Sitka’s newest school board members were sworn in at a special meeting on Wednesday (10-15-25).
Incumbent Paul Rioux and newcomer Courtney Amundson took their oaths of office, along with Sitka High School senior Francis Myers, who was sworn in as student advisor.
KCAW spoke with Rioux shortly after he was elected. We caught up with Amundson — a data scientist — after she was sworn in.
“I’m excited. I think it’ll be it’ll be really fun,” Amundson said. “There’s a lot to learn, and so it’s really just getting my feet under me in terms of understanding the role of the board and the different issues that we’ll face. And then from there, I think as issues arise, I’ll dig more deeply into them, but I’m excited for the work session tonight on data.”
After the school board members were sworn in, the board selected its officers, naming Phil Burdick as its president again this year, Tom Williams as vice president and Rioux as clerk.
The board also nominated Burdick to run for a seat on the Alaska Association of School Boards, which is composed of school board members from communities around the state. Burdick said he’s hoping to represent Southeast Alaska and fill a vacancy created after a board member from Ketchikan did not win reelection in his district.
