On the Community Level, Candidate Elisa Vakalis Largely Absent

According to a data sheet titled "2020-2021 School and Community Council Assignments," Anchorage School Board President Elisa Vakalis, who is running for a third term, was assigned to the Community Councils of Basher, Abbott Loop, Halo, Inc., Huffman/O'Malley, and Old Seward/Ocean View.

Community Councils are under the scope of the Federation of Community Councils. Anchorage School Board members are expected to attend and engage with Community Councils with some degree of regularity. Anchorage's 38 Community Councils provide a direct and continuing means of citizen participation in government and local affairs.

According to publicly available documents in the form of meeting minutes from the Federation of Community Councils, Elisa Vakalis has had relatively minimal participation and engagement with her assigned Community Councils, having participated in just 3 of 14 recorded public meetings.

• Between September 2020 and January 2021, Ms. Vakalis reportedly participated in just one Old Seward/Oceanview Community Council meeting on September 23, 2020.
• Between the months of September 2020 and December 2020, Ms. Vakalis reportedly participated in one Huffman/O'Malley Community Council meeting on December 17, 2020.
• Between the months of September 2020 and January 2021, Ms. Vakalis reportedly participated in one Abbott Loop Community Council meeting and once on December 17, 2020.

Meeting minutes for HALO, Inc., and Basher have not been posted on the Federation of Community Councils website.

I asked Vakalis's opponent, Carl Jacobs, how important he thought it was for school board members to attend Community Council meetings. In a written statement, Jacobs responded:

"Community engagement is a key responsibility of the Anchorage School Board. Throughout my campaign I've made time to be present and listen to the thoughts and concerns of those willing to spend their time sharing them. This feedback has helped shape my view of ASD operations and helped prioritize which educational challenges are most pressing in the months and years ahead.

Community councils are a great way to engage the public - but we cannot stop there to ensure all voices are heard. As an elected member of the Anchorage School Board, I look forward to meeting families where they already gather, and being present for our students. They deserve nothing less."

Ms. Vakalis, who said recently at a school board candidate forum she'd lost "sight of the kids sometimes," may also have lost sight of engaging with community leaders, local government, and parents outside of her seat on the school board.