The Seattle School Board approved a final superintendent contract with Denise Juneau at a board meeting Wednesday.
"I have spent the bulk of my career working to create a better future for the next generation," Juneau said in prepared remarks after signing the contract. "I’m excited about continuing that work here in Seattle."
The three-year agreement includes annual options for extensions. Juneau’s compensation will include a $295,000 base salary with a possible $15,000 bonus.
Other provisions include $30,000 in retention compensation if Juneau stays on as superintendent for five continuous years, a $700 monthly vehicle allowance, and moving expenses.
Juneau most recently served as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Montana for eight years. She has also worked as an attorney and a high school English teacher.
A member of the Mandan Hidatsa Tribe, Juneau was the first Native American woman in the country to be elected to an executive statewide office in 2008, and she will be Seattle’s first Native American superintendent.
She will take over the position from Superintendent Larry Nyland on July 1.
"Those of us serving in leadership roles have a duty and obligation to do right by every student in this great city, and as long as we continue to keep students at the center of our collective work and conversation, it will be hard to go wrong," Juneau said.
Seattle Public Schools received 63 applications for the position and conducted five interviews before narrowing the search to three candidates. The board selected Juneau at the beginning of April.
