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Jeff Redmond: Juneau Board of Education candidate
Age: 43
Occupation: City of Juneau transit
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It took place a week after school began – assessments of how schools are doing under the new consolidation plan may have changed.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. This interview took place a week after school began – assessments of how schools are doing under the new consolidation plan may have changed.
What is your assessment of how schools are doing under the new consolidation plan?
I know there’s been quite a challenge. Growing pains and adjustments — growing is probably the wrong word. The traffic jams at the high school, that kind of stuff, there’s concern about how it’s going to be going. But actual feedback of curriculum, we need a little bit more data before we can really say too much about that.
If you had been on the school board when the extent of the district’s financial crisis was revealed in January, what would you have done differently in terms of process and what you voted on?
I think they had information all the way back from February of last year (2023). My whole thing is looking ahead just a little bit further. I just came from the (Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce) panel where they’re asking some black-and-white questions about “If you’re in that same situation, you got 30 days to make a call — A or B?” It’s like, “Well, why are we 30 days from that decision?” How is there no knowledge that was coming in advance? And so planning ahead, even backing up your date of January of this year, I think prior to that point, there could have been at least some clues.
What issues and needs do you feel were overlooked with the budget dominating the board’s attention during the second half of the school year, and what do you see as the top non-budget priorities if you are on the board after the Oct. 1 election?
Very related to it and overlooked, I think that there was some guilt and that’s what I’m hearing from other board members. There’s some guilt in what happened and how they handled it. I feel like it’s very important to convey that I have gratitude for them for being there and doing what they have done. They’re effectively volunteers and they’re in a hard spot. I’m appreciative of what they’re doing. That being said, things that got overlooked were seeking input from the community and transparency.
As for non-budget priorities, first, serving the kids. I think that’s getting forgotten right now. My basic perspective is I’m a parent. I’m not a politician. I don’t have a lot of interest in politics. My personal politics will be just serving children. I’m big on early childhood education and just transitioning a developing mind into adult workforce. So non-budget issues right now would just basically be inclusion. Making sure that we’re serving all walks of life. Then probably integrating other community groups. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), they have some integration now — I would like to see a little bit more emphasis on quality programs for prior to kindergarten, and then transitioning into the kinder and the elementary. I think that’s a big piece that’s being missed right now.
The Juneau School District was the first in the state to take steps toward legally challenging a state ban on transgender girls playing on girls’ sports teams, but efforts were abandoned due to the budget crisis. Do you believe resuming such a challenge is a good use of district time and resources, and why or why not?
I think it would be a good use of resources. However, it would have to be put on a hierarchy of other issues. It belongs on the list, but probably not at the very top of the list. We have some fundamental issues to get to first.
What long-term planning should the school board be considering now given the contradicting future circumstances involving: 1) the homeporting of a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker in Juneau during the next few years and 2) a steadily continuing decline in the student population during the coming decade?
There’s an issue that has just recently been brought to my attention where the Coast Guard’s coming in and then not enrolling and then choosing to homeschool. That’s already happening.
A person coming to town figures that out as they arrive to decide to homeschool their child. That’s pretty extreme. I think there’s probably several steps to unwind that. One would be just communication with the Coast Guard, figuring out where that’s exactly coming from, and then taking steps to mitigate that. Making sure that we’re providing what they’re looking for.
I think you can step that away from the Coast Guard also, and just say that people in general are choosing to homeschool. That’s coming out of COVID. People just never went back. They have the HomeBRIDGE program and that’s kind of like the transition back in. Putting more emphasis on that, getting more attention, funding that in a way that helps bring those families back.
Student enrollment decline, ultimately, isn’t something that can be controlled, but if there’s a percentage of population that’s here in town and then not using the system, that can be worked on.
What specific accomplishments do you believe you can achieve as an individual if elected to the board?
I bring a perspective that’s different. I just have now met the six candidates. A couple are very angry and motivated by that. And I’m coming from the perspective I’m a parent and I want to keep that large perspective of we’re here to serve as children. The existing board members have very specific knowledge of the inner workings of the board because that’s what they’ve been doing. However, we see their performance, and what’s come out of that. And so their voice right now is very defensive. The perspectives are divisive in that it’s not going to bring the whole community together.
So what specifically can I do? I can step back, get a big picture and you have to give attention to now, but really emphasizing having a plan before and looking out. Everything right now is a reaction and there’s no big driver seat. There should be a plan for best case scenario, worst-case scenario, and something in the middle. Establishing that foresight.
In a few sentences, what else would you like voters to know about why you are running for school board and hope to achieve?
I moved to Juneau for the very specific reason to enroll my daughter at the Juneau Montessori School over in Douglas. I got inducted into that and worked all the different jobs, in the classrooms, in the office, and ended up on the president of the board there. And in that course of time, I also went to the university here in Southeast but associated with Fairbanks for early childhood education.
I came to understand developing minds and just how each stage of development is crucial and it happens for everybody. And if you get stuck on at one stage, your brain will develop around that. Just serving the kids at that level of just understanding that it’s not politics. The kids don’t care about the budget. The kids probably don’t even care what building they go to. They care about learning and having opportunities and having a good environment.
