Working as a nurse, Kat Richards believes healthcare and education have something in common: advocacy. She’s the acute care manager at Sitka Community Hospital and the mother of two, and she’d like to ensure that local schools remain high quality.
Kat Richards (l.) with her husband, Jeff “Ritchie” Richards.
Kat Richards first came to Sitka as a traveling nurse in 2000. She fell in love with the community, met and married her husband here, and is raising two kids.
It almost sounds too good to be true, but Richards is a realist.
“Even in my work and my career, things aren’t fun all the time. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t need to happen, and it doesn’t mean that someone doesn’t need to be at the helm who can see the benefit of change, or who will try to advocate for the change — or advocate against the change if that is what’s deemed right. But there’s always going to be a spectrum of different opinions, on any kind of matter, whether it’s buying milk at home, or if it’s running a school district or running a city.”
What the board deemed right this year was turning over Community Schools to a private contractor — a move expected to save the district around $200,000. Her husband, Jeff, whom everybody calls “Ritchie,” was one of two district employees to lose their jobs in the fallout.
Kat Richards says she didn’t enter the school board race with this axe to grind.
“You know, I understand that the school needed to do something, and we have to have some faith in the board making that decision with the help of superintendent Mary Wegner. Even if the changed happened, it doesn’t mean that there can’t be tweaks along the way to make the change better for the community.”
Richards says her husband “always lands on his feet.”
Her two children, a son age 9 and a daughter age 7, are both at Keet Gooshi Heen. Her priorities about education are pretty clear.
“I think having quality teachers is number one. Even when it comes to teacher-student ratio, having the quality of that teacher there is very important. In fact, the most important. And along with that comes having the teachers satisfied in their jobs, in what they’re doing, because they’ll bring more to the table when they’re teaching kids.”
Richards thinks the interaction of teachers and students is important to the mission of schools. She believes that we’re shaping the society we live in.
“Well, every kid’s not going to stay here, but a majority probably will. They become our assembly members, they become our radio reporters, they become our nurses, our doctors. Even if they go away for a while. So that’s what makes up our community. They say it takes a community to raise a kid? My kids are spending 35 hours plus with someone else besides me every week. And so that is why those schools need to be quality.”
And she’s not only thinking about academics. Her number-two priority is keeping kids engaged outside of the classroom.
“I truly believe that after-school activities and extra-curricular activities — whether it’s sports, drama, or debate — is very important. For some children I think that’s all they have after school. They don’t have really good family structures at home, so that becomes their family. It can make or break them.”
It’s one thing to say you support activities, and another to actually offer them when the district is hard-pressed by legislative funding cuts. The city found another $1-million to tide the district over this year, but has been reluctant to fund the district to the maximum allowed by law.
Richards says she’s not familiar enough with the district budget to talk finances specifically, but she also says she’d be unafraid to confront either local or state government about school funding.
“I have a hard time with the answer no. I can understand a no if there is a rational reason behind it. So in this situation my question is Why won’t they? or Why can’t they? I don’t think anybody would withhold funds from schools. So I’m going into that conversation, if you’re going to withhold funds, then why? And then move on from there.”
Richards appreciates that the new Alaska Education standards have been controversial. But she’s okay in principle with adopting standards that are in use around the country.
She says it makes sense in her profession.
“Just like in healthcare there’s a standard of care. And so there should be some kind of standard of education. So if my child moves to a different school they’re not way behind — or way ahead, and bored with their third grade. But I can see where people would have an issue with it because it’s — at times — trying to put a child into a learning situation that they’re not totally prepared to handle, or they cannot handle. They mentally, emotionally, or physically cannot meet the expectations that are there.”
The Alaska Standards were introduced with a suite of new assessments — testing for students, but also evaluations for teachers and administrators.
Richards is okay with this too. It goes back to the 35 hours a week her kids are in school.
“Knowing that there’s some evaluation process for that influence is important too.”
Kat Richards has never held public office, but she’s been active in some local organizations, most recently serving on the board of the Little League. A working mother, she admits that she doesn’t have a lot of spare time. But she says it’s very important to her to make the time to keep Sitka’s schools at their best.
Richards says she’s considered running for school board in the past, but hesitated. Now, she’s all in.
“It really comes down to being involved in the community presently, and being involved in the changes that are going to happen. I do not think it’s going to be an easy job. But I do feel I’m up to the challenge of listening to what people are bringing me, and trying to make a proper decision from that. Along with my other board members. It’s not just a one person job, which is nice too. It’s five persons together, coming up with what’s best for the community and the school district.”
