Sitka School Board Candidate Forum 2017-09-27

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School Board Candidates:
Dionne Brady-Howard
Elias Erickson

Presentation
Candidates for School Board will answer pre-written questions and take audience questions during the forum

Menu
Lasagna Bolognese, Garlic Bread, Antipasto Salad 

Bios:
Dionne Brady-Howard Bio:
 My name is Dionne Brady-Howard. My Lingít name is Yeidikook’áa, and I am from the Kiks.ádi clan. I was raised in Sitka and attended the Sitka School District through the 9^th grade. I graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School in 1991 and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Sheldon Jackson College. My daughters currently attend Blatchley Middle School and Sitka High School. I have been a high school social studies teacher for nearly 20 years now, in my eighteenth year teaching at MEHS. I am active within our Native cultural community, helping lead two dance groups as well as helping with SNEP’s 6th through
12th grade culture class, and volunteering as a trainer in diversity as it relates to Alaska Natives.
I am also involved in my school’s collective bargaining unit as the secretary and lead negotiator.  
 Dionne Brady-Howard Advocacy Statement:
 I am seeking to retain the position I was appointed to last year on this board because I believe in the importance and power of public education for our local and global communities. This is why I went into the education field, and why I submitted my name to fill the vacancy last year. I view the issues and challenges in this unique era of education through many lenses. As a parent of two SSD students, as well as an educator, a cultural community member, and a member of the community and society at-large, I seek to continue to bring those multiple perspectives to the board. I was privileged to be appointed to the board, which, like any position, involves a learning curve. I am asking for your vote now that I have more experience in this position so that I may continue to lend my experiences and voice to the school board, and continue to have the honor of representing the best interests of our children, for the benefit of our Sitka community. 

Elias Erickson Bio:
I am proud to have lived in Sitka for my entire life, and come from a family that has roots in Sitka four generations deep. I am the youngest of a family of seven individuals who have all been a part of the Sitka School District in some way. Homeschooled by my mother until 6th grade, my entrance into Sitka’s public schools was delayed, but gave me a wonderfully different way to experience the differences in home and public education. In the 2016-17 school year, I was the student representative on the Sitka School Board and gained invaluable experience attended board meetings, legislative fly ins, and conferences with the Sitka School Board. As someone who has found deep connection and a sense of home in Sitka, I am honored and ready to serve Sitka in this capacity.
Elias Erickson Advocacy Statement: 
It has been said that public education is the greatest pathway to opportunity in America, and I think that statement has held true time and time again. The quality of a student’s education in the beginning years of their life often dictates the quality and prosperity of the remainder of their lives. However, in a seemingly more and more economically unstable State, providing Sitka students with the best education possible has become more and more difficult. Adequately funding academic essentials while also keeping critical extracurriculars such as sports and clubs available to students is the challenge before us. 
  
Although a difficult task, not an impossible one. As a school board member I want to work with teachers to make sure no students are being left to the wayside and that all are being served. I want to work with legislators and city officials to ensure education is being funded adequately. I
also will work with other board members and school administrators to set goals for our district and have candid conversations on where improvements could be made. As the student representative to the school board last year, I gained valuable experience that will help inform decisions I make as a board member.
 
As a board member, focusing on student achievement will be of the utmost importance to me and through collaboration with the Sitka community and professionals from around the state, I want to help ensure our students are being served the best education possible.