Seattle Public Schools Board finalizes hiring of Denise Juneau as new superintendent

The big headline from tonight’s Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors meeting: The board has finalized an agreement with Denise Juneau, its choice to be the district’s next superintendent. Here’s the agenda document, with highlights:

This is a 3-year agreement with annual options for extension. State law limits superintendent contracts to three years. Significant terms of the contract include the following:

• A base annual salary of $295,000.

• Performance compensation in the amount of $15,000. For the 2018-19 contract year this bonus will be earned upon successful adoption by the Board of a District Strategic Plan and a Superintendent performance evaluation structure. In future years, other goals may be identified to determine eligibility for the performance compensation amount.

• Retention compensation in the one-time amount of $30,000, which is payable in July 2023 upon five continuous years of service as superintendent.

• A Tax Sheltered Annuity Plan contribution by the District on June 30 of each year in the amount of 4% of base salary, which equals $11,800 for the first year in June 2019.

• A $700 per month vehicle allowance, which includes local travel expenses.

• The payment of reasonable moving expenses.

• A provision for employee benefits and leave days.

• During the initial transition prior to July 1, 2018, the payment for up to 15 days of contract work at a per diem rate.

• An agreement by the superintendent to maintain a residence within the City limits of Seattle within 6 months of signing the agreement.

Here’s a clip of her post-vote speech, tweeted by SPS:


Juneau is a former Montana state superintendent of public instruction and has been self-employed as a consultant since running for Congress last year. Seattle’s outgoing superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland made $276,000+ when first hired four years ago.

4 Replies to "Seattle Public Schools Board finalizes hiring of Denise Juneau as new superintendent"

  • AdmiralMom April 26, 2018 (10:19 am)

    Dang, that’s a lot of money she’s getting paid. 

  • Joe April 26, 2018 (2:29 pm)

    Wow – that’s more than Trump earns as President!!! Oh, wait – he agreed not to take a salary – never mind.

    • CAM April 26, 2018 (7:20 pm)

      No he didn’t. He said he would “donate” his salary to a selected branch of the federal government. Last year he donated part of it to the National Parks but that was only after significantly cutting their budget so it was essentially meaningless. 

      He also earns at least $400,000 dollars a year, so your estimate that this is more than that is also inaccurate. 

      He has also profitted substantially from being president by forcing the federal government to prop up his family owned businesses. So I’m assuming we’d count that as part of his salary too.

  • Marianne April 26, 2018 (5:16 pm)

    I believe the high salary is because of the last bullet point in the article:  

    “An agreement by the superintendent to maintain a residence within the City limits of Seattle within 6 months of signing the agreement.”


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