Kevin Allen is hoping that the third time will be the charm.
Allen, a 2016 Thunder Mountain High School graduate, has run for a spot on the Board of Education during the past two elections. Allen, who is currently studying accounting at the University of Alaska Southeast, said after last year’s election that he probably wasn’t going to run again.
That feeling has changed over the past year, he said in an interview Friday. Through being the president of the Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 70, being on the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) community council and attending education-related trainings from Alaska to Minnesota, he started to believe in his abilities.
“I slowly realized that I do have the skills and abilities to serve on the board,” Allen said. “I feel like it would be a tremendous waste, especially at a time like this where there’s going to be a whole new board. There’s going to be no incumbents running.”
Three spots on the board are open, as Allen noted. Andi Story is running for state house, Emil Mackey is running for Assembly and Josh Keaton is not seeking re-election. Allen, 20, is the third person to declare his candidacy for the board, joining Paul Kelly and Elizabeth Siddon. The deadline for candidates to register for the race is 4:30 p.m. this coming Monday.
Besides having experience as a candidate, Allen has experience on the board. As a senior at TMHS, Allen was the student representative on the board, and attended the meetings in an advisory role. Through attending those meetings, Allen said, he developed a respect for how civil the debates were. Though members on the board disagree with each other, Allen said, they all are willing to hear opposing viewpoints.
He’s taken that leadership style into other organizations, he said, and said it’s been effective.
“A lot of people have enjoyed my style of leadership where I want to make sure no one gets left behind, but I want to make sure I understand the priorities of other people on the council,” Allen said.
Chief among his concerns with the Juneau School District is the budget. While working with the state to get as much funding as possible is important, he said, it’s vital to look internally as well. The board members must carefully examine their expenditures to see where money is being spent sensibly and where money is being spent inefficiently, he said.
One example he brought up was a desire to constantly keep up with technology. With how rapidly that world is moving, he said, it can be difficult and expensive to keep up.
He also attended a recent training in Minnesota about understanding the effect of trauma on children, and said he’s interested in bringing that understanding to the board. The district recently began implementing programs to help teachers better understand the effects of trauma and how to deal with them.
Allen said though he’s young and will eventually be graduating from college, he plans on remaining in Juneau.
“I have no reason in the world right now to leave,” Allen said, “and I see no reason in the future I would want to leave. My roots are grounded here, you know? I just couldn’t bear to think that I would move on somewhere else. It’s something I couldn’t imagine.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
