2023 Juneau Municipal Election
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Juneau School District right now?
- What makes you a good candidate for the Juneau Assembly?
- The city is asking voters to fund a new city hall through a $27 million bond. What are your thoughts?
- Do you think the city should limit cruise ship tourism? Why or why not? If so, how?
- What do you intend to do about Juneau’s housing crisis?
- City-hired experts produced hazard maps for avalanches and landslides — how should the city balance responsible development with the needs of community members already living here?
- What do you think is the most important issue facing Juneau right now?
- School Board
- What makes you a good candidate for the Juneau school board?
- What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Juneau School District right now?
- If the school district were to consolidate schools and close certain campuses, what factors do you think district leaders should consider?
- How do you think the district should handle communicating with parents during emergencies?
- Do you think transgender students should be allowed to use bathrooms and play on sports teams that match their gender identity rather than their sex assigned at birth?
School Board
David Noon
Candidate for School Board
The biggest challenge right now is obviously the abysmal levels of funding that the district has had to contend with over at least the past decade, if not longer. That’s led to staffing shortages at all levels. It’s overstretched teachers and staff to the point where many of them are leaving or thinking about leaving. They’re at the breaking point or beyond the breaking point. Much of this distress has been created by our political environment. The Legislature has failed to adequately fund education, which is something that the Alaska Constitution requires. We’ve endured a lot of cuts beyond the point at which the district can successfully fulfill its mission to our students, which is the most important job our community has before it. So addressing the funding crisis, resolving the budget deficit is obviously going to be a top priority.
Britteny Cioni-Haywood
Candidate for School Board
Without a doubt, budget and the lack of funding from the state, which is becoming a critical mass issue. I don’t think there are any easy answers left at this point, and it’s unfortunate that we’re even in this situation. It is also somewhat outside of the school board’s power, per se, but given our proximity to the state capitol, I think it will be important for us to advocate and encourage all of our friends and family to advocate as well for that funding. But it’s without a doubt that funding issue. If I had to do a second, it would be teacher recruitment and retention, but that gets tied back to the funding issue.
Paige Sipniewski
Candidate for School Board
The biggest challenge is probably funding. Enrollment is down and costs are going up. I think a BSA increase is definitely on the table, maybe not as much as is being proposed. But an increase also needs to increase our children’s test scores, and we need to see an improvement along with any funding that’s going to be increased in the test scores.