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Ketchikan school board appoints Melissa Reed, approves interim superintendent and several motions in 6-25 meeting
Summary
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education appointed Melissa Reed to a vacant seat and approved an interim superintendent contract and other actions on June 25 after an executive session and public meeting. Several other motions were approved or discussed.
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education voted June 25 to appoint Melissa Reed to a vacant board seat and approved a series of motions including an interim superintendent contract and legal representation for a charter-school lease dispute.
The board voted 6 to 0 to appoint Melissa Reed effective immediately after interviewing two applicants and conducting an executive session. The board later took the official roll-call motion to formalize the appointment: Robbins Jr., Guthrie, Ginter, Thomas, Tabb and Tatsuta voted yes; the motion carried 6–0. Melissa Reed was sworn in at the meeting and signed the oath of office.
At the same meeting the board unanimously approved an interim superintendent contract for PJ Ford Slack, PhD, beginning July 1, 2025. The motion to approve the contract passed on roll call 7–0.
The board also voted to engage attorney Leif Thompson to represent the Ketchikan Charter School in a lease-agreement dispute; that motion passed 7–0. Charter-school leaders told the board the school’s APC (charter governing council) had agreed to pay the legal costs.
A lease-amendment for office space at the White Cliff facility with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough passed 6–1. The board amended the consent calendar to move that item under new business before voting on the lease amendment. The dissenting vote was recorded during roll call.
Separately, the board took corrective action on an earlier personnel non-retention matter: four members who were present for the informal hearing affirmed the prior non-retention decision in public session; the roll-call vote on that confirmation passed 3–1 among the eligible voters.
Other routine business, including a modified consent calendar, passed. The board also made a motion to enter executive session to deliberate candidates under the Alaska Supreme Court decision referenced in the meeting; that motion passed 6–0.
The board president said several items will be returned to policy committee for additional work and that the public-participation policy will be revised and reintroduced after more community input.
