2023-10 School District, Federal & State News
Alaska School District News
Anchorage – In effort to keep young people in Anchorage, school district to launch high school career ‘academies’ – Annie Berman, ADN
Anchorage – Effort to inspire a future wave of Indigenous teachers blooms in Anchorage high schools – Annie Berman, ADN
Anchorage – Anchorage educators aiming high as Alaska schools begin legislated literacy efforts – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media
Anchorage – Anchorage school closures are still on the table but not until 2025, district says – Annie Berman, ADN
Anchorage – Parents voice concerns about Moving to Middle School Project at school board meeting – Joe Cadotte, Alaska’s News Source
Anchorage – Anchorage School District focuses on shoring up attendance – Lauren Maxwell, Alaska’s News Source
Anchorage – Parents, providers invited to help plan how Anchorage will spend millions to boost child care access – Anchorage Daily News
Delta-Greely – Superintendent resigns in fifth year with DGSD – Denise Wilhelm, Delta Wind
Fairbanks – ‘We are in a world of hurt,’ Funding issues continue to plague borough schools – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks – Assembly adopts education reserve fund in narrow vote – Jack Barnwell, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks – Superintendent Meinert discusses enrollment numbers at FNSB School Board meeting – Alex Bengel, Alaska’s News Source
Fairbanks – Survey highlights school district areas of concern for students, parents, staff – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks – Which schools ranked highest, lowest in the Fairbanks district’s climate survey – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks – Superintendent, school board members react to state ban on trans athletes – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks – School board says yes to Alaska Native, American Indian month – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks – Teacher at Hutchison High School receives $50,000 award – Adrian Peterson, KTVF
Fairbanks – Department of Defense grants $2 million to school district for elementary literacy – Haley Lehman, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Juneau – School district gets $2.8M of bad news due to low enrollment and audit, but also $2.3M of good news – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire
Kenai – Borough, school district present local funding process. The presentation was the second as part of KPBSD’s “Budget 101” – Ashlyn O’Hara, Homer News
Kenai – School district weighs options following major hikes to bond project costs – Riley Board, KDLL
Kenai – School district launches anonymous helpline – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion
Kenai – KPB mayor, district superintendent host community meeting about dwindling enrollment in borough’s homeschool program – Lex Yelverton and Shannon Cole, Alaska’s News Source
Kenai – Home-school parents share suggestions and experiences in public discussion – Riley Board, KDLL
Kenai – Less than half of peninsula elementary schools host music programs – Hunter Morrison, KDLL
Kenai – School board swears in new members, reorganizes – Ashlyn O’Hara, Homer News
Kenai – A year later, Nikolaevsk group revives charter school application – Riley Board, KDLL
Kenai – Kenai Peninsula board narrowly rejects Nikolaevsk’s proposal for a charter school – Riley Board, KDLL
Kodiak – Karluk teacher ‘having an absolute ball’ After being closed for two years, Karluk School has a new full-time teacher – Steve Williams, Kodiak Daily Mirror
Kodiak – Karluk school will close after just one month of operation – Brian Venua, KMXT Kodiak
Kodiak – Karluk school to close again after families drawn by free housing leave – Brian Venua, KMXT
Lower Kuskokwim – Suicide-prevention program teaches Alaska students how to identify their own strength. School district pits cultural, personal strengths against adversity – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon
Lower Kuskokwim – Alaskan teachers visit Grand Prairie for help in preserving a Native language – Marcela Rodrigues, Dallas Morning News
Mat-Su – Mat-Su school district investigated teachers over student-led protest – Amy Bushatz, ADN
Mat-Su – Mat-Su school board, superintendent get vote of ‘no confidence’ from district staff – Alaska’s News Source
Mat-Su – Nobody hurt when bullet from dropped firearm strikes Wasilla school bus carrying children – Annie Berman, ADN
Nome – School Board elects new board president – Anna Lionas, Nome Nugget
Nome – School Board and Common Council discuss youth vaping – Anna Lionas, Nome Nugget
Petersburg – School District looks to improve safety and security – Hannah Flor, KFSK
Sitka- New school board members take oath, begin superintendent search – Robert Woolsey, KCAW
Unalaska – UCSD seeks public participation in its strategic planning workshop – Sofia Stuart-Rasi, KUCB
Wrangell – Wrangell district might use reserves to cover state travel expense deficit – Larry Persily, Wrangell Sentinel
State and Federal News
Report links lack of investment in school guidance programs to Alaska’s lagging workforce – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon
Alaskan schools begin implementation of Alaska Reads Act – Alaska’s News Source
State develops ‘playbook’ to help Alaska schools hire and keep teachers – Claire Stremple – Alaska Beacon
Alaska governor’s staff blocked publication of state agency’s analysis of teacher pay – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
Voices of student government heard through resolutions passed at AASG conference – Adrian Peterson, KTVF Fairbanks
Resolution to reinstitute Student Advisory Rep role goes to the State Senate next year – Katie Stavick, Frontiersman
2 Alaska school board student reps move to challenge Mat-Su School Board action – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media
Alaska school sports board votes to exclude transgender girls from girls teams – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon
Alaska school sports association bars transgender girls from girls’ sports teams – Iris Samuels, ADN
Alaska seeks to create statewide reading standards for Alaska Native languages – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon
‘Kuhaantí,’ a children’s book written entirely in Lingít, is the first of its kind in decades – Yvonne Krumrey, KTOO Juneau
AFN recognizes an Utqiaġvik family and a long-time linguist and educator – Alena Naiden, Arctic Sounder
Alaska is “Ground Zero” for Indian Boarding Schools – Jenna Kunze, Native News Online
Teaching Through Technology leadership conference connects students statewide – Francisco Martínezcuello, KDLG
Stricter state laws are chipping away at sex education in U.S. schools – Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press
Hoax threats that closed schools allegedly traced to Peruvian man – Ketchikan Daily News
Congress passes protections for school hunting and archery programs – Riley Rogerson, Anchorage Daily News
Biden-Harris Administration Awards $14 Million Under First-Ever Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grant Program – The White House