Community

Juneau teachers finally have a contract with the school district.

Both the Board of Education and members of Juneau Education Association have ratified an agreement that gives teachers a two-year contract for this school year and the next.

The agreement shifts funds from a health trust to salaries, giving $1,447  to each teacher.  Salaries also will increase 1.5 percent, retroactive to Jan. 10^th.  Teachers will get an additional 1 percent next year.

Under the agreement, the school district will increase its contribution to health insurance in both years.  It also calls for an increase in the amount each teacher gets for professional development.  While teachers will have fewer personal leave days, more of those days will be paid leave.

JEA has about 360 members, but the agreement will be extended to all  school district employees, more than 650.   Superintendent Glen Gelbrich last year declined a raise.

The cost of the two-year agreement is just over $1. 9 million.

The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council’s Wearable Art show is this weekend at Centennial Hall. Now in its fourteenth year, the theme is “Technicolor” and artists have been preparing for months. KTOO caught up with three of the participants and filmed short profiles. Meet David Walker.

The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council’s Wearable Art show is this weekend at Centennial Hall. Now in its fourteenth year, the theme is “Technicolor” and artists have been preparing for months. KTOO caught up with three of the participants and filmed short profiles. Meet Kathy Kartchner.

A special Assembly meeting is set for Wednesday to take up questions on severance packages given to Bartlett Regional Hospital officials who quit last fall amid what’s been called “a culture of fear” at the hospital.

The public learned last month that about $300,000 in severance pay went to the former Bartlett CEO, CFO, and personnel director.

In mid-September, personnel director Norma Adams resigned.  The hospital did not replace her; instead, city and borough human resources director Mila Cosgrove took over Bartlett personnel responsibilities.

About a week later, Chief Operating Officer Chris Harff resigned, after just 13 months on the job.  She said the city-owned hospital was “not a good fit” for her expertise.

When Harff left, Chief Financial Officer Ken Brough became interim CEO.  He quit in November.   Both were subject of a personnel investigation.

Assembly member Karen Crane is liaison to the hospital board. She told her colleagues at last week’s Assembly meeting that she’s not been able to give them much information because personnel issues were discussed in executive session.

At that meeting, Juneau resident Mark Stopha said the Assembly should investigate the severance pay matter and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Many in town feel like we’ve been swindled.

Assembly member Randy Wanamaker said he already had a list of questions for a public meeting on the issue.

 I think that meeting should be as open as possible and an absolute minimum be allowed to be in executive session.  I know we have sensitive matters, but there are public funds. 

Bartlett Regional Hospital is owned and operated by the City and Borough of Juneau.  Members of the Bartlett Board of Directors are appointed by the Assembly

Crane says the desire is to keep Wednesday’s meeting as open as possible, but when confidential personnel matters come up, the doors will close.

The special Assembly meeting with the hospital board is at 5:30 p.m. in Assembly chambers.

 

 

The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council’s Wearable Art show is this weekend at Centennial Hall. Now in its fourteenth year, the theme is “Technicolor” and artists have been preparing for months. KTOO caught up with three of the participants and filmed short profiles. Meet Teresa Busch.

The Democrats nominated to fill Juneau’s vacant state House seat say they would caucus with Democrats and run for election if appointed.

Tongass Democrats on Monday submitted three names to the governor,   Jesse Kiehl, Sam Kito III, and Catherine Reardon, to fill the House District 32 seat vacated last month by Juneau Rep.  Beth Kerttula.

Nine Democrats – all from Juneau — applied for the seat, which represents downtown Juneau and Douglas, Petersburg, Gustavus, Skagway and Tenakee Springs.

The finalists were chosen after public interviews over the weekend.

Former Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho chaired the selection committee. He says everyone who applied represented mainstream Democratic values.

We did a very extensive vetting process, both in the form of questionnaires, background checks and interviews with each of the candidates.  It was a very difficult selection process in the sense that we had strong candidates.

All three of the finalists are familiar with the legislative process.

Kiehl is an aide to Juneau Sen. Dennis Egan. Before that he worked for former Sen. Kim Elton. Kiehl also is serving his first term on the Juneau Assembly.

In my case I can guarantee I’ll be on a ballot this fall.  My Assembly term is up and if I’m appointed to the House I’ll run for re-election there.

Kito and Reardon also said they would run for election to the seat. Thanks to redistricting, House District 32 will become House District 33 this fall.  Its geography will change as well, encompassing downtown Juneau, Douglas, Haines and Skagway.

Kito is a civil engineer, who’s been working in recent years as a lobbyist.  He says that would not affect his opinions as a legislator.

 I’m fully committed as a Democratic candidate for the appointment and don’t have any concerns at all about my background as a lobbyist getting in the way of my ability to be a legislator.

Reardon has been a division director in the Alaska Department of Commerce and now works as a legislative aide for Anchorage Democratic Rep. Andrew Josephson.

She says she shares most of the views and values Kerttula represented in the legislature.

I would continue her style of trying to bring consensus of working well with people across the aisle and different regions of the state.

Different personalities, different backgrounds, different strengths.  Botelho said the three were selected because of what Tongass Democrats perceived as their ability to somewhat fill Kerttula’s shoes.

Five years ago, former Juneau Mayor Dennis Egan was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Kim Elton.  Egan delivered the nominees’ names to Gov. Sean Parnell yesterday.

They’ll be doing their own internal checks of the three candidates, and the governor said that he has every intention of appointing specifically from the list that was submitted by Tongass Democrats today.

Sticking to the list is important to Democrats.  The capital city was without Senate representation for 49 days in the 2009 session, when then-Gov. Sarah Palin refused to appoint the Democrats’ nominee to Elton’s seat.

Kerttula was the only name on the list then. Palin set up her own nomination process and each appointment she made was rejected by Senate Democrats.  On the very last day of the session, Egan was appointed and confirmed.

Egan said Parnell brought that up when he took him the list of nominees to fill Kerttula’s seat.

He doesn’t want a debacle like the last time.

 Gov. Parnell’s office says the Democrats on the current list will be evaluated on competence, character and their history in the district. He will personally interview the nominees.

The governor has 30 days to fill a legislative seat once it has been vacated. Kerttula resigned on Jan. 24^th to take a position at Stanford University’s Center for Ocean Solutions. A Parnell spokeswoman says he will make his decision by the deadline.