement, it is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement as President of NYSUT in April," he wrote on Twitter.

Pallotta endorsed the organization's executive director, Melinda Person, to become the next president. 

Pallotta's retirement announcement comes after a decade of upheaval for education in New York, including battles over funding for schools, teacher evaluation criteria, standardized testing and charter schools. 

This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for measures meant to expand charter schools in New York, a move opposed by teachers' unions in the state. But at the same time, school districts in New York are set to receive another major boost in direct aid as part of the pending state budget.