School board approves pay raise for Anchorage School District superintendent Deena Bishop

The Anchorage School Board approved a change to Deena Bishop’s superintendent contract this week that raises her gross annual salary to $250,000.

The raise gives Bishop another $15,000 per year, the agreement says. It also raises the district’s contribution to her retirement annuity in 2021 from $15,000 to $17,700 — an additional $2,700 — which will increase annually by 2% of the sum of Bishop’s annual earnings.

The addendum to her contract passed in a 6-1 vote during Tuesday’s school board meeting; Dave Donley was the only member who voted against the addendum.

“These have been trying times that I don’t think anyone has had experience with,” school board member Starr Marsett said Tuesday night. “(Bishop) and her staff have just done an outstanding job of moving this district forward in such a difficult time.”

Bishop will receive $400 per month to cover the costs of using her personal car. The agreement states that the stipend is in lieu of other expenses related to in-district travel. In addition, she will be entitled to mileage and other expense reimbursements for official business.

She will be paid a $100 monthly phone stipend; Bishop’s original contract supports a $75-per-month cellphone stipend.

Bishop will also receive 12 personal holidays, two more than originally negotiated.

Bishop’s contract runs through July 1, 2022. She took the reins from former ASD superintendent Ed Graff in July 2016. Before that, she held the same position in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District.