Sitka School Board president Tristan Guevin has resigned.
Guevin submitted his resignation to the board at its regular meeting on Wednesday (8-14-24).
In his letter, Guevin wrote that he was applying for an English Language Arts teaching position at Pacific High which opened up with one week to go before students arrived.
Guevin was first appointed to the school board to fill a vacancy in June of 2022. He later ran for, and won, a seat on the board in the municipal election that fall. His term was due to expire in October of this year.
Guevin has also served previously on the Sitka Assembly. But he hinted that the last year of school board work – as members confronted a deep workforce reduction in the district – was tough. He wrote: “My time on the school board, while challenging, has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling opportunities in my life.”
Fellow school board members had nothing but praise for Guevin, who chaired the group through some of the hardest decisions in recent memory.
Member Phil Burdick said Guevin had served the district in many capacities, and strengthened ties with the Sitka Tribe and the Alaska Association of School Boards. He also understood the role of the board.
“I learned a lot from him in the last year about about process, about what it means to be on a school board,” Burdick said. “Even though I have lots of experience in the school district, this is an entirely different beast, and I really appreciate his leadership, and I’m really sad that we are not going to be able to continue to work together. But I understand that life happens.”
Other board members offered lighter farewells. Tom Williams said he still expected weekly coffee with Guevin; Steve Morse got a laugh when he said he planned to vote “no” on accepting Guevin’s resignation.
Nevertheless, the board accepted Guevin’s departure, and directed staff to begin the appointment process to fill the seat, per board bylaws which require that a vacancy be filled within 30 days. Anyone interested in serving out the term should submit a letter of interest to the district office by 4 p.m. September 5. The board will hold a special meeting on September 12 to appoint a candidate.
Member Phil Burdick suggested that applicants consider the short service a “test drive” for a full board term, and then run for the seat as a write-in. There are two open seats on the board in this October’s municipal election, and so far only one candidate has filed to appear on the ballot.
Note: The original version of this story reported that Guevin had taken a job at Pacific High, when in actuality he was a candidate and the position was vacant.
