She says she has worked on keeping historical information, like a database listing school committee members since 1846 and cataloguing school committee orders since 1983.

By the time she retires, she says she hopes to have sent off a "Citizen's Guide to the School Committee" to be printed.

It's a project that's been lingering, she says. The guide will explain how the committee does business and list the members and subcommittees and will be distributed to parents through the schools.

With the CRLS restructuring and elementary school merger, this term has been a hectic one for the committee, but Rodley says she's seen other busy times-like the building of three elementary schools in one term and the implementation of the city's desegregation plan.

"It comes in cycles," she says.

Committee members and city officials threw a party for Rodley in February and last week gave her a recognition chair as a gift.

"I'll miss the people," she says. "But I won't miss the long hours."