There are two school board seats on the municipal ballot this year. Incumbent Brian Rankin is seeking reelection to Seat B.
KUCB sat down with Rankin to hear his take on current district issues and find out more about why he wants to retain his seat on the school board.
Take a listen to KUCB’s interview with Rankin above and find the transcription below.
TRANSCRIPTION
KUCB: Why are you seeking reelection to the school board, and what are your top priorities for the next term?
Rankin: As a lifelong Unalaska resident and proud Unalaska Raider alumnus, my commitment to this community and our school is very deep. My journey to the school board began uniquely. A group of local residents decided I would be a good fit and asked permission to write me in. I told them, "Well, I can't tell anyone how to vote," but I actually came really close to winning that first write-in attempt. A while later, three years ago, they approached me again. I gave the same answer. I ended up winning the election, and as a write-in candidate, I chose to honor their wishes and serve my first term.
I want to continue serving our community because a sound education system is vital for our students, as they are tomorrow's leaders.
Top priorities for the upcoming school year and my term: We need to secure funding. We need to work closely with the superintendent and staff, and aggressively advocate for securing the funding needed for our classrooms, extracurricular activities and elective courses.
We need teacher retention, supporting our teachers and educators, understanding that the long-term retention of passionate, high-quality teachers has a direct and positive impact on student growth.
I support academic and technology upgrades. I support our career technical education programs. I'm a strong advocate for facilities maintenance, advancing a comprehensive, long-term facility maintenance plan so our school buildings remain safe and secure for both students and staff.
KUCB: What do you enjoy most about serving on the school board, and what do you enjoy least?
Rankin: What I enjoy the most is watching our students succeed and grow. From the sports teams competing and witnessing the incredible talent, to student activities, whether it's art, music, foreign language, or the history club success that they've had recently with Ms. Royal's class, just to name a few. Ultimately, nothing compares to the pride of watching seniors cross the stage at graduation.
The least fun part of it is trying to balance the budget. Rising costs across the board make the job incredibly difficult. Balancing a desire to support essential resources and programs while maintaining a responsible and balanced budget is a constant challenge.
However, during a very difficult budget discussion last year, community members, teachers and staff came together with creative ideas to help us keep what we have. But thankfully, the state Legislature approved a BSA-based student allocation that was enough to cover a lot of those concerns. But witnessing everyone come together to protect the programs we have gives me a sense of pride.
KUCB: This is an off-topic question, but is there a sport at our school that you like to watch the most?
Rankin: Well, I'm a basketball alumnus. I'm a swimming alumnus, and I am also a wrestling alumnus. The cross country team was just coming on when I was a senior, and I was working out — out of town when the season started and I wasn't able to participate. But yeah, I'm basketball through and through.
KUCB: Student mental health has become a growing concern nationwide, including in Unalaska. What’s your understanding of mental health needs among Unalaska students? And what can you do as a school board member to better support our emotional well-being?
Rankin: Student mental health is a highly complex issue with many factors at play: social peer pressures, academic anxiety, burnout, isolation from being on an island, or any unknown factors and challenges at home.
As a school board member, I'd like to address these challenges by focusing on early intervention, providing support at the moment behavioral struggles start to show rather than waiting for it to become a crisis. We need to expand our resources or keep our resources. Advocate for robust school-based support through consistent access to local counselors and exploring telehealth services.
I think we should foster a culture of wellness, encourage thoughtful care and communication among students, so they know how to support one another, and engage families. Partnering with parents to encourage open, honest communication at home is just as vital as support provided inside the schools.
KUCB: Unalaska's student population is very diverse. How do you, as a school board member, plan to represent our needs and support us as students from various cultural, economic and social backgrounds?
Rankin: That's one of the neat things about Unalaska. It has a very long history of diversity. I truly feel that it defines our community as strong and resilient. It's personal to me. I am Unangax̂. I'm also half Scottish-Irish. My wife is from the Philippines. Our daughters were raised in a mixed household, and I'm incredibly proud of the community's multicultural events.
My plan to represent and support our diverse student body includes culturally diverse educational support and encouraging curriculum and learning resources that accurately reflect the rich diversity of our student population. Strengthening ESL programs, supporting our English as a Second Language program to provide crucial assistance to students who may be struggling to understand or adapt, and, importantly, we need to listen to the community, welcome direct feedback from students, families and local cultural leaders, and ensure that the board fully understands and acts upon the unique needs of our school system.
And at the end of the day, my goal is to ensure that every single person who walks into the school doors feels safe, respected and welcome.
KUCB: Do you have anything else you’d like to share?
Rankin: I know the school has several fundraisers, and our community has always been very generous. I just ask that people continue to support our school and our sports programs and other academic programs. You know, the art, the language clubs, the history club, all of that. I think it's very important.
