This is a developing story.
Will Muldoon, who was elected to the Juneau Board of Education as a write-in candidate in 2021 before easily winning reelection last fall, resigned from the board on Monday effective immediately, according to an announcement by Juneau School District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett.
No reason for the resignation was given. Attempts by the Empire to reach Muldoon on Monday evening were not immediately successful.
School Board President Deedie Sorensen said Monday evening the announcement came as a surprise to her, and she learned about it from an email sent to school board members and other municipal government officials. She said she had not yet talked to him about his decision.
“We really appreciate all of his time and efforts and years of service to support the Juneau School District,” she said.
The one-line email from Muldoon, which begins by citing a board bylaw, states: “I am submitting my notice of resignation from the Juneau School District’s Board of Education, effective immediately.”
Muldoon was the first write-in candidate in 29 years to win a Juneau municipal election in 2021, coming out ahead of two other write-in candidates who were sharply critical of COVID-19 restrictions being taken by the district. Muldoon said at the time he supported the board’s mitigation measures and was elected as a member, along with two other candidates who were on the ballot.
Muldoon has lived in Juneau for more than 25 years and works as an analytics manager. He served as chair of the school district’s finance committee last year when it was going through the most severe budget crisis in its history due to a massive shortfall that, among other actions, resulted in a consolidation of schools.
The announcement by Bartlett states vacancies on the school board must be filled within 30 days and the remaining board members “will immediately begin the process of recruiting for applicants to fill the open seat.”
“The new member will begin by May 21, 2025, and end when voters select a new member to fill the balance of the open term in the 2025 Municipal Election,” Bartlett wrote. “The person appointed to the position now, is not obligated to seek election to the board in the October Municipal Election.”
Persons interested in the position will be asked to submit an application and appear before the board in a public session, where they will provide a statement of interest and answer questions from school board members, according to Bartlett.
“Final selection of an individual to fill the vacant seat will be determined by a majority vote of the remaining voting members of the board, in a public meeting,” she wrote.
Applicants must be an adult Juneau resident eligible to vote, and cannot be a school district employee or member of the Alaska Legislature.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
