The Anchorage Daily News asked candidates for the April 2 election to the Anchorage School Board to answer a series of questions on issues facing those bodies. We’re publishing select responses daily. The answers were fact-checked when facts were cited and edited for spelling, grammar and writing style. To see all the responses, click here. For Assembly candidate surveys, click here.
Q: The Anchorage School Board approved a three-year contract with the local teachers union in December 2018. If you were a member of the school board at that time, would you have voted in favor of that contract? Why or why not?
SEAT A
Margo Bellamy
I would have voted for the contract because the AEA members voted to accept it and I see this contract as a start for the district to attract and maintain highly qualified teachers.
Kai Binkley Sims
I believe in paying teachers a competitive salary to be able to retain and attract teachers to our district. That being said, I think the overall cost of the contract to our district was too high given our state’s current financial climate.
SEAT B
Starr Marsett
I did vote for this contract. There was the possibility that teachers might have gone on strike had we not come to an agreement, causing students to miss school and costing ASD millions. I value our relationships with our teachers, principals and other staff.
David Nees
I would have been one of the “no” votes. Not because the teachers did not deserve a raise, but because the most senior teachers were not rewarded equally. The contract still contains a first-hired last-fired clause which prevents schools from keeping their best new teachers.I would also have voted “no” because of the tenuous state funding situation, and the non-Janus compliant language which does not allow teachers to take a religious exemption.
Ronald Stafford did not respond to the survey.