- Mayor
- Cody W. Shoemaker
- Norton Gregory
- Saralyn Tabachnick
- Beth Weldon
- Areawide Assembly
- Tom Williams
- Carole Triem
- District 2 Assembly
- Garrett Schoenberger
- Don Habeger
- Emil Mackey
- Michelle Bonnet Hale
- Wade Bryson
- District 1 Assembly
- Loren Jones
- School Board
- Paul Kelly
- Elizabeth (Ebett) Siddon
- Kevin Allen
Age
40
Family
Husband Chris and son Luke
Occupation
Fisheries Biologist for NOAA
Highest level of education
Ph.D.
Previous relevant experience or community involvement
Co-founder of SouthEast Exchange, a group of teachers and community members working to create real-life connections and bring place-based science experiences to Juneau classrooms; statewide parent representative to the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (coordinating programs and services for children prenatal through age 8) since January 2017; parent representative to the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education’s Early Intervention Committee since 2015.
Do you believe climate change is caused by humans?
Candidate did not answer.
Did you attend public school?
Yes
What was your favorite book as a child?
Roald Dahl’s “The BFG”
Why are you running?
I am running for School Board because I believe I bring a strong background in three specific areas:
(1) STEM education. I recognize the role that science can play in educating children and especially for children growing up in Juneau. I know the importance of communicating science to a broad audience, and I am familiar with the current landscape of scientific fields;
(2) Special education. I believe that integration, with appropriate supports, provides benefits to all students in the classroom; and
(3) Early learning and intervention. I believe in high quality early care and learning. I believe that early interventions lead to improved outcomes for children and that early investments lead to reduced long-term costs for families, the school district, and the community at-large.Most pressing education issues
What do you think are the most pressing issues facing education in Juneau?
I think the most pressing issues are: (1) Funding, (2) High quality early learning and kindergarten readiness, (3) Curriculum development, delivery, and evolvement, and (4) College preparedness and workforce readiness.
Improving education
How can the Juneau School District continue to improve educational opportunities for students amid continued flat funding from the state Legislature?
One way for the School District to improve educational opportunities is to build more community partnerships that leverage skills, knowledge and expertise from within our community.
Affordable child care
Access to affordable child care is a concern for Juneau parents. Should the Juneau School District look for more ways to address the issue? If so, how? If not, why?
Yes! Learning begins well before a child enters a Pre-K program or Kindergarten. At the same time, the majority of parents in our community need to work to support their families, therefore childcare is a critical piece of Juneau’s economic viability. The School District therefore should support community efforts that affect the quality of childcare programs and ask advice from organizations such as the Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC). The Juneau childcare system has deficiencies in access, affordability, and quality — all of which impact kindergarten readiness.