Less than a week after interviewing for a superintendent’s job in Memphis, Tenn., Montgomery County Superintendent Tiffany Anderson has withdrawn from the running.

Anderson interviewed with the Memphis City Schools on Monday, but on Thursday she told the search committee there she was no longer interested in the position.

“While my husband is interested in a metropolitan area, closer to family if possible, we also feel it’s very important for our entire family to feel any new opportunity is match for all of us,” Anderson wrote in an e-mail sent to The Roanoke Times today.

She said she told the Montgomery County School Board about the change on Wednesday.

In Memphis, Anderson was one of five finalists. The other four work in larger school districts that Montgomery County’s 9,500 students.

Anderson said her husband is still exploring his options, but she has not applied for any other jobs. “I do not have any active applications in any district at this time,” she wrote. “We have not made any decisions to leave our community.”

Anderson said publicity surrounding her potential move is impacting her family.

Anderson’s superintendent’s contract is valid through 2010. A clause in the contract said she can resign at any time she and the board find mutually agreeable.

The typical tenure for school chiefs is about five years, according to the American Association of School Administrators. Joe Cirasuolo, chief operating officer for the association, said breaking contracts is common.