The Juneau School Board has selected three finalists to be the district’s next superintendent. Two candidates are currently based in Juneau, and all three have experience with education in Alaska.
This follows national search firm McPherson & Jacobson recruiting applicants and gathering community input earlier this year.
Board member David Noon chairs the superintendent search committee. He said having experience in Alaska school districts was important for the board as they discussed candidates during an executive session last week.
“We also placed a high priority on people who had roots in the community, who had experience living here,” Noon said. “We really wanted to prioritize candidates who knew a lot about the community.”
Juneau’s Shawn Arnold is one of the finalists. Arnold is currently the principal of Thunder Mountain Middle School and was the previous director of student services for the district. According to his resume posted on the district website, Arnold was also previously a superintendent in Valdez and Nome.
Another finalist, Kevin Shipley, is the current superintendent for Evadale Independent School District in Texas. He previously worked for Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau as its education director and as the superintendent for Kake City School District.
Carlee Simon, the third finalist, was the dean of education for the University of Alaska Southeast until last December and serves as a planning commissioner for the City and Borough of Juneau. Before moving to Juneau in 2023, Simon was the superintendent for Alachua County Public Schools in Florida. She was previously a finalist for Juneau’s superintendent position in 2023.
The public will have a few opportunities to learn more about candidates. According to a press release from the district, there will be a community forum at 6 p.m. on March 4 at Thunder Mountain Middle School. Noon said finalists will also meet with focus groups made up of staff, parents and teachers. And there will be another forum specifically for teachers and staff.
Noon said all three finalists will do a short recorded interview with consultants from the search firm in the coming days. The board selected questions for the interviews and Recordings will be posted to the district’s website. Noon said this gives a way for community members to learn more about candidates if they can’t make it to forums.
“They will at least have the opportunity to see how these candidates respond to a couple of questions that will be, you know, largely focused on the biggest priorities of a superintendent,” he said.
Noon said a survey will go out next week where the community can weigh in on strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.
He said the board will interview candidates in person during an executive session on March 5.
