One school board seat is up for grabs in this year's election. Incumbent Emily Hulett, Heather Savo and Chris Napoli are focused on setting new goals at the school.
On Oct. 1, residents of Bristol Bay will go to the polls to vote in local elections.
The election in Dillingham features a competitive race for a three-year term on the school board. Heather Savo, Chris Napoli and incumbent Emily Hulett have entered a three-way race for the one open seat.
Hulett has served the board for two years. If re-elected, she wants to promote a positive environment in the school.
“We’re striving to find just different avenues to get parents and community members involved," she said. "The community and the school should go hand in hand. I believe that the more people we have involved, the more trades we can teach our kids. We can have all kinds of different things. You have something completely different to bring to the table than I do. That’s the way with our whole community. We all have different things that we can add and teach our kids.”
Hulett also plans to encourage cultural learning to help students explore their heritage.
Heather Savo is currently an accountant for Nushagak Cooperative. Education has pervaded Savo’s life – she has four kids in school, and over the past few years she’s been finishing up college herself.
The budget is one main concern. The other is substance use in the community. Savo has served on the Dillingham Parent Advisory Committee for the past five years. She interviews students going to conferences like the Alaska Federation of Natives.
“A lot of feedback that we get from them in those interviews is the drugs and alcohol that may not be exactly in the school, but it’s still affecting their lives," she said. "I want to have an option to help them with that.”
Savo has also been working on volunteer handbooks for the strategic planning initiatives – something in which Chris Napoli also has a history. Napoli served on the school board in 2017 and spent time on city council in 2018. Now, he wants to help the school implement new goals in the district.
“One thing the school is going to get into is strategic planning," he said. "I’ve been involved with strategic planning with the school board in the past so I think I can hit the ground running in that area.”
The election takes place next Tuesday, Oct. 1. Voters can also file absentee ballots in person during normal business hours at the Dillingham City Hall until 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30.
Find KDLG's coverage of the city council election here.
Contact the author at tyler@kdlg.org or 842-2200
