Zoe Grueskin, KTOO

Juneau public schools could have a new leader next year — or not. The Juneau School District is looking for a new superintendent, but some are hoping they won’t look far.

It’s up to the Juneau School Board to fill the top job in the district. Board President Brian Holst said he wants the community involved in the process.

“There’s lots of reasons that everyone should be rooting for us and helping us to make the best selection possible,” said Holst.

Holst said that’s because strong schools mean strong communities. Students enter the local workforce, great schools can draw new families to Juneau and, with nearly 700 employees, the school district is one of the largest employers in the city.

District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett is helping the school board draw up a profile of the ideal superintendent, which will be finalized at the school board’s December meeting.

“I think that when we have a positive climate in our schools, that often is a result of the leadership,” Bartlett said.

Earlier this month, a public meeting was held to gather ideas for that profile. About 15 people sat or stood around lunch tables in Harborview Elementary School’s echoey cafeteria. Board members said they could tell them whatever they wanted to.

One community member responded, “I want Bridget.”

She was referring to Bridget Weiss. She served as the district’s director of student services for four years — until this August. That’s when the previous superintendent, Mark Miller, left Juneau to take a job in California. Weiss was appointed interim superintendent.

Since then, Holst said the school board has gotten a lot of positive feedback about her performance. Weiss has indicated she would like to keep the job, and Holst said that’s the first option the school board will consider.

“When we look at our options after December — the profile — what we are clearly going to do is look at the interim and say, ‘How well does the interim match up to what our needs are?’” Holst said.

If the board decides it’s a good match, they’ll offer Weiss a permanent contract. But if they decide they’d like to consider other candidates, they’ll need to do a search. The board estimates an internal search would cost around $2,500. The low end for a national search is about $11,000, but it could cost up to $40,000.

According to Holst there would be “essentially no cost” to hire Weiss permanently. But he said that won’t be a major factor in whether the board retains Weiss as superintendent or moves ahead with a search.

“I certainly am not going to base the decision on the cheapest process. We just want the best process,” Holst said.

He added that the cost of a search at any level would be a small percentage of the district’s $86 million budget.

The  school board held an input meeting with district staff Tuesday and held another public meeting Wednesday night at Thunder Mountain High School.

The board invites anyone in the community to share their input through an online survey or by email to searchinput@juneauschools.org.

In this newscast:

• A report out of the University of Alaska Anchorage has found that climate change is estimated to cost Alaska between $340 and $700 million dollars per year over the next three to five decades.
• The Juneau School District is looking for a new superintendent, but some are hoping they won’t look far.
• A top executive with ConocoPhillips says the federal government should shrink–but not eliminate–the protected area around the biggest lake in Arctic Alaska, which is important habitat for wildlife.
• A citizen advisory committee released new recommendations on the federal Roadless Rule, which could shape the future of the Tongass National Forest.

In this newscast:

• A divided federal appeals court panel finds Alaska’s limit on what nonresidents can contribute to candidates for office is unconstitutional.
• Governor-elect Mike Dunleavy’s announces his picks for several key cabinet positions. Only one has worked for a state government.
• While climate change has disrupted fisheries in many parts of the state, fishermen in Northwest Alaska are landing huge catches.

On Friday, the Douglas Indian Association will unveil a new monument at Sayéik Gastineau Community School.

The monument honors the Native burial ground on which the school was built. It is part of the school district’s continuing efforts to reckon with the site’s history, a process that has also included a name change for the school.

Six years ago, construction workers unexpectedly unearthed the remains of five people on the grounds of what was then called Gastineau Community School. In response, the district worked with the Douglas Indian Association to change the school’s name. “Sayéik” was officially added last year, which loosely translates from Tlingit as “spirit helper.”

The monument unveiling will take place Friday afternoon from 1-3 p.m. and is open to the public.

According to Barbara Cadiente-Nelson, Director of the Indian Studies Program at the Juneau School District, a reception will be planned for a later date.

Thursday marks the end of a three-day language summit in Juneau that brought together nearly 80 speakers of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages: Lingít, X̱aad Kíl and Sm’algyax.

For some, the Voices of Our Ancestors summit was one of their first opportunities to talk with other fluent speakers. That was the case for Jim Thomas, whose Tlingit names are Khatsati and Shaayegun.

“I’m a Lingít speaker, but I’ve lived away from Yakutat for over 40 years,” Thomas said.

Thomas spoke during an open discussion about the suppression of Native languages.  He was the first public relations director for the Alaska Federation of Natives, then moved to Washington state. Despite living far from home, he had help keeping up his Lingít over the years.

“This crazy minister from Juneau called me up. He said to me, ‘It’s time you started speaking Lingít.'”

That was his friend, the late Walter Soboleff.

Thomas said he’s a pretty good speaker.

“There are just words, phrases that I forget. They tumble around in your brain, and then they tumble around in your mouth, because Lingít is very complex.”

Thomas said he used to be ashamed to forget words, but now when he needs help he just asks a friend or relative and keeps talking. Often that help comes from his young in-law, Tlingit teacher and culture bearer Paul Marks II.

During the session on language suppression, Thomas sat beside Marks — and Marks’ baby.

Thomas used his turn on the mic to introduce the baby girl and told the crowd that holding onto language and cultural traditions can be especially important for young children.

“We put our hand, the palm of our hand, under the chin of a child and we say (in Lingít) they are the most precious child on the face of the earth. And then if we’re sitting across from them in the biggest hall, you hold your hand out,” he said as dozens in the room mirrored his gesture, “and that child knows that they are the most precious being on the face of the earth.”

The crowd repeated Thomas’ words as Marks bounced the baby. Thomas hopes she will grow up speaking Lingít.

Voices of Our Ancestors Language Summit was organized by Sealaska Heritage Institute in partnership with the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation. Around 300 people attended over three days.

Editor’s Note: 360 North is under contract with Sealaska Heritage Institute to produce video coverage of the language summit.

A vehicle reported stolen Friday in Juneau has been recovered.

The Juneau Police Department found the 2008 Ford Escape Saturday unoccupied and in good condition and returned it to the owner.

In addition to the theft, a dozen cars nearby were reported vandalized, according to a police department release Saturday. The release said several homeowners along Glacier Highway between the ferry terminal and Cohen Drive woke Friday to find their vehicle windows broken. JPD said a total of 12 vehicles were reported vandalized and estimates damages at around $6,000.

According to Sgt. Ben Beck, the vandalism is thought to be connected to the vehicle theft, based on the proximity and nature of the reports. Beck said they have a possible suspect.