Tristan Guevin
Family:
I grew up in a family of educators who value public service and social justice. My mother, Cindy Litman, developed classroom resources and curriculum when I was young and recently retired as a senior researcher for WestEd’s Strategic Literacy Initiative. My father, Tony Guevin, started his career as an adaptive PE paraprofessional, coached high school baseball and football, and was a long-time middle school PE teacher. My siblings, Toby, Ethan, and Rhiannon, have all pursued careers related to education, with Rhiannon being the Director of Operations for the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. My wife, Lauren Havens, and I met here in Sitka and have a two-year-old son, Arlo. Lauren works in the fields of education and public health, and is the best life partner, mother, and professional confidant I could hope for. I also have an aunt and uncle, Susan and Mike Litman, who live here in Sitka, along with my adoptive Dak’laweidí family starting with Grandma Anne Johnson.
Community involvement, past and present:
I have served on the City and Borough Sitka’s Health Needs and Human Services Commission for the past year-and-a-half, and was appointed to the Sitka School Board in June of this year. I am also the chair of the UAS Sitka Campus Advisory Council, a member of the UAS Alaska Native Success Initiative Committee, and a member of SAFV’s Pathways Coalition since 2010. Previously, I have served a three-year term on the City and Borough of Sitka Assembly, was a volunteer coach for the Boys Run i tuwoo klatseen Program, and served as a board member for the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society and the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center. I have also been actively involved in the community through my work with Sitka Tribe of Alaska, including the last three SSD strategic planning processes.
Have you previously run for office? When and what office?
Yes, I ran for City and Borough of Sitka Assembly in 2014 and served a three-year term from 2014 – 2017.
Previous government or other relevant experience:
In addition to my time on the assembly and my short time on the school board, I have worked for Sitka Tribe of Alaska (STA) for more than a decade. In my various roles with STA, I have worked on many federal and state grant programs, and have worked with a number of federal and state agencies, the Sitka School District, local and regional nonprofits, tribal entities, and universities. I hold a Master of Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies where I was selected by faculty as the Development Practice and Policy Monitoring, Evaluation and Design Fellow, and have extensive experience in public administration, public policy, and budgeting. In addition to the above, I served as a youth development volunteer in the United States Peace Corps in Eatern Ukraine from 2005 – 2007, and spent the first ten years of my career as a preschool – 12th grade educator working in both school and community-based settings, with a focus on arts education.
Why are you running for a seat on the Sitka School Board this year?
I’m running for the Sitka School Board because I believe that public education is fundamental to us as individuals, to our community, and to our nation. At its best, public education is a vehicle for individual growth and opportunity, for functioning community institutions, and for the health and vitality of our democracy. As someone with a passion for education, experience in public administration and policy, and a commitment to public service, I feel that I can contribute to my community through service on the Sitka School Board. I strongly believe in the School District’s mission to “intentionally develop Haa Latseení (Our Strength of Mind, Body, and Spirit) to inspire and prepare students to be compassionate, empowered, and equipped critical thinkers within a global community,” and want to work to see it come to fruition.
What are your top two priorities if elected?
If elected, my top two priorities would be working to ensure educational equity in the Sitka School District and supporting the implementation of the SSD 2021 Strategic Plan. I believe that SSD provides its students with a high-quality education; however, when you look at current and historical data on student opportunities and achievement, there are significant inequities based on race, socioeconomic status, and for students with disabilities. While many of these issues require solutions at the societal level beyond what a school district can do alone, it is my belief that public education plays a critical role in either mitigating or exacerbating social, economic, and civic marginalization. While I believe in the work SSD’s school board, leadership, teachers, and staff have been doing, I believe that we can do better for students and families who don’t have the same access to opportunities and who we see falling behind their peers in terms of academic achievement and social emotional development. As a school board member, I would work to make data and information more transparent and more available in order to help inform decision-making at all levels of the district; I would work to advocate for students and families who face these inequities; and I would do all I can in my role as a school board member to support and highlight the good work being done on these fronts by SSD leadership, teachers, and staff in the hopes that it can grow and expand.
I was fortunate to be part of the recent SSD 2021 Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the SSD Strategic Plan Action Team for Strategy #3 focused on strengthening and expanding partnerships. With the action plans recently being finalized by participants in that phase of the process, I am extremely excited to see movement towards implementation of the SSD 2021 Strategic Plan so that it does not become one of those documents that sits on a shelf. It’s my belief that we have a good strategic plan in place as a school district that addresses the many facets of what SSD does, and that we have a good and motivated group of administrators, teachers, staff, parents, partners, and community members ready to implement the components of the plan. As an SSD School Board member, I would use the SSD 2021 Strategic Plan as a guide for my own decision-making and action, I would be a champion of the plan and those working to implement it, and I would support the SSD Superintendent in its implementation in my capacity and appropriate role as a school board member.
In addition to those two priorities, I will prioritize local and state advocacy on school funding, student mental health, school – family – community partnerships, and engagement with the public.
Ballot Prop 1:
Do you support Ballot Prop 1, which would replace the traditional sales tax with an 8 percent consumers’ tax on cannabis and cannabis products? Why or why not?
Yes, I support Ballot Proposition 1 so long as the new revenue to the school district is for non-instructional expenses and does not replace the current funding level to the cap or the current non-instructional local contribution. In 2016, the City’s Marijuana Advisory Committee recommended a 2% excise tax on Marijuana sales, and this is more-or-less equivalent to what that committee proposed after extensive research and work with stakeholders. Moreover, this is not an increased tax on basic necessities such as groceries. I believe that funding to education is one of the best, if not the best, uses of tax dollars, so I would support additional revenue coming to SSD to ensure we can provide a high-quality education with opportunities for participation in extracurriculars to all students.
If the cannabis measure does not pass, are there next steps the school board should take to bolster funding for student activities?
The school board and the district are in a tough spot because they have no way to raise revenues themselves. With the base student allocation not having been raised by the state since 2016 and state school bond debt reimbursement being eliminated by the state in 2015, we’re really relying heavily on the local contribution from the city to keep our district afloat. Even with that, inflation and the increases in costs for things like building supplies and classroom materials means that we’re behind where we were several years ago.
At the current rate, and with no additional local contribution, we’re going to struggle to stay competitive with teacher salaries and/or in keeping pupil-teacher ratios (PTRs) low, to fund the cost of student activities, and to make the necessary investments to our school infrastructure, let alone meet what seems to be an ever-growing need for student mental health services. I’m not exactly sure what the answer will be for funding student activities or the myriad of other SSD expenses to maintain a high-quality education system in Sitka given all of the variables at play; however, I do know that it’s going to require work and advocacy at both the local and state level, a strong relationship and collaboration between the School Board and Sitka Assembly, collaboration with other local entities, and working with the community to prioritize what we want to see for the Sitka School District and our children.
Funding:
The Sitka Assembly recently has been spending the maximum allowed by state law on instructional expenses in the school district – the so-called “cap” – and spending money over-and-above the cap on things like student activities, and operational expenses at the Blatchley Pool and Sitka Performing Arts Center. Do you support this spending plan, or would you challenge it?
I’m extremely appreciative of the Sitka Assembly for getting school funding to the cap and making the additional investments in non-instructional expenses such as school buildings and heat pumps. I’d like to see these funding levels stay the same or increase. Much like the school board, the assembly is in a tough spot too with recent declines to state municipal revenue sharing, an aging city infrastructure we haven’t put away money to replace, and limited options for raising taxes or other revenues themselves without a vote of the citizens of Sitka.
I’d like to see the Sitka School Board work with the Sitka Assembly to advocate for revenue raising policies at both the local and state level because I believe we need to invest more in the Sitka School District and in the education, health, safety, and wellbeing of Sitka’s children. At the local level, I’d like to see a proposition to raise the mill rate to at least 8 mills come to the voters, and would like to see us explore a limited municipal income tax on individuals earning more than $125,000 a year. At the state level, I’d like to see the Sitka School Board, Sitka Assembly, and STA Tribal Council advocate for an increase to the state’s base student allocation, and I’d like to see a change in state law that would allow municipalities to tax non-residents at a higher rate than residents on property taxes. I would also like to see the state make it easier to tax alcohol, and would be in support of a tax on alcohol similar to the one being proposed on Marijuana. Overall, I would like to see Sitka have a more progressive tax structure that makes it easier for working families to survive and thrive.
Teacher Salary:
This year – for the first time in 25 years – the district and teachers’ union reached a formal impasse in bargaining, and finally settled on a two-year contract on the last day of school (rather than the usual three-year contract). As a board member, where would you stand on the renegotiation? Hold the line on teacher salaries, or support a more competitive payscale to recruit the best educators?
Ideally, I’d like to see us have a more competitive pay scale so that we can retain and recruit the best educators. With that being said, the school board and the district are in a tough spot for the reasons outlined in my earlier answers. Without the ability to raise revenue and with our annual budget already being so tight, I think the choice is going to come down to choices between raising teacher salaries, maintaining or increasing pupil-teacher ratios, counseling and mental health support, extracurriculars and elective optional, and a number of other difficult choices I hope we don’t have to make. Ultimately, I think it’s the school board’s job to listen to and work with all of the school district stakeholders including the public and the teachers’ union to make the best decisions we can to provide a high-quality education for Sitka’s children and youth. My initial position and instinct is to believe that investments in competitive salaries to retain and recruit the best teachers and staff is at the top of that list.
With this being said, I think we do have choices as a community. We could choose to raise property taxes or other taxes to ensure teachers are paid a competitive wage. We could work to advocate for changes at the state level to see increases to the base student allocation or a return to school bond debt reimbursement. If we don’t see an increase to school revenues through local or state action, I’m afraid we will have to make some tough choices as a community and as a district in the coming years.
Classroom Size:
Pupil-Teacher Ratios always come up for discussion when the district is budgeting. What are your thoughts on class size in the elementary, middle, and high schools?
Pupil-Teacher Ratios or PTRs have been an ongoing discussion in SSD for as long as I can remember, and we’ve been fortunate as a community and district to maintain low PTRs, particularly at the elementary level. In my mind, PTRs are wrapped up in the same discussion as teacher salaries and other school district operating expenses, and are tied to the many decisions and prioritizations we’ll need to make in the coming years based on annual revenues. As I’ve said in my earlier answers, I’m afraid that if we don’t see changes at the local or state level to education funding, we’ll probably have to make hard decisions like those on PTRs. Ultimately, my decision making on PTRs and other budget-related issues will be based on community input and prioritization, input from the superintendent, school district staff, and stakeholders, and what I think will lead to the best Sitka School District education for our students.
Extracurricular Activities:
Extracurricular activities are a costly part of public education, and much of the expense associated with being in a sport, or in band, or in theater falls on parents – raising a problem of equity. Not all families can afford for their children to participate in activities. How would you address this issue as a school board member?
First, I believe that if Ballot Proposition 1 passes, all or most of that funding should be set aside for needs-based assistance for extracurricular activities. Our community has a fair number of individuals and families who are doing really well, and then a much bigger number that are struggling just to get by. In the district, about 35% of our students each year qualify for free-or-reduced lunch, and I think we need to find ways to prioritize a needs-based approach wherever we can. I would like to see the district use the Ballot Proposition 1 and other student activities funding in a sliding scale needs based way.
COVID:
During the last school year, the school board left much of the decision-making about COVID response to the administration. Do you have any thoughts that might help us understand how you would approach the situation, were we to face similar circumstances in the future?
First, I would like to commend SSD administration and the school board for making the decisions that they did in order to keep students, families, teachers, and staff safe. Many districts throughout the U.S. delivered school 100% from a distance for long periods of time, and Sitka was able to keep kids in school for most of the pandemic aside from a few weeks. SSD administration followed the best available science and CDC and other public health guidance, and I think we came out all the better for it as a district and community. I would also commend a number of other community organizations such as the City and Borough of Sitka, SEARHC, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka Public Health, and the UAS Sitka Campus, to name a few, who also contributed greatly to keeping the community safe and that have helped to keep classroom doors open in-school and in the community. I believe that as a school board member I would take a proactive approach, and would advocate for the school board to do so as well, particularly on issues of this magnitude. In terms of my decision making on issues involving public health and safety such as the coronavirus pandemic, I will always follow the best science available and the guidance of public health experts. Lastly, I would just like to commend all of the teachers and staff within SSD and other educational organizations in Sitka who went above and beyond for Sitka’s students. In an instant, Sitka’s educators adapted to new methods to be able to provide education and other important services to Sitka’s children and youth. This has and continues to take a massive toll on Sitka and our nation’s educators and students, and they deserve as much support as they can get from us now and in the coming years as we feel the ongoing impacts.
Social Emotional Learning:
Social emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching are both guiding principles in the district. Do you support the continued emphasis on these approaches to education? Why or why not?
Yes, I support the continued emphasis in the district on social emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching. First and foremost, I believe that social emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching are key components of any good education, and have been widely accepted as such within the U.S. and Alaska education communities for some time. The district has done a good job promoting, providing teacher training on, and integrating social emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching into SSD classrooms for most of the last decade; however, I believe there is still a fair amount of work to be done to ensure that both are done with fidelity across the entire district, in every school, and in every classroom.
In terms of social emotional learning, beyond being a key element of any good teaching, I believe there’s a large need for social emotional learning and mental health support among SSD students. Alaska has some of the highest rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and risk factors such as alcoholism, suicide, poverty, and domestic violence and sexual assault in the United States, and these impact Sitka students at fairly alarming rates. Given that, I believe there is an extremely high need to integrate social emotional learning throughout the district, while also providing the more intensive group or one-on-one mental health services that many of our students need.
In terms of culturally responsive teaching, I see two definitions that are relevant to our district. First, when we talk about culturally responsive teaching in Alaska, I believe we need to start with a conversation about the integration of Alaska Native culture in our schools. Alaska Native people are Alaska’s first peoples, and they have faced significant discrimination and violence in Alaska’s school system over the years. To rectify these past and ongoing injustices, I believe there needs to be a specific focus on Alaska Native peoples and culture when we talk about culturally responsive education and teaching. In Sitka, I believe this means increasing the presence of Lingít and other Alaska Native languages, cultures, histories, worldviews, etc. in our classrooms, schools, and at the district level. I believe this not only benefits our Alaska Native students who make up a significant percentage of SSD’s student population, but I believe it benefits all students, families and staff in the district. Second, culturally responsive teaching is about bringing a students’ own body of knowledge, their home body of knowledge, and their community body of knowledge into the classroom in order to enhance their learning and make it meaningful to each individual student. Again, I see this as a fundamental element of good teaching, something that will lead to better outcomes for our students, and something that compliments the social emotional learning discussed previously.
Baranof Elementary :
How do you feel about renaming Baranof Elementary School?
