Re-Elect Bobby Burgess for school board

To the editor: On October 6, I will be voting to re-elect Bobby Burgess for School Board Seat F. Bobby has many qualities that make him well-suited to serve on the school board, but the ones that stand out most to me are his compassion, courage, kindness, and steadiness. He is also an incredibly thoughtful decision-maker. When Bobby makes a decision, I know he has carefully and painstakingly considered the issue at hand. I have seen how much time and effort he puts into his work on the school board, and it is clear he does not take the responsibility lightly. I want to highlight a few of Bobby's decisions and actions during his term that were important to me as a parent of two children in our school district. When elementary school closures first came up in 2024, and several schools were recommended for closure, Bobby advocated for slowing the process down. He voted to postpone elementary school closures until the following year, giving families, educators, and community members additional time to take part in focus groups that helped shape the school consolidation plan. As a parent of a child whose school ultimately closed, I appreciated the extra time our family had to adjust. We had time to grieve the loss of our school and, in turn, find new things to look forward to. Bobby supported local control when the state attempted to overturn the board's unanimous decision to deny a charter school, which would have negated the benefits of school consolidation. Bobby co-wrote and advocated to pass a resolution titled 'Safe Spaces, Strong Futures; Standing with our Immigrant Community' in response to federal immigration enforcement that threatened to disrupt the safety of families in our district. There may be three candidates competing for School Board Seat F, but for me, the choice is clear. I'm choosing to re-elect Bobby Burgess — a down-to-earth leader who will continue to work hard for all students, families, and educators in our district. Jen Gunderson Fairbanks To the editor: I am most grateful that Bobby Burgess is running for re-election to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board. He has demonstrated excellent service and leadership during challenging financial times. Bobby Burgess and I spent two school years together. As his fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, I observed his fine academic skills and enthusiastic participation and leadership in unique group activities. Fairbanks is what Bobby Burgess treasures. Born here, educated k-12 in our public schools and earning both a BA and MS at the Aniversity of Alaska Fairbanks, he works as a scientist in mitigating chemical contamination here in the Interior. He and fellow volunteers helped provide a special reading program in our elementary schools and he's coached youth soccer teams. Prior to running for his first school board term, Bobby served as a volunteer on the school board's Budget Advisory Committee. He was well qualified for that first term and even more so to be reelected for a second term. Closing schools has been heart-wrenching but Bobby remained stalwart while fully dedicated to researching each situation and attentively listening to all sides of each issue. He's a bridge builder, able to work with others. Nothing was easy, but he resolutely sought the best answer available for the stability of the entire school district, it's dedicated and talented teachers, and the support staff that keeps everything running smoothly. For the students —from the very young to the amazing seniors — Bobby has shown dedication, leadership and strength in making tough decisions. Some decisions have been unpopular with various groups but have served the greater community in keeping the FNSB School District as stable as possible under difficult conditions. This year, the board was able to rebuild. The district reinstated elementary instrumental music, hired additional tutors, behavior aids, and secondary academic counselors, and worked to lower class sizes. Bobby is a generous and talented Fairbanksan eager to continue serving us with a second term on this hard-working civic committee. Please join me in voting for Bobby Burgess to continue serving on our community's school board. Judy Shiffler Fairbanks The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. 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