Five people seeking a vacant Juneau Board of Education seat, including a former board member from several years ago and a runner-up candidate in last fall’s election, are scheduled to be interviewed by the remaining board members starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Thunder Mountain Middle School.
The school board is then scheduled to meet in executive session starting at 12:45 p.m. to select a candidate to temporarily fill the seat vacated April 21 by Will Muldoon, who resigned for reasons not specified. The person selected will serve until an election to fill the remaining two years of the three-year term takes place in October.
“Interviews are held in public and will consist of a five minute introduction and statement of interest by candidates, followed by four interview questions from the Board of Education,” an announcement published Tuesday by the Juneau School District notes. “Board members will take turns asking questions, which will be provided in writing to each applicant during their time slot. Each applicant will have 25 minutes, with five minutes transition time between interviews. Interview order was chosen by random drawing.”
The written applications submitted by candidates are available on the district website. Public comments on the candidates can be submitted by email to schoolboard@juneauschools.org or in-person at Saturday’s meeting until the school board’s executive session begins.
The five candidates, in order of their interview times, are:
• Jenny Thomas (10:15 a.m): Finished fourth in a race for three open seats in last fall’s election and was a strong opponent of the district’s school consolidation plan that went into effect last July, leading a recall effort of the school board’s president and vice president that failed. She is the owner of Icy Strait Plumbing and Heating. Her application states she has “15 years of experience as a parent in the district,” and “with the recent consolidation now in effect, I believe it’s essential to evaluate how the plan is working in practice — what’s going well, what needs improvement, and how it’s impacting students, staff, and families across campuses.”
“Key areas to review include the playground at the Dzantik’i Heeni Campus, curriculum for grades 6-8, special education services, and the expansion of trade electives at JDHS. In addition, I would like to establish meaningful family engagement, an environment where families actively participate in decision-making processes and provide valuable feedback on school policies, programs, and initiatives.”
• Brenda Taylor (10:45 a.m.): A longtime teacher, and member of numerous educational councils and committees. Co-founded the Juneau STEAM Coalition (science, technology, engineering and mathematics — plus the localized addition of arts) in 2016. Taught math at Juneau Community Charter School from 2008-2020, and is currently an educator with the Sealaska Heritage Institute.
”I’ve tried to be a part of that thinking and doing for most of my life, as a parent, teacher and community member and I’ve worked hard to involve others in that thinking and doing as well — through creating and continuing the Juneau STEAM Coalition, co-writing Auke Bay’s first parent handbook, chairing site councils at three different schools, testifying to the school board and the legislature, writing newsletters, running a research project about what does/doesn’t support JSD teachers in creating equitable classrooms, and more,” she wrote in her application. “I’ve admired and been curious about the work of the school board, but not been willing to forgo being employed by the district in order to run.” However, “now, I no longer have children in the district” and thus is open to being on the board.
• Dom Pannone (11:15 a.m.): Current director of program management and administration for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. He also describes himself as “a Juneau parent and active community member, deeply familiar with the district’s importance to our city’s future.”
“My two children, ages four and nine, will attend Juneau public schools for the next decade, and I am personally invested in their success and the success of their peers,” he wrote in his application. In response to a question about his top priorities as a board member, he offered a five-item list: “Navigating financial constraints with transparency and a strategic mindset. Supporting the recruitment, retention, and development of exceptional educators and staff. Strengthening engagement with families and community partners. Advancing academic outcomes while ensuring equity and student well-being. Preparing for a smooth transition through the October municipal election to ensure continuity of governance.”
• Melissa Cullum (11:45 a.m.): A strong critic of last year’s school consolidation, she stated in her application “I want to focus on education, more than governance as a way to bridge the gap between teachers, parents, community members and the school board.” Her listed experience includes five years as a middle school teacher in Houston, Texas, three years as a middle and high school teacher in rural Alaska, three years on the Chatham School Board, two years as an instructor in a local tribal adult entrepreneurial program and being a homeschool parent for the past 12 years.
Her listed priorities as a board member are: “1) Fair teacher contracts that will retain and attract quality teachers. 2) Improving student and teacher morale by looking at creative ways to educate students so that it meets the needs of the individual students while also providing a safe work environment for the teachers. 3) Addressing the continued funding and SPED regulatory issues that will be compounded by the dismantling of the Board of Education and a state government with limited funds directed at education.”
• Steve Whitney (12:15 p.m.): A former school board member who served from 2016-2019, he is a fisheries manager for the National Marine Fisheries Service with more than two decades of experience. He notes in his application “I also have two children who passed through the Juneau School District from preschool through high school, so I am familiar with the district from a stakeholder’s perspective” and both of his parents were teachers.
He stated he stepped down after his first term on the school board due to a family illness, but now wants to rejoin the board. “The first priority will be to get union contracts in place,” he wrote. “This is always a struggle, giving our staff what they deserve while ensuring class sizes are not enormous. With the budget constraints we face, it isn’t possible to meet both of those obligations as they deserve to be met, but the task needs to get done regardless.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
