The Sitka Assembly has offered a second interview to a candidate for the city’s top job.

In a special meeting on Friday (8-21-26) the assembly interviewed Gerrie Cotter for the municipal administrator post. Cotter has a law degree from Loyola University Law School in New Orleans, and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from West Virginia University. She currently works as the administrator of Perry Township in Stark County Ohio, a community of just under thirty thousand people.

“We have police, fire, zoning, parks, and roads departments,” she told the assembly during a video call. “I’ve been township administrator there for the past year, and I’ve done quite a bit to help them modernize their processes.”

Before moving into the township administration job last year, Cotter spent nearly 14 years working for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, where she led a statewide workforce development program for young adults, and did policy work. She has also served as a trustee for a township in Ohio, and on a local school board. 

“So I’ve got a wide range of experience, much of it with local government. I really enjoy being able to see the improvements that you’re making at the local level. It’s much easier to see those improvements when you’re working in a particular community. So I do like that aspect of it,” she said.

“I’m also a licensed attorney in the state of New York,” she continued. “So I’m certainly capable of interpreting, drafting, recommending policy.”

The assembly prompted Cotter to share her experience in a variety of areas, from negotiating contracts with unions and doing public outreach, to building a budget and building a team.

“I think just being open-minded and listening to staff to hear what their concerns might be or what they’d like to see changed, and being flexible enough to consider those things is really important, especially when you’re dealing with diverse folks,” Cotter said. “I also think there’s ways that you can, you know, maybe create some more camaraderie and find commonalities and things that folks enjoy doing together to try and create that team environment too.” 

After interviewing Cotter for around an hour, the assembly went behind closed doors in an executive session. When the group returned, Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz announced that they would advance Cotter to a second interview.

Right now, Cotter is the only candidate in the running for the municipal administrator job. The assembly began its search for a new administrator when John Leach, signaled plans to resign last fall. Leach originally planned to step down in May, but extended his work with the city through December.

Cotter’s next interview date has not yet been announced. You can listen back to the full interview here.

Sitka teacher Bridgette Reynolds was recognized at Our Cultural Landscape, Sealaska Heritage Institute’s 2026 culturally responsive education conference, earlier this month (8-6-26). 

Reynolds received SHI’s Distinguished Educator Award, which recognizes teachers who integrate Indigenous knowledge into their lessons. Reynolds teaches science, technology, engineering, and math at Pacific High School. She’s also an adjunct professor at University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, where she leads dual enrollment courses for rural students across the region.

She looks to validate her students’ existing knowledge of math and science.

“Science is just stories about data, and our data keeps getting more exact and more exact and more exact,” Reynolds says. “But as we look back, — the stories we’ve told, our understanding of things — we’ve always been doing science wherever you are.”

Reynolds says practices like constructing ocean-going canoes, managing fisheries, and creating natural paints are all rooted in thousands of years of science. Reynolds says she ties these ideas into her lessons so students can see themselves in the things they’re learning.

Jamie Shanley is SHI’s language and primary education director. She says the award highlights teachers like Reynolds who are transforming their craft to weave Indigenous techniques into their classrooms and their communities.

“Teaching is a very hard job, and it is undervalued in many ways. Sealaska Heritage really wants to uphold our educators,” Shanley says.

Principal Matt Groen says Pacific High School’s place-based, hands-on approach fosters learning outside of the classroom. He says Reynolds champions inclusive and innovative education. 

“She’s always constantly challenging what education should be,” Groen says. “Is it reaching all learners of all backgrounds? Is it relevant? Is it rigorous? Is it taking students to that next level? And are we helping our students make that transition into adulthood?”

Groen says these ideas have been staples in Reynold’s classroom since she joined the Sitka School District over a decade ago. 

Sitka’s elementary schools made the Alaska Reads Act work last year. Now they’d like the funding to keep it working – KCAW

In Sitka, the results from the first year of the state education initiative program, Alaska Reads, were extraordinary. But this year is more of a struggle, as the state grant funding to support the program has mostly dried up, and positions once funded by the program have been cut or reassigned.

Students and teachers report a sharp decline in support for non-native English speakers in Ketchikan schools— KRBD

As flat funding continues to impact schools across the state, one demographic in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District may be getting hit especially hard – the large number of students who don’t speak English as their first language. Many current and former school district staff have been raising the alarm about what they say is a severe and concerning decline in resources for these students.

Skagway School credits community, teachers and a unique testing culture for its high test scores – KHNS

Skagway School District contains just one school, a one-story building with students from preschool to twelfth grade. It serves the families of the Southeast Alaska community that’s approximately 20 miles from the Canadian border. For the 13th year in a row, Skagway’s school district had the highest state scores in all assessed areas, according to administrators. KHNS reporter Melinda Munson interviewed school staff to get a better understanding of what makes this rural Alaskan school flourish academically.

In Wrangell, police and educators look to make students safer from school shootings – KSTK

School safety has been top of mind for a lot of school districts in recent years. Even though school shootings happen every year in the Lower 48, gun violence also happens in rural Alaska. And the state knows that – they require mandatory safety drills every month at public schools. KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki talked with Wrangell schools to see how they’re starting to improve keeping kids safe on their remote island.

As Alaska schools close, one Aleutian village bucks the trend – KUCB

While Alaskan schools are closing their doors, one remote Aleutian community is flipping the script.

For the first time in over a decade, children in Nikolski are back in the classroom.

A community’s fight to save Unangam Tunuu on St. Paul Island– KUHB/KUCB

In the remote, Bering Sea island community of St. Paul, educators and community members are working to preserve Unangam Tunuu, the traditional language of the Unangax people. But even as students learn to speak their ancestors’ tongue, the language faces an uncertain future.

In Southeast Alaska, travel for school activities can be a nightmare, but it’s worth it- KFSK

In remote Southeast Alaska, travel for school activities can be a logistical nightmare. But studies show it’s worth it – activities are good for kids academically, physically, and emotionally. Petersburg’s activities director agrees. This fall he spent long days working to bring seven teams to town for a high school volleyball conference.

Career openings at KCAW:

Sarah Hughes News Residency:
Raven Radio’s News Residency is a one-year program for early-career journalists looking to further develop their skills in a supportive, small newsroom environment in Sitka, Alaska, with a proven track record for training the next generation of exceptional audio journalists. View the job description here. For more information about the residency, please visit the Sarah Evangeline Hughes News Residency page here.

How to Apply: Submit a letter of interest, resume, and links to three examples of your best journalistic work to applications@kcaw.org. Please include your first and last name and the position title in the subject line.

Open until February 18, 2026 or when filled.

On December 16^th, KCAW aired special, locally-produced news and public affairs programming as part of “Southeast Celebrates News Day”, a one-day fundraiser for our News Department.  During the day, we raised $19,000.  Thank You to all new and sustaining members!

All who contributed, including sustaining members, were entered into a drawing for 2 roundtrip tickets on Alaska Seaplanes to any of their destinations.  We appreciate Alaska Seaplanes and you for contributing!

“Southeast Celebrates News Day” is a reminder of the vital community service Raven News provides – and it’s a service made possible by YOU.  We aired 5 one hour shows.  In case you missed them or would like to listen again, click on the links below.

“The Public Service of Raven Radio” 

Host:  Becky Meiers

Panelist:  Rich McClear

“Birds, Bears, and Baleens” 

Host:  Jacyn Schmidt

Panelists: Lauren Bell, Louise Brady, and Matt Goff

“The State of Health in The Panhandle” 

Host:  Martha Pearson

Panelists:  Kari Lundgren and Monica Chase

“Our Next Guest:  The Community Calendar” 

Host:  Cara Crain

Panelists:  Megan Pasternak, Andrew Roseman, and Michelle Friedman

“The Future of Fishing” 

Host:  Rob Woolsey

Panelists:  Heather Bauscher, Linda Behnken, and Harvey Kitka

If you contribute by December 31^st, you will be entered to win Alaska Seaplanes tickets.  Make your contribution here or call (907) 747-5877.  Thank You!

The mission of KCAW’s Community Advisory Board is to contribute to a dynamic conversation about what a commitment to community means for KCAW’s programming, partnerships, and presence, both on-air and off. 

KCAW seeks Community Advisory Board members who bring ideas, relationships, passion and follow-through, and are able to envision KCAW as a cultural institution as well as a broadcaster. The time commitment is expected to be one hour a quarter for meetings, plus the time needed to complete CAB-identified projects. The CAB will create a quarterly report to the Raven Radio Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors.

Specific tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Engaging in robust discussion about the role of public radio and how KCAW can best serve all our communities of license, including translator communities.
• Providing feedback on programming, including advising station leadership in setting programming goals and evaluating on-air programs. 
• Helping KCAW to see opportunities for community engagement and voice in alignment with the station’s strategic priorities.
• Auditioning interstitial content (audio pieces under 10 minutes in length) and making recommendations.
• Informing and drafting a ‘show proposal’ process for new programs, identifying underrepresented voices and areas where KCAW can better meet our mission.
• Conducting focus groups and other audience fact-finding/assessment activities, focusing on quantifiable, measurable data collection.

If you’d like to become a member of the CAB, or have any questions, please contact generalmanager@kcaw.org.

Our next CAB meeting will be September 15th, 6-7:30pm at the station (2B Lincoln Street, Sitka) and via Zoom (link here)

CAB members include:

• Jeanne Stolberg
• John Herchenrider
• Noah Galarza
• Columbus Byrd
• Mary Hames
• Taylor White (Board Representative)
• Mariana Robertson (Management Representative)