Paul McDonogh
Paul McDonogh is running for election to the Anchorage School District School Board to represent Seat D in Alaska. McDonogh is on the ballot in the general election on April 7, 2026.[source]
McDonogh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Paul McDonogh graduated from Eagle River High School. McDonogh earned a graduate degree from Western Governors University in 2017. McDonogh's career experience includes working as an educator.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Anchorage School District, Alaska, elections (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on April 7, 2026.
General election for Anchorage School District Board of Education Seat D
Dustin Darden (Nonpartisan), Sharon Gibbons (Nonpartisan), and Paul McDonogh (Nonpartisan) are running in the general election for Anchorage School District Board of Education Seat D on April 7, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Dustin Darden (Nonpartisan) | |
| Sharon Gibbons (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Paul McDonogh (Nonpartisan)  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
To view McDonogh's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Paul McDonogh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDonogh's responses.
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I was raised with deep respect for culture, community, and service. Those values guide my work today. I have spent my career building opportunity for students and partnerships across Tribal communities, public institutions, and nonprofits —especially in rural and Indigenous communities.
Professionally, I have led initiatives that center student identity, language, and place-based learning as foundations for academic success. I have worked with Tribal leaders, educators, and state partners to develop programs that support literacy, cultural education, and inclusive curriculum. My work focuses on making schools places where students feel seen, challenged, and connected to their communities.
I am also a proud parent of children in our public schools. Like many families, I want classrooms that are safe, well-supported, and focused on strong academics while honoring the diversity of Alaska’s communities.
I believe public education is one of the most important responsibilities we share. When we invest in educators, empower local communities, and keep students at the center of decision-making, we strengthen not just our schools, but the future of our state.- We must uplift our teachers. Alaska's schools have lagged far behind the national trend for teacher labor value. To build a stronger education workforce, our school board must commit to better labor contracts, improved classroom supports, and more professional autonomy for our teachers. At the same time, the State of Alaska must commit to a defined-benefit public pension for Alaska's educators.
- We must restore public education in Alaska to serve all students, regardless of their background or home resources. To do this, the school board must advocate for a BSA and use other points of leverage to ensure Alaska meets its constitutional mandate of providing an adequate system of public education. The district must also commit to inclusive and engaging public planning amidst a budget crisis — my policies from the school board will ensure that our district's cuts are supported by parents' voices and put student needs first.
- We must commit to student equity and engaging education in our community. In Anchorage, our diverse community is best served by dynamic academic options and pathways for students to pick that best fit their needs. Our district should continue embracing a school choice design that uplifts and enhances options for neighborhood school students. Our district should also diversify the academic tracks for students in high school to become more community-focused and relevant to their future lives as the next generation of Alaskans.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
McDonogh's campaign website stated the following:
Priorities
I Will Fight To End The Teacher Retention Crisis
Great schools require experienced teachers. However, half of our teachers now leave our schools before their fifth year. This is the most significant reason why our kids struggle to have their needs met in our classrooms.
As your elected representative, I will work to bring more teachers to Anchorage and support them in building a life here. I will do this by calling on state-level lawmakers to reinstate a defined-benefit retirement for educators. I will also create policies at the district level that foster the mentorship and apprenticeship of paraeducators, providing new pathways to teacher licensure, as I have done in rural Alaska.
I Will Advance Whole-Student Learning That Fits Anchorage’s Community
Our kids should always feel like their strengths are embraced at their school. Yet, over the last decade, our kids have been offered fewer options to engage in what they care most about. Our cuts to these options have left most classrooms with a stale, one-size-fits-all curriculum.
I will ensure our curriculum policy connects our kids to rigorous and innovative coursework, based on community challenges and real-life skill development.
Open the classroom up to the community. We must incorporate mentorship from professionals and community members. This will foster leadership in our learning and tackle real problems in Anchorage — like healthcare, business, human services, and skilled trades, while still teaching core academic skills.
Bring back enrichment. We must offer more arts, elective choices, clubs, and sports. These choices ensure that kids always feel that school is a place that honors their identities and strengths.
Enhance whole-student learning. Our curriculum has become stale and one-size-fits-all. I’ll work to expand rigorous, community-connected learning by bringing in cultural leaders and professionals to our classrooms. This will restore arts, electives, clubs, and sports — and strengthen core academic pathways by fostering inquiry-based leadership learning, emotional resilience, and cultural connectedness.
I Will Support State Lawmakers In Establishing An Adequate System Of Public Education
Meeting our mission of Education for All requires an efficient budget and responsible spending. Yet, declining state funding has made our current investments less effective overall. We’re now having to cut corners as we need resources to close gaps in instruction suffered from the pandemic, school closures, and rising class sizes. As a district, we are stuck in a feedback loop — we are not meeting student outcomes today, which will require more investments for tomorrow.
To make our school programs efficient, we must focus on proven solutions that increase student outcomes. The most effective solution is to reduce class sizes by 25%, increase essential student supports like librarians, counselors, and paraeducators, and continue to monitor a lean and responsible administration.
To get us on track for an effective and efficient school district, I will work with the lawmakers in Juneau to ensure that adequate base student allocation (BSA) is provided to proactively prepare all students for success.
I Will Build Real Equity Solutions For Our Diverse Student Communities
Our schools have reported significant performance gaps impacting diverse student groups for decades. This is a sign that we’re not targeting student needs effectively. We must change the narrative on equity and ensure students are always given the tools for success.
My policy solutions will create sweeping equity improvements that welcome all students to inclusive classrooms, dismantle regressive discipline policies, and end discrimination and bullying.
— Paul McDonogh's campaign website (March 7, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Anchorage School District Board of Education Seat D |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 3, 2026
