Voters on Tuesday have choices, from candidates who tout decades of public service to those with none, from candidates who want changes now to those who say a sea change will take time, and from candidates who say the district is making the grade to those who say it's failing too many kids.
Twenty-two candidates are vying for four of the board's seven seats. Each seat represents the entire city rather than districts within the city. It is a nonpartisan race and the candidates are not identified by their political party on the ballot. Winners of three of the seats will serve for three years, while the fourth is for a one-year term. The top vote getter for each seat Tuesday wins, unlike the mayoral race, in which a runoff occurs in May if no candidate gets at least 45 percent of the vote.
The most crowded race is to finish the last year of Seat B, a term started in 2007 by Chris Tuck, who resigned in January after winning a seat in the state Legislature. Thirteen candidates are running. Seven are vying for Seat E. The incumbent, Macon Roberts, chose not to run again.
Meanwhile, six-year School Board member Jeff Friedman is defending Seat F against one opponent, Dawn Bundick.
And incumbent Crystal Kennedy is running unopposed for Seat G.
The Daily News gave each candidate a questionnaire. Their answers are posted online at www.adn.com/cityelection. The 30 questions ranged from "Why are you running for School Board?" to "Do you think creationism or intelligent design should be taught in school?"
The Dropout Problem
One in five Anchorage high schoolers quits school before the end of his or her senior year.
Mia Costello, 41, a stay-at-home mother, is a former teacher who coaches dropouts at Nine Star, a social service agency. She thinks kids quit because the city's high schools are too big; most have 1,800 to 2,200 students.
"Students are getting left behind and are not engaged in their learning. And this affects all students, not just those who drop-out," she wrote in the questionnaire.
Costello wants high school class schedules reorganized to give students more time with teachers.
Others agree that the way to get more teens engaged is to get them to feel a sense of community in their schools.
"Students tend to stay in school when they feel connected," said incumbent Friedman, who advocates for programs that create smaller, cohesive schools within the larger high schools.
David Boyle, 64, retired military, believes the solution is early intervention in middle school.
"Those who drop-out of school have usually made that decision before they enter high school," he wrote.
Jody Smith, 36, a former teacher at Government Hill and now a reading specialist with the district, thinks it starts even sooner and wants to see better early intervention in elementary school.
Friedman also said an important focus is to make sure kids are reading by the third grade so they don't fall behind. Education experts often cite third grade as the critical year -- kids who are behind their peers at that age have a tough time catching up and are more likely to drop out in high school.
Many candidates, including Kathleen Plunkett and James LaBelle, advocate for more vocational training, like what is now offered at the crowded King Career Center. Plunkett, a 53-year-old accountant with oil company Conoco Phillips, says she would bring years of public service to the job. She's been involved with the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Commission, the platting board, the Russian Jack Park Community Council, Weed and Seed East Anchorage, and various school projects, among other volunteering.
Other candidates, such as Steve Pratt, a 55-year-old economist and energy consultant, says the district needs to do a better job of scrubbing the budget and making responsible fiscal choices. He's worried the district is alienating taxpayers and thinks one of the district's biggest problems is maintaining community support.
The School District's budget has nearly doubled in the past decade.
A Minority Voice
Several candidates say a minority voice is needed on the board; half of the city's public school students are not Caucasian. Roberts is the only minority who was elected to the board, and he is not running again.
Those who are touting their Native blood include LaBelle and Jeannie Mackie.
Mackie, 40, a stay-at-home mother and a former legislative assistant, is currently on the board, filling in a two-month appointment until the election.
She believes she offers a unique perspective on the challenges faced by students migrating from rural areas.
Alaska Native students, who make up at least 10 percent of the district's students, for years have had the worst dropout rates. Only a third graduate from high school after four years.
LaBelle, 36, a child welfare liaison for Cook Inlet Tribal Council, is a former high school dropout who later attended college. He said that with half of the district's students coming from multi-ethnic backgrounds and with more than 90 languages spoken in the schools, administrators need to be more innovative and understand what the kids are going through.
Find Megan Holland online at adn.com/contact/mholland or call 257-4343.
Who's running for the Anchorage School Board
Twenty-two candidates are running for four seats on the Anchorage School Board on Tuesday. Each seat represents the entire city.
Seat B candidates, one-year term
David Boyle, 64, retired military
Mia Costello, 41, stay-at-home mother
Richard Foster, 46, state insurance regulator
Dan Garcia, 53, FedEx employee
Marc Grober, 56, attorney
Nels C. Johnson, 36, physical therapist •
Stephen P. Johnston, 54, warehouse receiving manager
Jennifer Lucas, 25, graduate student, choir director
Jeannie Mackie, 40, stay-at-home mother
Starr Marsett, 53, real estate licensee, substitute teacher
William P.H. Nye, 24, railroad brakeman
Steve Pratt, 55, economist
Michele Quier, 45, clerical temp
Seat E candidates, three-year term
Bobby Jo Kramer, 50, operations manager
James LaBelle, 36, child welfare liaison
Michael Lindbeck, 51, substitute teacher
Kathleen Plunkett, 53, accountant
Don Smith, 70, retired
Jody Smith, 36, teacher
Marilyn Stewart: Dropped out but is still on the ballot
Seat F candidates, three-year term
Dawn Bundick, 42, investigator and group fitness instructor
Jeff Friedman, 50, attorney
Seat G candidates, three-year term
Crystal Kennedy, 51, former bank credit assistant and paralegal
Online Q&A The Daily News asked each candidate to answer 30 questions about themselves and schools. The questions included: What does a successful student look like to you? How effective is the district in weeding out poor teachers? How can Anchorage reduce its dropout rate? Should sex education be mandatory in high school? When was the last time you set foot in an Anchorage public school and why? What are your best and worst memories of school? Go to www.adn.com/cityelection to see how the candidates answered.
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