In Case We're Not Facebook Friends

My swearing in. October 2023. What a transformative experience this has been.

August 18, 2026

Dear Ketchikan friends and community members,

I want to make a sincere appeal to members of our community: please consider running for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education.

I also understand why people may hesitate.

The past several years have been extraordinarily difficult for our school district. We have experienced leadership turnover, serious financial challenges, school closures, staffing reductions, declining enrollment, and deep uncertainty. Employees, families, students, administrators, and board members have all carried those challenges in different ways.

Serving on the School Board is not easy. The issues are complex. The decisions can be painful. There will be disagreement, criticism, long meetings, and an enormous amount of information to absorb. Often, there is no option that leaves everyone satisfied.

It is reasonable to look at all of that and ask, Why would I sign up for this?

Because this work matters.

Our district has come through an exceptionally difficult period, but important work remains. Decisions made over the next several years will help shape what our schools and the opportunities available to Ketchikan students look like for the next generation.

Our schools are inseparable from the health of our community. They affect whether families choose to stay, whether employers can recruit and retain workers, whether young people see a future here, and whether Ketchikan remains a place where people can build their lives.

That is why we need good people willing to serve.

You do not need to arrive as an expert in education, finance, or district operations. You do need to care about students and this community. You need to be willing to learn, ask thoughtful questions, listen to different perspectives, work collaboratively, and make difficult decisions with the long-term interests of the district in mind.

Local democracy is stronger when voters have meaningful choices. A broad pool of candidates, with different life experiences, skills, and perspectives, makes our public institutions better.

My own three-year School Board term ends this October. It has been one of the most challenging and meaningful experiences of my life. I have served during a period of extraordinary upheaval, and I am proud of the work this board, our employees, and our community have done to help move the district forward.

I have shared publicly that I do not intend to seek another term. That is not because I have stopped believing in this work. Quite the opposite: I care deeply about this district and its future. But I am ready for the next chapter of my own life, including eventually leaving Ketchikan, and I do not believe I should make another three-year commitment if I may not be able to fulfill it.

That makes me care even more about who steps forward next.

No one person is indispensable. Healthy public institutions depend on people who are willing to bring their own strengths and perspectives, learn from those who came before them, and carry the work forward.

This year, two School Board seats are open for three-year terms. Candidate filing closes at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.

Candidate information and filing forms are available through the Office of the Borough Clerk at the White Cliff Building, 1900 First Avenue, Suite 230, or online at:

www.kgbak.us/elections

If you are considering running but are unsure what serving on the School Board actually involves, please reach out to me. I am happy to speak candidly about the role, its demands, its rewards, and the realities of serving.

If the challenges of the past few years have made you hesitate, I hope you will consider this:

This may be exactly the moment when your willingness to serve matters most.