2024-01 School District, Federal & State News

Aleutian Region – Nikolski looks to reopen public school as Western Aleutians face student enrollment challenges – Sofia Stuart-Rasi, KUCB

Anchorage – Anchorage School District offers jobs to applicants without teaching certificates, among other staffing strategies – Annie Berman, Anchorage Daily News

Anchorage – ASD short 140 teachers, 400 staff altogether, according to district’s HR department – Joe Cadotte, Alaska’s News Source

Anchorage – Facing $98M deficit, Anchorage School Board begins to narrow down potential cuts – Annie Berman, Anchorage Daily News

Anchorage – Anchorage middle school reports suspected mumps case – Rachel Cassandra, Alaska Public Media

Anchorage – Overnight snow dump closes Southcentral Alaska schools, sets Anchorage seasonal record – Chris Klint, Alaska Public Media

Anchorage – Heavy snow in Southcentral Alaska closes schools and contributes to fatal collision in Mat-Su – Anchorage Daily News

Bering Strait – Diomede school reopens after months of remote learning – Carla Ahkvaluk, KNOM

Delta Greely – School Board narrows down field of applicants for superintendent – Denise Wilhelm, Delta Wind

Fairbanks – Fairbanks North Star Borough Board of Education members advocate for increased education funding – Haley Lehman, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – Legislative priorities to be discussed at school board meeting – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – Funding, maintenance, reading: education bills to follow this session – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks – FNSBSD reactions to Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed budget – Newscenter 11, Fairbanks

Fairbanks – From sex ed battles to a raucous board election, 2023 was tough for Fairbanks schools – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Haines – Haines area school leaders say they need an increase in state funding – Rashah McChesney, Chilkat Valley News

Juneau – School district schedules three public comment meetings during next week to discuss budget deficit – Juneau Empire

Juneau – Juneau School District may close schools and cut staff amid budget crisis – Katie Anastas, KTOO Juneau

Juneau – School board OKs hiring freeze, other cuts due to $9.5M deficit; school consolidation proposed – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – Juneau superintendent says ‘small, targeted cuts’ won’t fix budget crisis – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Juneau – State agrees to five-year repayment plan for Juneau School District’s $9.5 million deficit – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – Juneau School District Superintendent releases comment on budget deficit – Juneau School District

Juneau – School district seeks quick temporary help with budget after administrative services director quits – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – School funding concerns dominate Juneau delegation’s town hall – Clarise Larson, KTOO

Juneau – School district deficit, legislative pay hikes, compost burials among issues at legislative town hall – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Juneau – Accounting errors, declining enrollment helped fuel Juneau schools budget crisis – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Juneau – Juneau schools face ‘unprecedented’ budget crisis caused in part by accounting errors – Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News

Juneau – Juneau School District faces $9.5M deficit – Katie Anastas, KTOO

Kenai – Peninsula residents weigh in on school funding debate – Ashlyn O’Hara, Homer News

Kenai – ‘Our kids matter, and our school matters’: Seldovia school struggles with staffing and enrollment – By Riley Board, KDLL

Kenai – School district to educate community on trauma-informed practices – Hunter Morrison, KDLL

Kenai – Group studying 4-day school week model takes shape – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Kenai – Four-day school week committee has inaugural meeting – Riley Board, KDLL

Kenai – Budget deficit continues to steer school board talks – Ashlyn O’Hara, Homer News

Kenai – Assembly shows support for education funding increase – Riley Board, KDLL

Kenai – Suit alleges fungal growth at 4 KPBSD schools caused health problems – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Ketchikan – District changes budget approach, seeking ‘necessary baseline services’ – Sam Stockbridge, Ketchikan Daily News

Ketchikan – Ketchikan school district loses two beloved educators – Jack Darrell, KRBD

Kodiak – KIBSD begins budget talks for next school year – Brian Venua, KMXT Kodiak

Lower Kuskokwim – The Lower Kuskokwim School District has selected three finalist candidates in the search for a new superintendent – Sunni Bean, KYUK

Mat-Su – Mat-Su parents, students move to return books removed from school library shelves as lawsuit continues – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media

Mat-Su – Northern Justice Project, ACLU of Alaska file preliminary injunction to put 56 removed books back on Mat-Su school library shelves  – Katie Stavick, Frontiersman

Mat-Su – Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Student Government Association Student Advisory Board Statement to Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District School Board – by Quinlen Schachle, Ben Kolendo, Rianne Rowe, Kristin Shea Spectrum

North Slope – Iñupiaq immersion program restarts in Utqiaġvik school – Alena Naiden, Arctic Sounder

North Slope – Iñupiaq immersion program’s revival in Utqiagvik sparks plans for growth – Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News

Sitka – Dr. Deidre Jenson named sole finalist for superintendent job – Katherine Rose, KCAW Sitka

Sitka – A conversation with Sitka’s new superintendent, Dr. Deidre Jenson – Katherine Rose, KCAW

Sitka – Sagel’s 25-year teaching career honored by Sitka School Board – Robert Woolsey, KCAW

Skagway – Skagway school library expands access – Jenn Shelton, KHNS

Wrangell – School board offers to extend Superintendent Burr’s contract – Wrangell Sentinel

Wrangell – School district state travel account back to $52,000 deficit – Wrangell Sentinel

Wrangell – Wrangell School District placed 16th on Major Maintenance Grant Fund – Colette Czarnecki, KSTK

Gov. Dunleavy says he would veto a standalone bill to increase school funding – Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News

Alaska Education Commissioner opposes blanket BSA increase – David Bernknopf, Alaska’s News Source

Anchorage’s top education official sought a per-student funding increase. Then she became commissioner – Tim Rockey, Alaska Public Media

Alaska education commissioner says she no longer supports boost to school funding formula – Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News

Despite educators’ pleas for changes, school funding bill advances closer to Alaska House vote; The latest version of Senate Bill 140 contains far less new funding than school districts have requested – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Alaska House Republicans advance education bill over strong opposition from teachers and parents – Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News

Education bill passes House Rules Committee after 7-hour, highly-debated public hearing – Matthew Simon, Georgina Fernandez and Joe Cadotte, Alaska’s News Source

Alaska House Republicans accused of rushing unvetted education bill – Sean Maguire & Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News

Alaska education reform bill appears on fast track after lawmakers see rewrite -James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

OPINION: Action on education falls short of Alaska’s needs – Lisa Parady, ACSA

OPINION: Why do we have a better funding plan for Alaska’s prisons than its schools? – Rebecca Braun, Anchorage Daily News

‘Teachers leaving faster than they can be replaced,’ reports Alaska Dept. of Labor – Georgina Fernandez, Alaska’s News Source

Educators, parents, students rally for increased education funding – Haley Lehman, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Education funding looms over early legislative discussions, Kenai Peninsula schools – Riley Board, KDLL

New bill proposes small changes to Alaska’s literacy law — teachers ask for more time and money – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

Alaska House Republicans’ education bill will get public testimony hearing Saturday – Anchorage Daily News

Education funding dominates opening of legislative session – Megan Gannon, Nome Nugget

Alaska Legislature debates education, committees in second week – Alex Bengel, Newscenter 11

Alaska House and Senate sharply divided over school funding plans – Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News

Wide-ranging Alaska House education bill would boost school funding but faces uncertain future – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

Letter: School funding – Marilyn Pillifant, Anchorage Daily News

Alaska board of education sends the plan for tribally run public schools to lawmakers – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

Alaska board of education lowers standard for student test scores, citing nationally high bar; State standards still among top third in nation, commissioner says. – Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

Alaska Legislature fails to override $87 million education funding veto – James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Alaska lawmakers fail to override Gov. Dunleavy’s education funding veto – Sean Maguire & Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News

Local school boards speak in favor of internet speed increase – Alena Naiden, Arctic Sounder

Lawmakers open session with education discussion; Early effort to overturn veto of one-time school funding fails in House – Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion

Alaska House unveils education package stacked with Republican priorities – Iris Samuels & Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News

Education funding dominates first day of 2024 Alaska legislative session – Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media

As legislative session opens, Alaska House Republicans reject attempt to override school funds veto; House Republicans are looking for a permanent fix, ‘not a Band-Aid,’ a leading lawmaker says – James Brooks & Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

Report: $175 ‘energy relief’ payment to residents, education funding boost likely in final state budget – Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire

Hundreds march, rally in Anchorage to raise Alaska’s Base Student Allocation – Joe Cadotte, Alaska’s News Source

Firearms in schools, rent notices, food security among topics for prefiled bills – Haley Lehman, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Among the Legislature’s first orders of business: Deciding whether to reinstate $87M to Alaska’s education budget – Iris Samuels & Sean Maguire

Alaska opts out of federal program offering summer grocery money for families with kids – Annie Berman, Anchorage Daily News

State compiles first comprehensive account of Alaska children’s stress and trauma – Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

$14.9 million awarded for teacher mentor program – Carter DeJong, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Joel Isaak Named DEED Deputy Commissioner – DEED