Kari Johnson grew up in Haines. She graduated from high school, left for college and worked for nearly 20 years in sports medicine at Central Washington University. But, when it came time for her and her husband to decide where they wanted to raise their kids, they moved back to Haines.
“We just really wanted to make sure we had a safe, great place to come,” she said. “And, moving back up here, we were closer to family.”
Johnson said she had a great experience growing up in Haines. So she and her husband made the leap. Now, her elementary-school-aged kids can play safely outside in the community.
“The kids can do whatever, ride their bikes wherever they want, the security – also just the experiences of being able to travel around Southeast,” she said.
When she got to town in 2019, she changed careers and worked as the director of the [Southeast Alaska State Fair]. Then, she got the opportunity to get back into the medical field and now Johnson works at the SEARHC clinic as a community wellness supervisor.
Last year, Johnson was appointed to the Haines Borough School Board, a role she feels well prepared for given her experiences in academics and administration.
“I will say that I feel the school was running very smoothly,” she said. “I just want to see us grow and improve and bring new things to the school.”
In addition to her passion for sports, Johnson said she’d love to see more clubs like science and robotics.
“I’m the Girls on the Run coach. I’ve been doing that for four years and that’s another great after-school program,” she said. “I think more STEM activities and intramurals. I think there are options.”
Johnson said she has learned a lot over the last year about school funding and how it works in Alaska. Coming from a state system and a university system, Johnson said she was shocked by the funding fights playing out at the state level.
‘“I do think that the state needs to provide more funding for schools,” she said. “The Haines rural school district is in a good position. But if the state doesn’t fund it, it could get bad. And, being able to provide just the very minimum support teacher-wise and support staff-wise – I think the state really needs to step up.”
Johnson said she sees funding and state support are going to be hot-button issues again in the coming year.
When it comes to sharing resources, Johnson said she does like the idea of collaborating more with the Klukwan School.
“I think being able to provide support for it and encourage those activities to happen is part of the school board’s role,” she said.
That also means deepening support for the school district’s Tlingít language teacher. She said she’d like to see that language instruction happening at the high school level.
“[That] would be definitely a benefit for our students for sure,” she said.
Ultimately, Johnson said her experience as an educator, a parent, and someone who has worked in leadership roles makes her an asset to the board.
“My focus is definitely on the health of the students,” she said. “I just want to help the community and really put my strengths where I can.”