The Haines School Board is set to swear in a new member at tonight’s meeting.

Board member Mike Wilson attended his last meeting in December. Wilson is moving, leaving his seat vacant.

There are two candidates for the open position.

Arthur Woodard is a military veteran with a background in biology and chemistry. He’s a former business owner who says his later career was spent in cross-cultural education on reservations in the lower 48, and in Native communities in Alaska.

Jeanne Kitayama is a long-time local resident, who is retired from teaching in the Haines Borough School District. Kitayama had some recent Haines classroom experience when she served as a long term substitute for the kindergarten classroom two years in a row.

Both candidates will be interviewed by the school board at tonight’s meeting. The board may go into executive session to discuss the candidates before voting on a new member.