Paul Rioux is one of two candidates running for a seat on the Sitka School Board. The municipal election is Tuesday, October 1.
Hello my name is Paul Rioux and I’m a candidate for the Sitka School Board in this October’s election. Sitka has been my home for the past 24 years.
Mostly I’ve made my living in the commercial fishing industry, and in serving that industry.
I’ve served on the boards of the Unitarian Church, the Sitka Sportman’s Association, and the Sitka Community Development Corporation. I’ve been involved with the youth of sitka with the Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs, and through the 4-H program.
My eldest son is a SHS graduate and lives and works in Sitka. My daughter attends Blatchley Middle School, and my two school-aged sons attend Sitka High School and Baranof Elementary.
I believe that our schools are an investment in tomorrow, that we are educating not only our children, but our future neighbors, employees, and coworkers.
I am not a trained educator, so I will listen to and advocate for those who are, so they can best do their work.
It is my belief that schools, like all government agencies, have an obligation to the people to be as cost-effective and efficient as possible. That being said, I also recognize that their job is incredibly complex and that over streamlining can let kids fall through the gaps.
Our educators are not simply teaching kids to read and write. They are teaching them to be engaged citizens, to be critical thinkers, to be informed voters, and so much more that can never be reflected by a standardized test score.
It’s a critical job that they are doing, and I believe that a job worth doing is a job worth doing well.
One thing this town does extremely well is collaborate. We come together to solve problems. We pitch in when someone asks for help, and often we lift someone up when they fall simply because it’s the right and neighborly thing to do.
I celebrate that, and hope to bring that spirit to serve on the board.
The school district is more than the pupils, more than the administrators, the teachers, parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. It’s a family, and just like any family we may not all see eye to eye on the right way to get every task done, but at the end of the day we put aside our differences and strive to give our young community members the tools they need to move on, and eventually to run the community for themselves.
There is every indication that there are harder financial times coming. We have weathered some hard squalls, and we likely will soon be in a storm.
I think that I could bring a level head and collaborative spirit to the board
It would be an honor to serve on the Sitka School Board. My name is Paul Rioux, and would appreciate your vote on October 1st.
