KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Norm Wooten. KIBSD photo
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
One of Kodiak’s leaders in education will move to Juneau to work for the Association of Alaska School Boards. The AASB is a non-profit that provides administrative guidance and legislative assistance to Alaska school districts, among other services.
Norm Wooten will be the new AASB executive director starting May 1. He’s served as AASB president twice, been on the Kodiak school board since 1990, and he’s the only Alaskan to serve as President of the National School Board Association.
Wooten says that his focus is on the legislative session.
“With the fiscal reality of the state of having a 3 and a half billion dollar hole in the budget, obviously we’re very concerned about ensuring that education continues to be of primary importance to the legislature,” Wooten said.
The out-going executive director, Joseph Reeves, says that he had a certain set of goals when he took the position and has since achieved them.
“I told my board that I wanted to make a transition and work for two years to help redefine how we do our legislative advocacy work and put our financial resources in a good, solid position for the next executive director,” Reeves said.
He says that he’s served the association in different capacities for 17 years and will now retire. He plans to go on a road trip across North America.
Wooten says Kodiak will always be home, and he’s saddened to leave, but excited to make the transition from being AASB’s Director of School Improvement and Governmental Relations to its executive director.
