Transcript:
Hailey: And for participating in West Valley's 10th Annual Local Government Candidate Forum. Thank you also to the hundreds of students who wrote and submitted questions. And the student committee who selected the questions to make this opportunity more widely available. We will be broadcasting this event on Facebook Live.
Please practice civil discourse in all comments. One of the district's core values is embodying respect for the diversity and dignity of all. Facebook comments that violate this core value will be deleted. And students, please follow respectful audience behavior. To start, each candidate has one minute for an opening statement, and then we will go to the student questions.
After each student asks their question, each candidate will have one minute to respond. The order of candidates responding will rotate. We will now go into the opening state After the fourth and eighth questions, we will have a lightning round in which candidates respond by holding up a sign that says yes or no.
We will now go into the opening statements. The order of the opening statements will begin in the way the official ballot reads.
So we will start with Seat A Candidate Loa Carroll Hubbard.
[00:01:03] Hubbard: Thank you. Good morning. Thank you for having this forum. I'm excited to be here this morning and I'm looking forward to addressing some of your questions.
[00:01:13] My name is Loa Carol Hubbard. I was born and raised in Fairbanks. I graduated actually from the school across town. Sorry, West Valley. But I'm a former Malamute. I am a former math teacher. So I have a credential in teaching mathematics. And I also, um, have a bachelor's degree in, uh, business. And I have a master's degree in education administration.
[00:01:40] And I worked with Tribal Education, uh, when I was in California. And I helped them with their, uh, individual education plans. And we worked a lot on reading literacy. And that's kind of one of my, uh, biggest, uh, I guess that's the drum that I beat the loudest is on reading literacy for K-12, but specifically K-3.
Because I think that strong beginnings are the most important thing. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:02:06] Hailey: And now, thank you. And now Seat A candidate Tamara Kruse Roselius.
[00:02:11] Kruse Roselius: Thank you. Uh, thank you for inviting us. This is a great forum. I have been an advocate for students in our school district for over 20 years, and I've lived in this community for over 40.
[00:02:24] I have always helped special education students achieve their goals through my work as a SPED advocate. I know our schools in this district, and I'm running now because my boys had tremendous education in our schools. They had fantastic teachers, and every child in this district deserves that. You all deserve that.
[00:02:46] Small classes, excellent educators, opportunities to learn, stretch, and grow, and pursue your path of choice. As we expand and grow educational and workforce opportunities, we must also make sure that [00:03:00] every student has access to opportunity. Diversity is our strength. Strong schools grow a strong workforce and a strong community we want to live in.
[00:03:10] But schools are the backbone. Thank you so much for this forum.
[00:03:15] Hailey: Now seat B, Candidate April Smith.
[00:03:19] Smith: Thank you. Thank you for having us here. I'm a conservative wife and mother to ten children. I've served on the school board three years previously, and I'm ready to go back to work for the community. I have a proven record of supporting public education while still being a watchdog for parental rights, school choice, and for respecting the taxpayers.
[00:03:39] I've been substitute teaching in our district to better understand and serve you. Because student outcomes focus government, governance is my passion, and accountability and trust are paramount if we want to make our public education shine. I'm ready to do what I've always done for you. Protect your rights, protect your pocketbook, [00:04:00] and secure the best opportunities for students while doing it.
[00:04:03] And now
[00:04:04] Hailey: seat B, candidate Morgan Dulian.
[00:04:09] Dulian: Yes, thank you so much. I'm Morgan Dulian, candidate for school board seat B. I've lived here in Fairbanks since 2013. I'm a working mom of public elementary school kids in Fairbanks. They go to Pearl Creek. My husband graduated from West Valley in 98. When talking about schools, I keep hearing the same five words.
[00:04:31] They used to be better. Student success has been jeopardized by over 10 years of irresponsible planning and unstable state funding. However, in the face of all these unprecedented challenges, I'm taking action and focusing my energy on finding solutions for you. With responsible planning, we can stabilize our schools and uplift student success for all of you.
[00:04:58] What sets me apart is how I [00:05:00] will approach this work. I am a thoughtful leader. I am, I actively reach out to people with differing opinions than mine and try to build common ground. I'm dedicated to making tough decisions and leading our community through this time of change to uplift student success.
[00:05:16] Thank you.
[00:05:17] Heidi: Thank you. Okay. Now we will start our student questions. We will, can you please hold applauses until the end of all of the questions. We will start with Charlotte, a 9th grader.
[00:05:35] Charlotte: Hello, my name is Charlotte, and I am a sophomore. My question is, within the last several years, it is known that many schools have faced staff shortages. One way this problem was solved was by providing emergency certification for teachers. If elected, how would you address the issue while still making sure students have access to quality education from quality teachers?[00:06:00]
[00:06:01] Heidi: Tamara Kruse Roselius, you have one minute.
[00:06:05] Kruse Roselius: Thank you for the question. I consider this a two parter. First, we have to work and do as much as we can to retain the teachers we have. That's a state issue at getting the budget we need, inflation proofing our, uh, cost. We need to take better care of our teachers.
[00:06:27] We need to listen to our teachers. They've been telling us for years what they need to stay in this community and work in our schools. And listening to them and showing them this respect is what we need to do. As far as emergency certifications, what I've heard from teachers is there's a right way to do it and a not so great way to do it.
[00:06:48] By getting professionals in from the community A professional isn't necessarily a teacher, so we need to do better at working on getting the right skill sets into our schools. And [00:07:00] what is working is getting J 1 teachers in from different places, if they're certified and experienced. We can market our unique state, attract and retain teachers.
[00:07:10] Thank you.
[00:07:11] Heidi: Thank you. Our next will be
[00:07:13] Hubbard: Lola Carol Hubbard. Thank you. Um, my first credential actually was an emergency credential. Um, I, I was not prepared at all to walk into a classroom, and I had an excellent mentor. Um, he had been in the classroom for about 35 years, and so he taught me a lot, and it was an amazing experience.
[00:07:36] So, I fully support emergency credentials, and I think that we need mentorships, and I think that some of the retired teachers that are still here would make excellent mentors for our new teachers. Yeah. Um, we are currently recruiting teachers from the Philippines, which I find An amazing outside of the box, um, solution.
[00:07:57] We give people an opportunity to come to [00:08:00] America, to experience Alaska, and that's exciting too. Um, I want to, I'd like to see us promote, um, a little bit more, um, of an education department at the University of Alaska, and get the students more involved in, uh, going to the university for those programs.
[00:08:19] Thank you.
[00:08:20] Heidi: Thank you. Next is Morgan Dulian.
[00:08:23] Dulian: Thank you so much Charlotte for the question. Um, so this again is also a two part question. The first is about why are we here. So we're here because we have teacher shortages and as a board member I will advocate to, um, to Juneau to provide better retirement benefits that will attract and retain teachers and educators.
[00:08:44] Thank you. Also, we have an issue right now that's going to drive more teachers away, which is our rising cost of health care, which is something that I will advocate for on the board to, um, put a solution in place for our hardworking educators in this district. For [00:09:00] emergency certifications, it's a necessity because we have this teacher educator shortage problem in this state.
[00:09:07] So, how do we fix that? Mentor programs are key. Sean Kraska, former principal of the year, is leading that and I encourage people to be a part of that to help those that are in the classroom right now with those emergency certs, but also working with UAF and UAA to expand and attract more educators to our state.
[00:09:26] Heidi: So, thank you. Next is April Smith.
[00:09:29] Smith: Currently, my daughter is going to UAF to be a teacher. We need to grow our own. I would encourage people who want to see changes in public education to consider teaching and to take steps now to attain Alaska credentials. I would also encourage military spouses who get orders here to start that process early, and for the state of Alaska to remove barriers and make that process as seamless as possible.
[00:09:59] [00:10:00] And I would also remind everyone that emergency certifications do not mean low quality. Many of those educators were previously educating students in other states or countries and need time to complete Alaska specific training. And, um, it doesn't necessarily affect their ability to teach kids how to read and do math.
[00:10:22] Hailey: Thank you. The next question comes from Eli, an 11th grade student.
[00:10:29] Eli: Hello, my name is Eli Moore. Uh, I'm a junior. According to the Alaska Beacon, at the end of September, The deadline for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars granted during the pandemic for students experiencing homelessness expires. The expiration of this money means less aid for homeless students in the Alaska school system.
[00:10:49] The number of students experiencing homelessness in Alaska has significantly risen in the past few years, and this number continues to grow. With homeless students already graduating 30 percent less than those who have [00:11:00] permanent housing, the loss of extra aid will serve to enlarge the margin and even more.
[00:11:05] Leave, ugh, and leave even more students without a safe place to go. How do you plan, how do you plan to address the hit that this specific group of students will take when this money is no longer available?
[00:11:17] Hailey: April Smith, you have one minute.
[00:11:19] Smith: Thank you. I'll continue to support alternative learning options that give students at risk the best chance of finding an education model that fits their life.
[00:11:28] I'll continue to support grant matches and funding support services through our homeless liaison and the McKinney Vento grant offices. And I'll also continue to spend my Fridays making sandwiches and packing lunches and supplies through my church and delivering those to homeless youth in North Pole where I've been doing this for years.
[00:11:47] Hailey: Morgan Dulian is next.
[00:11:52] Dulian: Thank you so much, Eli, for that important question. Um, this is personal to me. So I have a family friend that has been experiencing [00:12:00] homelessness, um, through the last year. Um, has lived at several different shelters with her children, three of whom are in this, um, school district. So, um, I, I, I recognize How difficult that is and how much we need to support students that are going through times like that So thank you for bringing this question forward The McKinney Vento program that we have with the school district is a wonderful way that we can expand our public private Partnerships and attract philanthropic money to our district for those students I know there's lots of business members who would be willing and excited to hear about that so we can talk about that program more and To get more funding in.
[00:12:41] And then the second is just to expand our partnerships generally for services that are providing services to those that are experiencing homelessness and um, and help connect them more. So thank you again for that question.
[00:12:55] Hailey: Thank you. Now Loa Carroll Hubbard.
[00:12:58] Hubbard: I actually have a [00:13:00] client right now who has a family of seven who is going to be facing homelessness in about three weeks.
[00:13:04] So it's a very timely question, so thank you for asking. We do offer school choice and maybe the public school system is not necessarily going to be the best fit for them. There are, you know, homeschool options and there are other options of distance learning and Those students can possibly connect into.
[00:13:28] Um, we do have the McKinney Vento program. And as a school board member, I just would be encouraging our school district to continue that program as long as possible. I know that as a school board member, we don't specifically decide how those funds are spent. But, you know, we have people in place who are professionals who are looking at this every single day.
[00:13:49] And so we, we, you know, would like to think that they're actually providing the best solutions. They're connecting people to the community. And, um, they're, we'd also, sorry, [00:14:00] thank you.
[00:14:01] Hailey: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius is next.
[00:14:05] Kruse Roselius: Thank you for the question. Just as a little bipartisan plug, I want to mention that Senator Murkowski helped us get those funds, and it was eight times our regular, so this is a very severe loss.
[00:14:17] And I'm going to echo a lot of what Morgan said, and we didn't actually prep this together, but it's all about partnerships. We have so many wonderful services in this community, and it's connecting those partnerships to those needs. Our community always steps up, so getting the word out. Letting people know what we need and I am going to disagree with what a couple of the other candidates said about different options for school choice.
[00:14:44] School choice is wonderful but if you don't even have a home and a room and a computer to sit and do your work, schools are a stabilizing force. We need to make sure that those students can get to schools and if their home situation [00:15:00] changes, the most important thing is that they can continue in the school they've been at.
[00:15:05] Thank you.
[00:15:06] Heidi: Thank you. Our next question comes from Sylas, a 9th grade student.
[00:15:20] Sylas: Hello, my name is Sylas Layos-Wagaman, and this, I am 9th, and I'm a freshman here, and this is my question. According to the APA, a healthy amount of sleep for teens between the ages 13 and 18 is hours per night. But according to a study done by the CDC, the percentage of high school students in 2009 not getting that amount of sleep was 69%.
[00:15:41] Then by 2021, that number increased to 77%. Along with that, teens experience changes in their circadian rhythm, making it more difficult for them to go to bed early. To make up for lost sleep caused by early start time. This causes a decrease in positive mood, sleep duration, socio emotional health, cognitive development, behavioral health, and physical [00:16:00] health.
[00:16:00] What's more, later start times have correlated to better attendance, decreased hardiness, lower rates of students sleeping in class, better grades, and even fewer car crashes. If you are elected, what do you plan to do about the early start times in our district that are contrary to national data and suggestions?
[00:16:15] Heidi: Morgan Dulian, you have one minute.
[00:16:17] Dulian: Sylas, thank you so much for asking this question. So, um, sleep time, sleeping and start times. This is something that a couple of years ago when they were adjusted, um, I just thought, oh my gosh, how does that possible? Because I've never been a morning person, especially when I was in middle school and high school.
[00:16:36] Um, as we consider consolidating schools, which will have to happen this next year because of our budget cycle, this is an opportunity for us to. But as to also address start times. That's something that I will prioritize because I get it. I see it. I see how difficult it is. And I think that the Board is responsible, one of the things the Board's responsible for is making sure that you have the best opportunities to learn and succeed and thrive. So if we can address that at the Board level by adjusting start times as we consider school consolidations I'll prioritize that. Thank you.
[00:17:16] Heidi: Thank you. April Smith is next.
[00:17:18] Smith: Thank you. I approved early start times when I was on the board before and I'll continue to support and defend them. When the community was surveyed, nearly all the respondents chose the start time option that had their students starting earlier.
[00:17:34] Even the high school students from this school, the majority of the high school students were West Valley students, Who completed the survey, chose the early start time. Late starts for secondary school does not match our community values, no matter what national research says. I will always do what's right for Fairbanks.
[00:17:54] Heidi: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius.
[00:17:58] Kruse Roselius: Thank you for the question. [00:18:00] I have been advocating for that for years. I advocated most fiercely when my own sons were in high school. It is hard. And I understand all the data. I know the data. And I know the issues about having later start times for high schools. And one of those issues is that As we do that, we also need to provide after school programs for elementary kids that'll be starting earlier.
[00:18:26] We have to combine that with workforce development that understands that jobs might have to start later. But as far as later start times for high school, I would make that an absolute priority. Anchorage changed, and if Anchorage can do it, we can figure out how to do it. Because if attendance is an issue, start later.
[00:18:49] If grades are dipping, start later. If tardiness is an issue, start later. It solves the problem. Thank you.
[00:18:57] Heidi: Thank you. Lola Carol Hubbard is next. [00:19:00]
[00:19:00] Hubbard: Ouch. Um, I'm going to completely disagree and I'm sorry, West Valley. Um, I don't support later start times. I think early start times support the community better.
[00:19:11] Um, I, I was looking at the results of the survey and it was clear that the majority of people want earlier start times. We have a community of military people who are on a clock and they have to start early. Um, Um, we would have to rearrange, again, bus schedules, we would have to rearrange, um, teacher schedules, and I think trying to do all of that is, is just an unnecessary, uh, addition to, to what we really need to focus on.
[00:19:43] Um, I support early start times and, um, that's just where I stand. Thank you.
[00:19:50] Hailey: Thank you.
[00:19:51] The next question comes from Reid, a 10th grade student.[00:20:00]
[00:20:01] Reid: Hello, my name is Reid Merrill. I'm in 10th grade, and my question is, as the winter months are approaching, the National Institute of Mental Health states that people have a 38 percent higher depression rate in the winter, on top of the 1 in 6 students that face mental health issues in school. If you were elected, what would you do to combat mental health issues as a whole, and how would you help to fight seasonal depression in schools?
[00:20:26] Hailey: Loa Carol Hubbard, you have one minute.
[00:20:29] Hubbard: Thank you. That's an interesting question. Um, having lived in California and having been able to wake up to the sunshine every day, I kind of miss that, uh, you know, bright sunshine every day. Um, I, I do know that, you know, depression can be fought in many ways. And so, um, I, you know, I think that we need to have just basic education on depression.
[00:20:52] Um, exercise is one excellent way of fighting depression. And, uh, getting involved in team sports, you [00:21:00] know, and getting involved in extracurricular activities. Or choosing, uh, the, the, um, electives that you like. Or, you know, reading a good book. Um, books are free, we have libraries, and you can go anywhere in the world if you open up a book.
[00:21:17] Um, we, you know, you can write in a journal, you can, there's a lot of things we can do. Um, drinking enough water. These are things in your, that your health class are going, that your health class is going to address, but depression is something that you can absolutely get a handle on.
[00:21:32] Hailey: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius is next.
[00:21:35] Kruse Roselius: Thank you. Uh, one of, uh, my priorities is also that we need more counselors in schools. Our counselors are severely overworked and triaging from one crisis to another. That does not give time for preventative help. And that is the model we need to be pursuing. We can get more support in the schools for our counselors and take non counseling duties off of their plate.[00:22:00]
[00:22:00] That would help. We can partner with community programs. Some of the schools are doing that. And we can work on internships. It's another thing we could do with UAF. to all of our students and staff who work on internships to get help in our schools. And it's another reason why we must rethink putting band in our elementary schools and continuing with the extracurriculars that we can.
[00:22:23] Every person needs to find their group, and that's one of the ways we can also combat that. Supporting our counselors, supporting our staff, and providing opportunities for students. Thank you.
[00:22:37] Hailey: Thank you. Now April Smith.
[00:22:39] Smith: Thank you. Well, I just continue to fund engaging PE and sports activities. Physical activity is shown to help fight depression, seasonal and general. And I'd also encourage maybe donations from the community if they want to donate some happy lights. Uh, can be used in libraries and common areas to support UV absorption. That can also help ease seasonal depression. Generally, though, we can't look to the government, which school is the government, to solve every little problem in our lives. Uh, mental health solutions are largely going to be found through the health care system or at home.
[00:23:19] Hailey: Thank you. Morgan Dulian is next.
[00:23:22] Dulian: Thank you so much. So, I think this relates to Eli's question. I'm, I'm sorry, Sylas' question as well regarding sleep. So, I have a, um, high school. Um, friend of mine who, uh, through my, through my own friends, their daughter, who tells me the story that, um, they are losing sleep at night because they're on, they want to make sure that their friends from the queer community, um, don't die by suicide.
[00:23:48] And it's keeping them up at night. And that hits me really hard. Um, depression is a real problem. Um, we need to make sure that our schools are an inclusive place. [00:24:00] Where every child feels welcome so that they can learn. The district's climate survey is really concerning. Students don't feel safe. There's a downward trend.
[00:24:11] So what can we do? Of course we can invest in robust programs that engage students, but we also need to make sure that we have the mental health resources in our schools and they're fully funded so that students feel safe and they know that they have somebody that's on their side and will advocate for them.
[00:24:28] Thank you.
[00:24:29] Heidi: Thank you. We will now go into our first lightning round. They will indicate with their yes or no placards. We will start now.
[00:24:41] Sara: Hi, my name is Sarah Dallaire and I'm a 10th grader here at West Valley and I will be reading for Zoe in 11th grade. And her question was, do you have a student in the school district? Thank you.
[00:24:54] Victoria: Thank you. Hello, my name is Victoria Moore. I'm a senior at [00:25:00] West Valley, and I'll be reading Kira, Kira's question.
[00:25:03] Are you in support of certified teachers carrying a weapon on school grounds? Thank you.
[00:25:10] Clarice: Hello, my name is Clarice Stewart, and I'll be reading this question on behalf of Elliot, who's an 11th grader. Do you think a four day school week instead of a five day school week would be more beneficial to students?
[00:25:23] Hailey: Thank you.
[00:25:25] Clarice: And again, I have my own question. Being knowledgeable of gender identities allows students to respect other human beings. Do you support educating students on different sexual orientations and gender identities within the education system?
[00:25:40] Hailey: Thank you. And that concludes our first lightning round, and we will now continue with our student questions.
[00:25:49] Heidi: The next question comes from Violet, an 11th grader, and is being read by Shayla, an 11th grader.
[00:25:57] Shayla: Uh, good morning. Recent [00:26:00] studies have shown that comprehensive sex education programs are effective in reducing rates of rape, assault, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. As the state of Alaska is ranked the third highest in rates of chlamydia by the CDC, as well as generally having high rates of teen pregnancy, comprehensive sex ed is clearly relevant and important.
[00:26:17] Insights from the CDC also reveal that fully comprehensive sexual education teaches youth what healthy and safe relationships look like and offers ample opportunity to practice communication skills before becoming sexually active. Students deserve com Students deserve medically accurate information regarding sex, contraception, boundaries, and consent in order to prioritize their safety and health.
[00:26:38] Given this evidence, how do you plan to support and implement comprehensive sex education in our school district to ensure that our students receive accurate and effective information?
[00:26:47] Heidi: Tamara Kruse Roselius, you have one minute.
[00:26:51] Kruse Roselius: Thank you. I got involved in school board committees, uh, for the very first time because of this very question.
[00:26:58] Because we [00:27:00] need comprehensive sexual education in our schools. We have a curriculum committee. We have policies in place. We have, uh, The most opportunities in this district for student, for parent involvement than any district in the state, the most committees. We have policies in place and we need to follow them.
[00:27:21] We need to Sorry, let me look at my notes. We need effective, uh, health education. And it blows my mind when people say they don't want that to happen in schools. With appropriate information, factual information. If we don't do that, every kid's gonna find it on their own. And do we want them finding it on whatever videos they find on the internet?
[00:27:46] Or do we want them sitting in an embarrassing classroom situation, but learning what they need to know? Thank you.
[00:27:54] Heidi: Thank you. Loa Carroll Hubbard is next.
[00:27:57] Hubbard: Thank you. Um, over the [00:28:00] past, uh, couple of weeks, uh, the health curriculum has been brought back to the front. Thank you. And has been opened back up for community comment.
[00:28:10] And so I've been reviewing, um, the curriculum. And it does include comprehensive sex education. Um, sex education curriculum must be available, um, for review by parents and guardians. And they are allowed to object, if they want to, and remove their students from any activity. Uh, from any class or any program, actually.
[00:28:33] So parents and guardians may submit a written request to remove their children from instruction on, say, teen dating violence and abuse, or on any sex education, whatever they'd like. This is referred to as what they call an opt out policy. Um, I know that comprehensive sex education does exist, and I will continue to support what is in the current curriculum.
[00:28:58] Heidi: Thank you. Morgan Dulian. [00:29:00]
[00:29:00] Dulian: Thank you, Violet. Thank you so much. Um, I support a comprehensive, evidence based, and age appropriate, uh, sex education in our school district. So, specifically, I support curriculum review. Um, public feedback, expert health, um, health experts within our district to build that curriculum and then bring forward to the board.
[00:29:21] Absolutely, that's something that I support, and I encourage the public's involvement in that. Uh, professional development. So once we have that curriculum in place, we need to support our educators so that they can, um, deliver that curriculum in a way that is effective. And then promoting a safe environment.
[00:29:39] So promoting an environment of respect, open communication, and inclusivity. I also support, uh, the option for parents and parental rights to opt out because every family is different and families really need to be involved, especially in that aspect when it comes to that curriculum. Thank you.
[00:29:59] Heidi: Thank you. April Smith is next.
[00:30:01] Smith: Thank you. When I was on the school board, I approved a comprehensive health book that contained modern, accurate materials relevant to all of the necessary topics for sex ed. I've spent the last several weeks carefully reviewing the proposed sex education curriculum, and with a few small changes, I'll find it acceptable and approve it if I serve on the school board in the future. Thank you. I have never opted any of my six students so far who have been in secondary school in this district out of the health program, and I find it safe and acceptable.
[00:30:39] Hailey: Thank you. The next question comes from Ryder, a 10th grade student.
[00:30:46] Ryder: Hello, my name is Ryder Kerr. I'm a sophomore, and my question is, West Valley has had major issues related to our restrooms such as vandalism, vaping, and maintenance. The restrooms get trash food left around the floors, [00:31:00] sinks, and even the urinals. The restrooms also get closed down due to students destroying the appliances in the bathrooms, and this impacts the students heavily by having less restrooms be available.
[00:31:10] Many students have also expressed that they're more uncomfortable using the restrooms now that the outside doors have been taken off of them. The current solution are having staff monitor the restrooms, During busy periods like the lunch and passing periods, using the PASS system to identify suspects involved in vandalism and following up with punishments for students who caused these incidents.
[00:31:32] Despite all of the efforts, there are still major issues. What ideas do you have to improve this ongoing and impactful situation?
[00:31:39] Hailey: April Smith, you have one minute.
[00:31:42] Smith: Thanks. I have actually worked bathroom duty here at West Valley High School multiple times when I was on the school board, due to the low number of adults in the building, and so I know just what you're talking about.
[00:31:58] Um, I believe in punishments related to the crimes. Students who are found to be creating these expensive and distracting problems should probably clean bathrooms in common areas and other things directly related to this type of restitution. In-school suspension or even regular suspension, it's almost kind of a gift to high school students.
[00:32:20] So, I really don't think that they teach the lessons that we're looking for, but cleaning urinals might. So, at charters and other programs in the district, students engage in that kind of work for punishment and just for service. So, I think it's possible.
[00:32:38] Hailey: Thank you. Morgan Dulian is next.
[00:32:40] Dulian: Thank you. I'm going to first say that I, I think that the doors need to stay on the bathroom stalls.
[00:32:45] I think that's a privacy issue. Um, so thank you so much, um, for asking that. Uh, when I was in high school, so this has been an issue, I think, forever and ever. Uh, high school bathrooms since, um, became a thing, have always been a place where there's issues. Uh, when I was actually in high school, uh, and I'm 42, um, I ran for class president, uh, and I won because I ran on bathroom issues.
[00:33:10] And at that point in time, it was adding two ply and feminine hygiene products for free in our bathrooms, which, which we did. Um, but again, it's different now. There's vaping, there's vandalism, there's violence. It's, it's, it's. And, uh, so how do we address that? Um, I think that I support the, the vape centers that are in the bathrooms and I'd encourage funding those more.
[00:33:34] Also, just again, I go back to the culture of respect. Um, open communication and a place where students can feel safe. But, it's a, it's an ongoing problem. Thank you.
[00:33:45] Hailey: Thank you. Now, Loa Carol Hubbard.
[00:33:48] Hubbard: Thank you. Um, I agree with Morgan about the bathroom doors. I think that's really, um, I think that's a privacy issue, and I think the door should be back up.
[00:33:58] If there's safety monitors in the bathroom, um, I would think that that would solve the issue. But, um, In my opinion, any kind of violence should always be reported. Um, any kind of destruction, vandalism, it doesn't matter, that should all be reported. And I believe that there are already processes in place, so if you report that to a safety officer, the safety officer or monitor would then report it to the principal or the vice principal, which just keeps going up, and then they report it to the superintendent, who then, if, you know, we can't deal with it there, brings it to the school board.
[00:34:31] So, there is a chain in place. And so I would just encourage, um, people, use your voice, um, be heard. And let, let other people know what's going on. If you don't tell us, we don't know. So, what is that, if you see something, say something? So, um, yeah, advocate for yourself.
[00:34:51] Hailey: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius is next.
[00:34:55] Kruse Roselius: for the question. The first thing I hear is a safety issue, and that always has to be our first concern. And it's my understanding that it's the outside doors that are off, so that people passing by can see what's going on just in the outer portion. And if that's a safety issue, and that's what we have to do, that's what we have to do.
[00:35:15] Safety is the first priority. But We have to start teaching respect at a young age. We have to have respect for each other, respect for ourselves, and respect for our surroundings. That starts as soon as kids start school. And we build that respect up through so many ways. We have so many opportunities in the district.
[00:35:38] Providing mentor programs. When somebody that's feeling so bad, they're doing this kind of vandalism, has an opportunity to be a mentor to somebody else, they build their self confidence. But we have to think about punishments to fit the crime, cleaning the bathrooms, none of that is acceptable. Thank you.
[00:35:58] Heidi: Thank you.
[00:36:06] Eli: Hello, my name is Eli Moore, I'm reading on behalf of Ethan. On September 3rd, 2024, a 14 year old high school student killed four people in a school shooting in a Georgia high school. How do you plan on keeping students and staff safe at school from this type of violence?
[00:36:22] Heidi: Morgan Dulian, you have one minute.
[00:36:24] Dulian: Thank you so much. Um, this has been a problem, uh, since I was in high school in, and Columbine happened. That was the first one. And at that point it, it seemed like a, a new thing that hopefully was isolated, and however, it's not. It's only gotten worse and it's unique to our country, which is also very interesting.
[00:36:46] Um, as an elected official, uh, this is something that I will absolutely prioritize is the safety of our students. So, I know that the district right now has monthly meetings with the, um, [00:37:00] local law enforcement. I encourage continuing that strong relationship. And that is to, that is in an instance where we have to address the threats.
[00:37:09] Prevention though is also very important. So how can I advocate for increased mental health and counseling to support students? And then again, going back to a culture, anti bullying, advocating for resolutions and policies that promote inclusion and also encourage family involvement is very important.
[00:37:27] Thank you.
[00:37:28] Heidi: Thank you. April Smith is next.
[00:37:31] Smith: Thank you. Um, I currently have eight kids in six different programs or schools in this school district. Safety in the schools is pretty important to me. I plan to continue to fight to fund school safeties. I've also spent time as a volunteer many times doing hall and restroom safety monitoring.
[00:37:53] Uh, like I said before, when our schools are desperately understaffed. Um, but the best thing I'll do is continue to support diverse school clubs and activities that meet students needs to find themselves reflected in the community. I support all kinds of clubs that, and sports, that are student oriented and that follow the law regarding subject matter.
[00:38:17] And I also support trained faculty carrying firearms if they should choose to do so.
[00:38:23] Heidi: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius is next. Thank you.
[00:38:31] Kruse Roselius: Um, the drills, safety officers in the schools, everything that can be done to keep kids safe must be done. We already have a school administration that's authorized to allow carry if they need to. Uh, thank you. What we need to talk more about is a mental health crisis in our schools, and I refer back to what I was talking about with counselors.
[00:38:55] The only the best way to address this is proactive, not after something's happening. Our counselors need support. There's so many kids coming in with mental health issues. Now we've all been through it. Pandemic forward. Let's support them. Let's provide extracurriculars. Let's let everybody find their own people.
[00:39:16] Let's make sure nobody's left out. No child left out. Affirm all students a culture of treating each other with respect and learning the strength of diversity. That is my number one goal. Thank you.
[00:39:29] Heidi: Thank you. Next is Loa Carol Hubbard.
[00:39:39] Hubbard: Okay. Um, I actually in my former school when I was in California, I was in three lockdowns and they were all three very scary and very severe. Um, in two of those, we had active shooters in the area. They weren't at our at our school, but they were one was specifically across the street and the other one was in the neighborhood, which was near our school So those were hours long one was five hours one was about three hours long and we had SWAT teams and I mean it was it was intense and it's very scary and you have to go through those drills safe in the classrooms to make sure that people are kept safe.
[00:40:21] And in our schools they were. Now we did have safety officers, we had police officers that were assigned to our high school and we had an assigned police officer at every single high school in our valley. I would promote that also.
[00:40:36] Hailey: Thank you. The next question comes from Abby, an 11th grade student.
[00:40:43] Abigail: Hi, my name is Abigail. I'm a junior here at West Valley. And my question is, over the past three years I've been attending West Valley, I've been faced with harmful hate speech on more than one occasion. Students have used racial slurs such as the n word and other derogatory language towards indigenous people and Asian Americans, as well as plastering swastikas everywhere they can.
[00:41:03] Students do this with little to no shame. According to the American Psychological Association, Rate of suicide attempts among high schoolers drop significantly when hate crime laws are enacted. If you were to be elected, how would you strive to both educate students on the harms of hate speech, punish those saying hate speech, and empower teachers and students to speak up against hate?
[00:41:22] Hailey: Loa Carroll Hubbard, you have one minute.
[00:41:27] Hubbard: Well, harmful speech and hateful speech isn't acceptable in any place at any time. So I, you know, we, we need to make sure that people are educated, obviously, um, to, to recognize what that is and to be able to stand up and say, no, you're not going to treat me like that. Um, it doesn't matter where you are and it really doesn't matter what the circumstances are.
[00:41:51] Um, hateful speech toward anybody is really not okay. So, I would just want to, um, encourage people to use your voice and to speak up for yourself, to make sure that you are telling other people what's going on, you know, you can talk to your teachers, you can talk to the counselors, um, you can talk to your principal, and, um, if all, you know, if it comes to it, bring it to the school board, because we don't want that kind of stuff here.
[00:42:18] We want a safe environment for everybody.
[00:42:21] Hailey: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius is next.
[00:42:24] Kruse Roselius: Thank you. We model respect is the first thing we do, but we have to start young. We have to start in the grade schools for people to unders for young kids to understand that teachers are safe, and that teachers are partners, and teachers can be talked to.
[00:42:42] Everybody needs something they can tell things to. Diversity does not make any of us smaller. It matters. Everybody matters. Last night I was at the school board meeting. What I should have been prepping for this because I wanted to be there in support of the resolutions of LGBTQ and indigenous rights.
[00:43:05] Everybody needs to see themselves reflected in their school and to understand that they have a place in their school. I commit to recognizing all humanity and caring for all of our students. All students deserve to feel safe. That is the bottom line to everything, and my door will always be open to any ideas that you smart students have about solving that.
[00:43:30] Thank you.
[00:43:31] Hailey: Thank you. Now April Smith.
[00:43:34] Smith: Thank you. The district already has many policies regarding bullying, both regarding physical harm and verbal abuse. I find these policies to be adequate. I would spend my time educating parents and students about the current policies. Their rights and the proper channels to report the bullying and harassment.
[00:43:53] And then I would follow up on the inaction through the proper chain all the way, and including filing against people who fail to act state certifications for ignoring the harassment. I mean, the, the things are in place for your problems to be solved and students and parents need to feel empowered to follow through.
[00:44:22] Hailey: Morgan Dulian is next.
[00:44:24] Dulian: So I'm going to start by saying that I will not tolerate, um, hate speech and hate crimes ever. Um, I, one of the things that I've done throughout my career and throughout my community leadership is I've actively, I've spent time, I've worked hard reaching out to communities and people who think differently than me.
[00:44:46] Through gaining that understanding of where somebody stands and how somebody thinks, I've been able to develop empathy and also an understanding, and I try to bring that forward every day. In [00:45:00] leadership capacities, um, so as a board, how can you address this? Uh, you can expand and revisit policies. I, I agree that they are, uh, they're robust right now, um, when it comes to hate speech, but also supporting educators by investing in their personal professional development and training so that they know the resources that are available to them when this happens.
[00:45:24] And then again, it's building that culture of respect and empathy. Thank you.
[00:45:29] Heidi: Thank you. We will now go into our second and final flash round. You will again use your yes or no placards to answer the question. We will start now.
[00:45:39] Layna: Hi, my name is Elena Clark. I'm a 10th grader and I am reading on behalf of Sky in the 11th grade.
[00:45:45] Should schools start drug education and awareness programs as early as elementary school? Thank you. Thank you.
[00:45:53] Aiden: Hi, my name is Aiden Couch. Um, I'm a ninth grader and my question is, do you plan to improve teacher attention in our district? Thank you.
[00:46:03] Zoe: Thank you. Um, my name is Zoe. I'm a senior. Do you believe that the Fairbanks School District is receiving sufficient funding?
[00:46:12] Hailey: Thank you.
[00:46:14] Addison: Hello, my name is Addison. I am a senior. Do you support the ASAA ban on transgender girls competing on high school sports teams that match their gender identity?
[00:46:25] Hailey: Thank you. And that concludes our final lightning round. The next
[00:46:30] question comes from Wyatt, a 9th grader.
[00:46:35] Mike: Hello, I'm Wyatt Tansky. I'm a freshman.
[00:46:37] According to a story written by KTVF on December 6, 2023, the Fairbanks Northstar School District is estimated to have as much as a 28 million deficit going into the 2025 fiscal year. Thank you. What specific budget cuts are you willing to make and how do you propose to address the potential deficit?
[00:47:01] Heidi: Tamara Kruse Roselius, you have one minute.
[00:47:05] Kruse Roselius: Thank you, that's a two part. First, we have to work with all of our partners from the state, through the assembly, to the school district to get the We have to do that. We also have to look at what. Her student allocation we need to inflation proof that to work with our partners.
[00:47:22] We got there. We got so close to that this past legislative session. If we would have had people that were smart enough or if we would have had people that were brave enough to stand up against the governor's veto for funding education. So we have to do that. We also have to look at the 20 year Decreasing enrollment in our school district.
[00:47:47] We have to talk consolidation, but we also have to talk increased opportunities. We have so many different schools and we can increase our enrollments, but we have to first wait for the strategic plan that the administration is developing and the facility plan to come down so that we can follow the plan when we budget.
[00:48:11] Thank you.
[00:48:11] Heidi: Thank you. Lola Carol Hubbard is next. Thank you.
[00:48:17] Hubbard: So the question is two parts. So you asked what budget cuts are we willing to make? Um, cutting the budget is going to be something that's absolutely going to have to be done this year. School consolidation is one thing that's on the chopping block, and I know everybody doesn't like that, but it's just the reality.
[00:48:34] We have less money. We have less people, we have fewer students, um, we have schools that are at half capacity. So you've got, like if you look around this auditorium, half the auditorium is empty. So if, if we could, why would we keep a huge auditorium for half the size of the, you know, of the population? So we need to really rein it in.
[00:48:54] Um, I'd be willing to bypass brand new books. We spent like 300, 000, um, one year on brand new books when we had books that were just fine. So that's one area. Another thing is just to appeal to the legislators to increase our BSA. I think that as we increase our reading proficiency and as we increase our test scores here and as we rise, they're going to be more, uh, encouraged to give us a fully funded BSA.
[00:49:25] Heidi: Now Morgan Dulian.
[00:49:27] Dulian: Thank you so much. So I have a background in finance, in also leading non profits and managing large budgets. And I know that you don't arrive at this level of a fiscal crisis overnight. This isn't a one year thing. This is a, more than a ten year thing that we have arrived here at this fiscal cliff.
[00:49:46] Um, our population has been aging. It has been shrinking for twenty years. That means that there's fewer students. Fewer people of the age that will be attending schools, and we need to right size our district. What does that mean? That means, um, consolidating schools. I'm on the facility utilization task force for the school district, so I'm already doing that work.
[00:50:10] That recommendation's gonna be put forth this November, and we will save lots of money by doing that. But what we will be doing is putting more of that money into the classrooms because. Is the class. The class is getting there. And I am committed to making sure that, for every decision that is made, we must figure out how can we improve student performance, and that's what I'm committed to.
[00:50:31] Thank you.
[00:50:32] Heidi: Thank you. April Smith is next.
[00:50:35] Smith: Thank you. I'm willing to make sweeping cuts. I'm willing to completely change the way we think about public education. I'm willing to hear every idea and option on the table. However, Uh, I will not consider increasing elementary school PTR. I will warn that the contract language we're currently bound by naturally creates a huge portion of this deficit every single year, no matter what we do.
[00:51:06] And at the end of the day, one time funding rather than reliable statutory funding creates a big hole. And then contracted pay increases that pretty much make up the rest. More conservative contracts and more reliable funding are the majority of the solution, and consolidation and closures of schools and cuts in support staff and administration are the rest.
[00:51:32] Hailey: Thank you. The final question comes from Nate, a 12th grade student, and will be read by Rebecca, a 9th grade student.
[00:51:38] Rebecca: Hello, I'm Rebecca, and I'm reading this question on behalf of Nate, a senior. I understand there has been a significant lack of decorum and respect towards board members at recent school board meetings.
[00:51:49] However, Fairbanks is not alone. Nationwide, there has been an uptick in contentious political debates that infiltrate and upset local, otherwise peaceful school board proceedings. In 2021, the New Yorker reported that the National School Boards Association asked for help from the federal government to investigate an escalation of threats of violence and acts of intimidation directed at school officials.
[00:52:11] I know that exercising one's freedom of speech is important, but I also don't want to see Fairbanks follow a concerning national trend. How can the school board implement basic expectations for civil discourse during public speaking periods to ensure that concerned citizens respect the important work conducted by the board?
[00:52:27] April Smith, you have one minute.
[00:52:31] Smith: I served on the school board through the most contentious years of public education. I've personally experienced this lack of decorum in the form of being threatened, name called, having my worth is a human question and much more and I don't care for it. But it is the right of the public to redress their government.
[00:52:48] Free speech does not end when you don't like the speech. I feel that the real lack of decorum has come from the elected members in the form of accusatory so-called clarifications. The elected office holders need to listen and absorb the public testimony and stop debating testifiers under the guise of Did you know? or where-did-you-get-your-information? questions.
That would clean up most of the mess.
[00:53:18] Hailey: Thank you. Morgan Dulian is next.
[00:53:21] Dulian: Thank you so much. So implementing basic expectations for civil discourse at school board meetings is crucial. To fostering a respectful environment for discussions. Um, so one of the things that I'd like to do is revisit and even publish a public code of conduct.
[00:53:40] Revisiting that at the school board meetings. Revisiting that at the assembly meetings. Making sure that we are all looking at what direction are we moving in. And that is the role of a leader. It's not just making hard decisions and sitting there. It's working actively to outreach to the communities and bring people through towards a vision.
[00:54:03] And that's something that I'm committed to. Community engagement is critical. So beyond the meetings, what can elected officials do to actively outreach? And I have been doing that and I will continue to do that to the communities that are the loudest, that don't feel valued, That don't feel heard, and that's important, and I'm committed to doing that as an elected official here on the school board.
[00:54:27] Thank you.
[00:54:28] Hailey: Thank you. Now, Loa Carroll Hubbard.
[00:54:33] Hubbard: To, uh, Robert's Rules of Order, the public comment time allows the public to talk about anything they want, and the board may question them, but no further action or discussion is allowed. So, you mentioned freedom of speech, and freedom of speech is the right to express one's ideas and opinions without fear of government censorship, retaliation, or punishment.
[00:54:55] The only rule I found, um, was really to avoid personal and inflammatory remarks. So when our school board members specifically are offering their closing comments at the end of each meeting, this is my opinion. Now it seems to me that some of them are taking an opportunity to break Robert's rules by offering a rebuttal to the public testimony.
[00:55:17] The rule is clear that no further action or discussion is allowed. Regardless of offering this discussion at the end of the meeting or directly after public testimony. I just feel it's antagonistic for the school board members to go back and address public comments in their attempts to get the last word.
[00:55:34] Hailey: Thank you. Tamara Kruse Roselius is next.
[00:55:38] Kruse Roselius: Thank you. This is an important question, and I haven't only followed Robert's rules. I've lived this through the last two school board meetings this month. And let me tell you. We have spree free speech in this town. You can stand up and talk at the school board meetings about a curriculum and talk against it, even if it's not actually a curriculum, we have three free speech. We also have a board that has modeled a class act of decorum, and non judgment free zone and respect for all. That is all we can do. We mirror back what we expect to see. And as an example, the school board meeting before last night, we had a incredible lack of decorum.
[00:56:29] And you know what we did? The school board meeting last night? We made sure that we had testifiers that would be positive and bring useful information, and we used our time with that. We model respect. Thank you.
[00:56:45] Hailey: Thank you, candidates. It is now time for closing statements. Each candidate will have one minute.
[00:56:49] One minute. We will rotate the same way as opening statements, but in reverse order. Morgan, Dulian, you will go first.
[00:56:56] Dulian: Thank you for your time today. So what I'd like to say is this [00:57:00] election isn't about me or any of the candidates here today. It's really about you and your futures. So in 2014 15, I was a special education aide in a Fairbanks Public Elementary School, Woodriver.
[00:57:14] Since 2008, I have served on boards.
[00:57:22] I'll bring all of that skill set with me to Juneau to advocate for increased and sustainable and reliable funding. Friday I was described in the News Miner as being skilled in diplomacy, uh, the ability to balance needs from different communities, to find solutions, to find common ground. I offer a professional skill set, my classroom experience, and my dedication to strengthening our schools for my position as a mother of public elementary school kids.
[00:57:51] I'm committed to the hard and necessary work ahead to design a public education system that up skills Uplifts your outcomes and retains our [00:58:00] educators. And that's why I'm asking for your families and your educators vote on October 1st. Thank you.
[00:58:06] Smith: Thank you. April Smith is next. Thanks. I had a little typed response to this, but when I was sitting here earlier, I decided that I wanted to just say something different.
[00:58:19] I'd like to take this time to remind all of you. That the government is not where you should be looking for solutions and answers to every problem in your life. Government, which public education is the government, is a tool for you to use to get skills so that you can solve your own problems and your neighbor's problems.
[00:58:39] The world is yours and this district has what you need to succeed. Make sure that you engage and take it and run with it. Thank you.
[00:58:49] Hailey: Tamara Kruse Roselius is next.
[00:58:52] Kruse Roselius: Thank you. As Pete Buttigieg says, we know what we are up against, but the most important thing is what we [00:59:00] are for. My life's work is expanding kids opportunities, working with the Disability Law Center and parent support groups for kids with disabilities.
[00:59:10] I am an advocate. for opportunities for all kids in our district. I am committed to the diversity of this district. Diversity is what makes us strong. My focus will always be student opportunities for success, from reading to workforce development. And we don't need the distraction of people trying to bring religion into our schools, because we don't all have one religion, and our schools are for every single one of you.
[00:59:38] As a last reminder, I would just like to say, because you guys are so exceptional to be here and be doing this, that if you don't like, or if you don't appreciate what a candidate is bringing to office, I want to remind you all of one thing. Don't get mad, get elected. Thank you. [01:00:00]
[01:00:00] Hubbard: Thank you. Loa Carol Hubbard is next.
[01:00:03] Thank you. Thank you for having us here today, you guys. It's, This is actually really a wonderful forum, and I appreciate it. Um, I will fight, uh, for increased outcomes, um, in reading literacy. That's the first thing. I, I know that some of you, you know, you guys are getting ready to graduate. Um, and I also have seen so many kids that have come out of high school that are struggling readers.
[01:00:28] They struggle to actually comprehend what they're reading, and I want to change that, starting with the K 3, supporting the Alaska Reads Act, and really building our reading literacy foundation. Mathematics Foundation is really important. As a math teacher, I can't tell you how many kids I know and how many kids I've seen that don't know their math facts.
[01:00:48] Get your math facts in your pocket. Get them in between here and know them because they will serve you well when you're budgeting and when you're spending money. Um, I, I really want to [01:01:00] promote, um, lower class sizes in this community. I will support the consolidation of schools and I will support you.
[01:01:09] Thank you.
[01:01:10] Heidi: And that will conclude our candidate forum. And while too late to register to vote this year, voting next year is just as important. If you are 18 or older, get out and vote on Tuesday, October 1st. Here at West Valley will be, we will be participating in kids voting on election day. So show your voting skills and participate.
[01:01:31] Thank you to all the students, staff, and parents at West Valley for supporting the ninth annual West Valley Candidate Forum. And thank you again to the candidates for the time and dedication you have given to our forum.
KUAC appreciates corrections to typos in the above transcription.
The district has released a video recording of this forum at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb5tCYmHv0Y