Lindbergh Schools Chief Financial Officer Pat Lanane announced Monday he plans to retire, effective Sept. 11.

While no one is irreplaceable, we believe Pat’s retirement will leave a huge void in both the school district and the community. That void is going to be difficult to fill as his retirement caps more than 19 years of service in Lindbergh and a roughly 39-year career as an educator that began when he was a teacher in Indiana.

It’s our belief — one that is shared by many — that Pat is the best school CFO in the state of Missouri, perhaps the nation. Just in the past few years, Pat’s acumen proved invaluable as Lindbergh weathered the greatest financial storm in the district’s history.

Since the 2007-2008 school year, Lindbergh sustained a cumulative loss of revenue totaling $18 million.

As a result, the school board was forced to make cuts totaling $4.7 million for the 2010-2011 school year and roughly $2 million for the 2009-2010 school year.

A 65-cent tax-rate increase, Propo-sition L, approved by Lindbergh voters in November 2010 allowed the board to approve a balanced budget for the 2011-2012 school year — the district’s first balanced budget since 2002. And the board last month approved a budget for the 2012-2013 school year that projects a surplus of more than $29,000.

Don’t expect Pat to be idle in retirement. He’s not the type of person to sit around and do nothing. In fact, he already has a job lined up — working at Angels’ Arms as chief financial and operating officer.

That doesn’t seem to be too different from the job he’s been doing.

“… That’s really what part of my motivation was. Besides being at the point I was ready (to retire), anyway … I really think there was a plan that this is the move I needed to make,” he said Monday. “And so I kind of believe in that type of thing. It’s kind of worked that way my whole life. So I have no doubt that this is the next right step I need to take …”

For Pat, his entire career in education has been a labor of love.

“… This has been an honor and a privilege. I never looked at it as a job. You know, it’s one of those things (like) the guy said, ‘I almost would have done this job for free, it was so great and interesting.’ And it was …,” he said. “It was never a job. It was, again, the same way I feel about this next opportunity, it was really a calling to be here and do what you can for the kids and the community …”