The school board voted unanimously on Aug. 17 to amend Superintendent Joshua Garrett’s contract with a 4% increase, bringing his annual salary to $145,600 for his second year on the job.

His previous contract with the school district paid $140,000. That salary was comparable to his predecessor, Bill Burr, whose salary was scheduled to exceed $130,000 after he received a near-$40,000 raise in 2024.

The board voted unanimously in May 2025 to hire Garrett; he started work on July 1, 2025. 

“Josh (Garrett) has done an amazing job of establishing a good relationship with the WCA, and he’s done a great job with the budget. He has also done a lot of grant writing,” School Board President John DeRuyter said in an interview on Monday, Aug. 24.

“He’s been very proactive when thinking about programming and different ways to improve the district.”

During his superintendent’s report to the board during the Aug. 17 meeting, Garrett said the district had secured “a little more runway” with its budget and noted the district will receive approximately $380,000 in one-time additional state funding for the 2026–2027 school year.

The funding was approved by the Alaska Legislature as part of a statewide one-time education funding package and left intact following the governor's line-item budget reviews. The addition covers roughly two-thirds of the district's operating deficit for the year, significantly reducing the draw needed from reserve accounts.