Former education minister Russ Marchuk retiring

Former Saskatchewan education minister Russ Marchuk appears on CTV Morning Live in this undated file photo.

Former Saskatchewan education minister Russ Marchuk says he won't run in the upcoming provincial election.

Marchuk says he planned to run again, but decided during the fall sitting of the legislature that his priorities have changed and he'd like to try other things.

The 69-year-old also says he had surgery last summer to remove a non-cancerous tumour on his neck, but is OK now.

Marchuk was first elected in Regina for the Saskatchewan Party in November 2011 when he defeated then-NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter by about 900 votes.

Marchuk, a former teacher and school board chairman, was rewarded with the job of education minister in May 2012, but stepped down just over a year later.

He had already been nominated to run for the Saskatchewan Party in April's election, and Premier Brad Wall says a new candidate will be chosen as soon as possible.

Marchuk joins nine other Saskatchewan Party politicians and one New Democrat who are retiring.