My name is Glenn Brown and I am a candidate for Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board. I am the father of five children, one of whom is a recent Kayhi graduate and another still attends Schoenbar Middle School. We moved to Ketchikan a little more than three years ago in hopes of living a quieter, slower-paced life. We were delighted to find our new hometown to be a vibrant community with lots to offer in the way of recreation and entertainment, beautiful surroundings, and great people. I now wish we had become a part of Ketchikan many years sooner. It’s a great small town.

But small towns don’t function without everyone ‘putting a shoulder to the wheel’ and school board service is another way I can meaningfully contribute to our community. Having practiced law for 18+ years in Pennsylvania and having served on an elected school board in our former hometown, I can bring that experience, sound reasoning and good judgment to the tough decisions that our school district must make. All school boards deal with an essential problem: How to best apply limited tax dollars to a wide range of academic needs? Our responsibility to be good financial stewards of the taxpayer’s dollars is significant in these times of ever-tightening budgets. Meanwhile, we are elected to serve as educational leaders of the community and boosters of a comprehensive academic program. I believe I can contribute to the decision-making process as we make those balanced decisions.

I don’t seek a seat on the school board as an agent of change or with a desire to ‘upset the apple cart.’ The board has functioned well in the recent past and our district is a source of community pride. With that said, improvement must always be our committed goal. I will work to foster a better relationship and encourage a more productive discourse between the school board and Borough Assembly. I will support and advance any available measure to improve district-wide academic achievement. I will also be an advocate for the greater vocational and technical training for our students. In today’s economy, school districts must prepare students to seek and secure jobs with livable wages. Preparation and readiness for college is important for some students, but it is equally important that our graduates finish high school prepared to enter the workforce with the skills in demand in our community. Ketchikan may be on the cusp of another wave of industry as regional mining ventures, prospective second growth timber trade, and our own shipyard appear poised to gear up and prosper. Let’s work to see that our own kids are ready and prepared to do the important work that makes Ketchikan a vital community and a great place to live. I humbly request your support and your vote on October 7th.

Respectfully yours,

Glenn Brown

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Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

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