The Juneau School Board has announced three finalists for the district’s superintendent position.
All three candidates will be in Juneau next week to meet with students, parents and staff.
Frank Hauser has been superintendent of the Sitka School District since the fall of 2020. He announced his resignation last month.
“While I am not sure what the future holds or if I might be called to serve elsewhere, I look forward to spending more quality time with family,” he wrote in a letter to district families.
Hauser was a finalist for superintendent positions in Anchorage last year and Fairbanks earlier this year. He was previously a music teacher and principal in Anchorage, where he was named Alaska’s 2019 Principal of the Year.
Hauser is the only Alaska-based finalist for the job.
Carlee Simon was superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools in Florida for two years, where she defied Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by enforcing a mask mandate in Fall 2021. The school board voted to terminate her contract last March, though according to reporting by WUFT, many members of the public supported Simon. Mildred Russell, a member of the school board appointed by DeSantis, made the motion to terminate Simon’s contract.
Simon founded Families Deserve Inclusive Schools, an advocacy group that calls for adequate education funding and local control of school districts in Florida.
Thom Peck has been superintendent of Lewistown Public Schools in Montana for six years. He was previously superintendent of two other Montana school districts and is president of his region’s superintendents association. He began his career as a science teacher and coach.
“I would like to serve in this position because I desire the challenge of a larger school district with the tremendous diversity that Juneau offers,” he wrote in his online bio.
Peck was named a finalist for the Missoula County Public Schools superintendent position in January. After interviews with the finalists, the school board reopened that search, saying the finalists lacked the right experience.
Hauser, Simon and Peck will visit Juneau next week to tour schools and meet with students, staff and community members. The district will host a public forum on Monday, March 27 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Thunder Mountain High School. The school board will interview the candidates on Tuesday, March 28.
Juneau Superintendent Bridget Weiss announced her resignation in October after five years on the job. She’ll join the University of Alaska as a liaison for its education program in July.
