Sitka School Board extends Superintendent Deidre Jenson's contract through June 2029

The Sitka School Board voted Oct. 7 to extend Superintendent Deidre Jenson's contract through the end of the 2028-29 school year, according to draft minutes of the meeting.

When Rep. Rebecca Himschoot of Sitka introduced Jenson on the House floor in March, she said Jenson had been with the district at least two years and that she hoped Jenson could "beat the average three-year tenure of a superintendent in Alaska."

The board talked over the contract behind closed doors for about half an hour, citing a state open-meetings exception for discussions that could affect a person's reputation. Back in public, members voted without opposition to extend it and approve revised contract language.

The same night, the district reported 1,019 students, counting part-timers, and the board approved a budget revision that adds about $1.1 million in one-time state money and an energy relief grant of about $325,000.