Two school board seats are up for grabs, and Floyd Wilson is challenging the two incumbents. The two candidates with the most votes will be appointed to the board.
Three candidates are running for the two seats on the Bristol Bay Borough School Board — incumbents Rebecca Hamon and Sarah Mitchell, and challenger Floyd Wilson. The two candidates with the most votes will be elected to the board.
A major priority for Sarah Mitchell is to better include local culture and values in the curriculum.
“I personally went to school for my Indigenous language, culture and history, and I really want to encourage our district to include our Indigenous languages more in our curriculum and within our school so our students get to see their language every day," she said.
When Mitchell isn't serving on the school board, she works on staff at the Kings Chapel and is a language consultant with the University of Alaska Fairbanks in conjunction with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation.
Mitchell said she is grateful for the opportunity she has had so far and hopes the community will come out to vote this election.
“I think my education and my passion for our language and culture and our history is a pretty important thing to have and that’s what I want to advance in our district,” said Mitchell. “I think it’s important for everyone in our borough to get out and make our voice heard because none of us – no one in authority knows what our community wants unless our community speaks up.”
Rebecca Hamon, the other incumbent, works as the legal and village advocate for SAFE. She has served on the school board for five years.
“I’ve really enjoyed the process of looking out for the interest of our community and the future of our community through our children and looking at trying to provide the best possible education within the bounds of what we have to work with," Hamon said.
If re-elected, she said she will continue working to provide opportunities for kids to participate in the community.
“The children are of course the future of the whole community and so a lot of times when we talk about the way our children are being educated,” she said. “It’s not just about their experience through these 12 years but preparing them for what kind of community they will make in the future and what they will be able to add to it.”
KDLG reached out to challenger Floyd Wilson, but he did not respond in time for this publication.
Election day is October 6. Early and absentee voting is underway in person now through October 5. Voting takes place at the borough assembly room from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Masks and hand sanitizer are provided. Call the borough clerk with questions at (907) 246-4224, extension 308.
Contact the author at brian@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.