Gablehouse drops out of school board race

Franki Gablehouse said she “made the difficult decision to withdraw my name from the school board race,” according to an announcement she posted on the Wrangell Community Group Facebook page at about 8 p.m. Monday.

“Right now, Marlee needs me, and my 100% focus needs to be on her — her education, her growth and supporting her in the ways she needs most,” Gablehouse said, referring to her young daughter.

“Because I’m withdrawing late and ballots have already been printed, my name will still be shown on the ballot,” she said of the Oct. 6 municipal election.

“Please do not vote for me. If I were to win and then decline the seat, the school board would need to appoint someone to serve until the next election in October 2027.”

In deciding to drop her bid for a seat on the school board, Gablehouse endorsed one of the two remaining candidates: “Please vote for Jayme Howell for school board.”

Howell and incumbent John ReDuyter are the two remaining candidates in the race for a three-year seat on the board.

------------------------------------------------------------

The Sentinel's original candidate profile before Gablehouse's decision to withdraw

Franki Gablehouse wants to bring her classroom experience and open communication to community leadership as she campaigns for a seat on the school board. Gablehouse, 36, is competing for a three-year term against two opponents in the Oct. 6 municipal election.

A former brick-and-mortar educator who now teaches remotely, she decided to step forward after watching frictions rise over the past year. With a daughter now enrolled in public school, she found herself voicing opinions online and realized she wanted to take a more direct path toward positive change.

“Last year I had a lot to say and thoughts on things, and I didn’t want to be the person that sat behind the computer and typed,” she said. “Now I’m doing something that might make a difference.”

Gablehouse brings a decade of instructional experience to the race. She spent six years teaching special education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in traditional classrooms. Her background includes writing individualized education programs and working closely with students who face multiple disabilities, such as autism and Down syndrome.

For the past four years, she has worked as an American Sign Language teacher with Florida Virtual School, instructing about 150 online students year-round. She moved to Wrangell from Florida in August 2022 with her family.

Her decision to enter the school board race stems in part from what she sees as an absence of educational insight among board members. She believes educators understand the shifting pressures facing students and school staff in ways non-teachers simply cannot.

“I don’t think I’m going to come in and change the world,” she said. “School is not what it used to be. Having the standpoint of somebody who has been in a classroom today, who can speak as a parent with kids in the school and as a teacher, gives me that balanced view.”

Her campaign also centers on repairing community relations and improving transparency between school leadership and the public. She referred to a board meeting this past summer when community members gathered to show support for a teacher who was not retained. The board met in executive session to hear the personnel issue. Gablehouse said board members avoided the crowd, which left residents feeling dismissed rather than heard.

“The school board is elected to represent the community and do what is in its best interest,” she said. “When people were separated, it came across as an ‘us against them’ situation, and that didn’t look right for anybody. Public officials are supposed to be there for the people.”

While she acknowledges that board policy and personnel confidentiality rules place constraints on public statements, she hopes to bridge the gap between administrators and families. She said she does not have rigid demands, but plans to listen, study operational policies and offer practical perspective on hiring decisions and classroom management.

“I know there’s going to be a lot to learn,” she said. “I don’t think that I’m going to come in and know it all. I want to learn the process and do what is best for our community.”