(Credit: Pipa Escalante)

This week, KUCB is profiling candidates running in the Oct. 7 municipal election. This profile focuses on Cathy Jordan, who is running unopposed to keep seat B on the school board. She and several other candidates will appear live on KUCB and Channel 8 on Thursday at 7 p.m. to answer your questions.

Cathy Jordan has spent time in classrooms across the country. As a parent to two sons, a former resident of Michigan and Texas, and a frequent school volunteer, Jordan says she’s seen how other schools work.

Since she moved to Unalaska in 2013 -- and was appointed to fill an open spot on the school board this year -- Jordan says she’s been drawing comparisons.

"Given where we are, we know there are restrictions on some things that we can do and some things we can offer," she says. "However, I think you can’t put aside the broad education that our students receive because they are able to travel, and they are able to live in such a diverse community."

Learning how to navigate new environments is a crucial skill for kids, Jordan says, especially those raised in a small town.

Jordan has one son in Unalaska schools. And she also has a soft spot for travel herself. She’s the executive director of Unalaska’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Ideally, Jordan wants to enable more students to travel -- perhaps by adding a new soccer team. But as she looks ahead to her next term on the school board, Jordan says she’s thinking about how to preserve the current slate of activities.

"Enrollment is down a little bit and so that does impact our funding," she says.

More than half of the district’s annual budget comes from state grants -- and those are calculated per student. Fewer kids in the classroom could mean less money.

Right now, the district has set aside more than a half a million dollars to send student to spelling bees, science fairs, and sporting events in the upcoming fiscal year. It doesn’t look like cuts will be necessary.

But Jordan says the travel budget should be left intact no matter what -- especially since students hold their own fundraisers to contribute.

"These kids don’t take it for granted that they can travel. They realize that there’s money that it takes to do this. I think they take it very seriously," Jordan says. "The fact that somebody will walk up and buy a cupcake and put $50 in there shows you that the community realizes how important that is for these kids as well."

When it comes to the classroom, Jordan has a hard time finding areas where Unalaska’s schools could improve. Still, she’s signed up to work on her first curriculum review as a school board member examining science coursework. And she’s looking forward to hearing new perspectives from staff and community members.

"I like to take the information and go through it and review it and help make a decision," Jordan says. "I like to get different people’s point of views, whether they’re a parent or somebody else in the community that may have an opinion on something what’s going on." 

With a track record of academic success -- and a lot of support for education in the community -- Jordan’s hope is to keep schools going strong.

Cathy Jordan is running for School Board Seat B. She'll take part in KUCB's Candidates Forum this Thursday at 7 p.m.