2024-02 School District, Federal & State News

Aleutian Region – Aleutian Region School District selects two new board members to temporarily fill vacant seats – Sofia Stuart-Rasi, KUCB

Anchorage – Anchorage School Board passes budget avoiding some painful cuts but reliant on uncertain state funding – Annie Berman, ADN

Anchorage – Anchorage School District faces uncertainty ahead of Tuesday budget vote – Annie Berman, ADN

Anchorage – Anchorage School District restores elementary art classes in budget proposal – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media

Anchorage – School Board receives more public input on controversial ASD budget cuts – Lex Yelverton, Alaska’s News Source

Anchorage – Anchorage School District walks back plan to cut dedicated elementary art classes and health instructors – Annie Berman, ADN

Anchorage – Anchorage School District budget would cut nearly 100 jobs – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media

Anchorage – Anchorage School Board hears community pleas to save IGNITE gifted program – Annie Berman, ADN

Anchorage – ASD’s preliminary $621M budget relies heavily on emergency savings – Lauren Maxwell, Alaska’s News Source

Anchorage – Anchorage school employee arrested after police say he assaulted a student – Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media

Anchorage – Anchorage School District releases preliminary budget for next year – Alaska’s News Source

Anchorage – School board to hear proposed budget, vote on reduction in force plan today – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Anchorage – Anchorage School District proposes a budget with program cuts, bigger classes and nearly 100 fewer staff positions – Annie Berman, ADN

Chatham – Outdoor and cultural-center programming fuels Klukwan school enrollment jump – Lex Treinen, Chilkat Valley News

Dillingham – Dillingham City School District will need major BSA boost to keep all of its programs – Christina McDermott, KDLG

Dillingham – School board reviews priorities ahead of lobbying legislature – Riley Board, KDLL

Fairbanks – School district seeks feedback on budget and school closures – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – The hard reality of closing local schools – News-Miner Opinion

Fairbanks – Residents come out in colors against school closures – Adrian Peterson, KTVF

Fairbanks – Fairbanks school board begins considering budget for next year – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – Fairbanks North Star Borough School board hears about impending school closures – Robyne, KUAC

Fairbanks – Fairbanks North Star Borough School board hears about impending school closures – Robyne, KUAC

Fairbanks – Under proposed budget, 100 school custodians could be laid off or contracted out – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – Four Fairbanks schools face potential closure – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – Fairbanks school board begins considering budget for next year – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – School closures, teacher reductions, increased class sizes included in school district’s proposed budget – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – Should the tax revenue cap increase to help fund local education? – Patrick Gilchrist, Newscenter

Juneau – Little public reaction to city’s bailout of school district this year, but big questions beyond loom. Only two people testify Monday about proposed $4.1M loan and taking over $3.9 in “shared costs.” – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – Juneau School Board votes to consolidate schools – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Juneau – Closing Juneau schools’ budget gap likely will mean eliminating dozens of jobs – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Juneau – A plan moving forward: Consolidating grades 7-9 and special programs at JDHS, 10-12 at TMHS – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – Juneau teachers, students and parents react to proposals for closing or reorganizing schools – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Juneau – City leaders say they’ll help school district solve financial crisis, but express anger at situation – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – School board asks city to take over $4 million in ‘shared costs,’ provide zero-interest loan – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Kenai – Amid education funding shortfalls, local students advocate for support: ‘This state will lose us and generations of students after’ – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Kenai – School board ratifies new contracts following union membership support – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Kenai – School district, unions send tentative 1-year contract to membership – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Kenai – Borough Manager Suspends Library Book Challenges After “Shouting Contest” and “Name-Calling” – Phillip Manning – KTNA

Ketchikan – School renaming talk on horizon for Boro Assembly; Staff ask for more time to research – Sam Stockbridge, Ketchikan Daily News

Kodiak – Public calls for Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to contribute more money to school district – Davis Hovey, KMXT Kodiak

Kuspuk – Sleetmute student testifies to legislators about condemned school – Delta Discovery

Lower Kuskokwim – LKSD board selects Andrew Anderson as new superintendent – Sage Smiley, KYUK

Lower Kuskokwim – LKSD Board of Education announces selection of new superintendent – Delta Discovery

Lower Kuskokwim – Students from LKSD further their education at ANSEP Middle School Academy – Delta Discovery

Mat-Su – Mat-Su School Board bans 1 book after months of committee review – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media

Mat-Su – ACLU sues Mat-Su Borough School District over bathroom restrictions for transgender students – Katie Stavick Frontiersman.com

Nome – Nome school district faces financial crisis – Anna Lionas, Nome Nugget

Petersburg – Teacher contract negotiations are complicated by tight budgets, limited education funding – Hannah Flor, KFSK

Unalaska – Unalaska City School District hires two new principals for upcoming school year – Sofia Stuart-Rasi, KUCB

Dunleavy threatens to veto public education funding bill unless legislators act on his priorities. Senate president sees approach as ‘It’s my way or the highway,’ while lawmakers have two weeks to meet the governor’s demands or face a veto – Claire Stremple & James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Dunleavy threatens to kill education deal if his priorities aren’t included. Even if everything on his wishlist is passed, the governor refused to guarantee that it would be funded. – Matt Acuña Buxton, Alaska Current

Dunleavy demands additional concessions before he’ll sign bipartisan education bill – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

Gov. Mike Dunleavy says bipartisan education funding bill ‘falls far short’ – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

Alaska legislators pass education bill, but votes to override possible Dunleavy veto may be lacking – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Legislature approves education deal, setting up another showdown with Dunleavy – Matt Acuña Buxton, Alaska Current

Senate concurs on House education bill, Dunleavy is skeptical – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Education funding bill passes House, heads back to Senate -Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Alaska House passes bipartisan education compromise bill with funding boost – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

With bipartisan action, Alaska House votes to increase public school funding formula. State Senate leaders say approval there is likely, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s views remain unknown – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

What will governor do, as Senate poised to vote on historic education funding increase – Steve Kirch & Matthew Simon, Alaska’s News Source

Alaska House passes bipartisan education bill with historic boost in school funding – Sean Maguire, ADN

Alaska lawmakers grapple with test-score performance gap between charters and other public schools – Charter study does not point to how their testing success can be replicated in regular public schools – Claire Stemple, Alaska Beacon

A closer look at the Harvard charter school study making waves in Juneau – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

6 things to know about Alaska charter schools and why they’re No. 1 in the nation – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media

Federal education officials say Alaska owes millions to Juneau, Kenai and North Slope school districts – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Future of education bill uncertain after rural lawmakers raise early objections – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

House Republicans’ education bill rejected as lawmakers continue work toward bipartisan deal – Sean Maguire, ADN

House Republican education bill voted down again, lawmakers now back to original version – Alaska’s News Source

Education bill remains in limbo for second day, after failed vote – Steve Kirch & Matthew Simon, Alaska’s News Source

Alaska House rejects per-student school funding increase, but debates will resume Thursday. Three non-Republican majority caucus members support amendments to increase funding that fall short – Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Beacon

Alaska public school funding bill is in limbo after failed vote – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

OPINION: Alaska state senators show the courage to lead – Dominic Lozano, ADN

A high cost of living and lack of a pension strain teachers in Alaska. Would bonuses help keep them? – Becky Bohrer, AP

Head Start Programs Hit as Funding Stalls – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

College Price Transparency Bill Advances Toward Final Vote in Alaska Legislature – The 74

UAF says it could be a top-tier research institution. It’s asking for $20M to get there – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

In annual address to Alaska Legislature, Murkowski points to ‘hope on the horizon’ – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

OPINION: If we want to improve Alaska’s schools, we need to invest in them – Ben Walker, 2018 Alaska Teacher of the Year

Funding remains a key sticking point in education bill debate – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

School funding supporters continue work in state Capitol – Claire Stremple, Wrangell Sentinel

Gov. Dunleavy touts educational experience while defending his stance on the BSA and teacher bonuses – Steve Kirch, Alaska’s News Source

Gov. Dunleavy casts doubt on future of Senate-passed public-sector pension bill – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

School administrators plea with legislators for increased funding – Matt Acuña Buxton, The Alaska Current

Alaska Senate votes to reopen 2 defined benefit plans – Rob Kozlowski, Pensions & Investments

Lawmakers, educators spar over education funding at joint education meeting – Alaska’s News Source

Alaska school administrators urge action on ‘crisis’ in teacher hiring and turnover – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

Alaska legislators hear from school officials about the impacts of flat funding – Sean Maguire, ADN

Stagnant funding results in Alaska pre-K school closure, instability for vulnerable children – Head Start programs scramble as COVID-19 relief and a one-time state funding boost peter out – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

OPINION: We’re Alaska charter school parents. We believe public schools need a real funding increase – Rebecca Bernard, Brandy Harty, Brenda Taylor and 37 current and former Alaska charter school parents, ADN

OPINION: 60 cupcakes: A glimpse at overcrowding in Alaska’s schools – Cody Chipp, ADN

New bill would require Alaska schools to pay for armed volunteer guards – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Alaska Senate passes new pension program for state employees, but final approval is in question – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Lawmakers react to governor’s education priorities in State of the State address – Steve Kirch, Alaska’s News Source

In State of State, Gov. Dunleavy pushes charter schools and teacher bonuses instead of student funding – Nolin Ainsworth & Steve Kirch, Alaska’s News Source