The Superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, Daniel Brigman, has resigned after spending less than three months on the job, having officially started on July 1.
During an executive session on Sept. 28, KIBSD’s Board of Education voted to accept Brigman’s resignation, which takes effect on Sept. 30, and placed him on paid administrative leave in the meantime. The Board of Education’s legal counsel was also present at the meeting.
In a letter sent out to school district students, staff, and families on Sept. 28, Brigman said he is leaving to be closer to his family in the Lower 48. During a public candidate forum in January, Brigman said he was excited about the idea of working in Alaska, and looking forward to his family joining him in Kodiak.
“Most of all, I'm looking forward to my kids being a part of the school system too; they're graduates, but they want to come in and be a part of the community as well," Brigman said. "So we're excited about this.”
But Brigman’s wife, Cindy, did not move to Kodiak with him according to reporting from the Kodiak Daily Mirror.
Brigman’s resignation comes as the district is struggling to maintain public trust in the community as a result of years of budget cuts. Brigman talked about this during a work session on Sept. 8.
“There's an ongoing climate of cuts, loss, and negativity, and it's very stressful for this Board of Education and for the leadership," Brigman said. "Potential loss of public confidence and trust often occurs, and we need a paradigm shift.”
Some members of the public said on Facebook they opposed the Board’s decision to hire Brigman from the beginning, citing his work history.
According to reporting from the Avery Journal Times, in 2024, Brigman accepted a $300,000 buyout from the Board of Education in Avery County, North Carolina, to terminate his contract as superintendent. Prior to that, Brigman also resigned as superintendent of Decatur City Schools in Alabama in 2017, ten months into his contract according to FOX-54. And he was released from his position as superintendent of Laurens County Schools in Georgia in 2019 according to WMAZ.
Some people, including accounts claiming to be residents of Avery County, posted concerns about Brigman in Kodiak Facebook groups. Still, the local School Board voted unanimously to hire Brigman during a special session on Jan. 23. In a Facebook post on Jan. 26, Board President Kerry Irons said that they chose to focus on Brigman’s letters of reference, interviews, and background checks instead of “negativity from social media.”
Board member Duncan Fields told the Kodiak Daily Mirror in January that Brigman’s explanation of his past, along with the Board’s independent research, satisfied his concerns, and that he didn’t believe "those circumstances will be repeated in Kodiak.”
According to Brigman’s contract, KIBSD is still obligated to reimburse him for up to $10,000 in moving expenses, but is not obligated to pay him any severance. Irons said that Brigman did not receive a buyout from the district.
“I think there will always be people who question that, but it is not the case," she said.
Brigman was supposed to give the Board eight months notice and assist with the transition to a new superintendent before resigning, according to the contract.
According to a press release the school district posted Sept. 28, assistant superintendent Damon Hargraves has taken over as acting superintendent starting Sept. 29. Hargraves said he met with administrators from every school in the district on Tuesday to get a handle on how things are going. He said a stable teaching and administrative staff is making the transition fairly smooth.
“This year, we had very low turnover in our teaching staff, as well as low turnover in our administrative staff, so we have a broad bench of administrators who are really able to just keep things going like they know that they should," Hargraves said.
Irons said the Board will be meeting as quickly as they can to discuss next steps. The next KIBSD Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Oct. 5.
But Irons said in the meantime, their focus will be on supporting Hargraves and working on their other pressing obligations, like the budget for fiscal year 2028.
