Three finalists announced for new Juneau School District superintendent
- Jasz Garrett
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Community forum scheduled to be held next week, along with another survey opportunity
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
The Juneau Board of Education announced three finalists for the district’s superintendent on Tuesday.
The finalists are Shawn Arnold, current principal of Thunder Mountain Middle School; Kevin Shipley, superintendent of Evadale Independent School District in Texas; and Carlee Simon, who has prior experience with the University of Alaska Southeast and as superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools in Florida. Simon was the dean of the UAS School of Education from May 2023 to December 2025.
Additionally, in her resume, Simon wrote as a parent of students enrolled in JSD, she brings “lived experience and a family-centered perspective to leadership decisions.”
Arnold, who has 20 years of education experience, was the former superintendent of Valdez City Schools and Nome Public Schools. He was the principal at Thunder Mountain High School, starting in 2022, and transitioned to TMMS principal after the high school closed in 2024.
Shipley, who has more than 25 years of education experience, was the former education director with Sealaska Heritage Institute from 2017 to 2019. His other Alaska ties include being superintendent of the Kake City School District from 2012 to 2017.
All three candidates have other experience in education. Their resumes are available here.
The next steps in the process will include interviews with the board, engagement opportunities with staff and community members, and final reference and background checks, according to a press release.
In an interview, board member David Noon, who chairs the search committee, said a public survey on the next superintendent helped shape the selection of the three finalists. He said the candidate qualifications community members submitted aligned with the board’s priorities.
“For example, somebody with experience in Alaska and more specifically, candidates who had experience in Juneau,” Noon said. “Those were high priorities. Those came out of the community survey. We wanted to have candidates who had a background as superintendents, someone who had already been in the job. Juneau is a pretty big district in Alaska. We were lucky that we were able to get candidates who had experience.”
He said there are more opportunities for community members to weigh in on the finalists’ strengths and weaknesses.
The school board’s consultants, McPherson & Jacobson, will interview the candidates via Zoom this week. Recordings are scheduled to be posted on the JSD website by Monday. A community forum offering a chance to meet and question the three finalists is scheduled March 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at TMMS.
A series of interviews will take place on March 5 with invited JSD staff members, parents and community members. Board interviews with candidates on that same day will be held in executive session.
Members of the public who participate in the forum and interview process will be asked to evaluate finalists through another survey, which will be posted on the website next week.
“Public input is really important,” Noon said. “We’ll try to make a decision as quickly as we possibly can.”
Superintendent Frank Hauser announced his resignation last October, effective June 30, 2026. Hauser was originally hired with a three-year contract beginning July 1, 2023. The resignation notice occurred shortly after the school board extended his contract until 2028.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
