LEADERSHIP & ADVOCACY

Prepare to be Alaska's Education Advocates

Lon Garrison, AASB Executive Director

The start of the 34^th Legislature is rapidly approaching, but I have to say it feels like it began in November. The AASB advocacy team has been hard at it since September. With the general election now over and both bodies organized, it is time for you as school boards and staff to prepare to be Alaska’s public education advocates once again.

In preparing for my Commentary article this month, I reviewed what I had previously covered in the December issues. What follows is my message to board members last year, which continues to be appropriate for this year. This year, there is a narrow majority in the House that strongly supports public education.They have indicated that increasing the Base Student Allocation (BSA) is their top priority. They aim to address education funding promptly, as it is essential for advancing the rest of the legislative agenda.

How can we achieve our goals and overcome what may seem like insurmountable challenges? AASB is diligently working to advance your priorities and help prepare you to be effective advocates for your districts. Let me share with you what AASB has planned.

AASB's 2025 Legislative Priorities

On behalf of our member school districts statewide, the AASB Board of Directors chose the following three legislative priorities for the first session of the 34th Alaska Legislature. The Board wanted to focus on three primary areas of concern:

• Sufficient and Sustainable Public Education Funding
• Retention and Recruitment of Teachers, Administrators and Staff
• Student Wellness and School Safety

Get a one-page document that briefly describes AASB's priority issues, for which we will be aggressively advocating this session.

Legislative Advocacy Resources

These resources are designed to help school board members become more effective education advocates during the upcoming legislative session and beyond. They provide valuable insights into current policies, funding mechanisms, and key issues affecting Alaska’s public schools, equipping you to engage confidently and knowledgeably with both legislators and your community.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT

Connections and Commitments:

Turning Conference Lessons into Action

Katie Oliver, Associate Executive Director

Over the past two months, school board members around Alaska have had incredible opportunities to expand their skills and knowledge through our Annual Conference and Winter Boardsmanship Academy.

We’ve joined together to explore topics as diverse as cell phone use in schools, meaningful tribal consultation, school board member conduct and ethics, and student mental health services and supports. From engaging with board members across the state and attending insightful presentations to connecting with Youth Leadership Institute attendees and conference exhibitors, you’ve laid the groundwork for meaningful relationships and ideas that can benefit your district.

With so much information to absorb, you’re likely returning home energized and eager to share your insights. But where should you start? Here are a few follow-up ideas to help you make the most of your conference experience:

Registration is Now Open!

AASB’s Leadership Academy & Legislative Fly-In

and Youth Advocacy Institute (YAI) in Juneau!

Your Participation Counts! Given the urgent needs of our schools, we anticipate the participation of every district in this year’s Legislative Fly-In. Together, we can create positive change for students in Alaska’s public schools.

Registration open for free Healthy Futures

Spring physical activity challenge

Alaska Department of Health/Division of Public Health

Healthy Futures celebrates 20 years of getting Alaska kids moving and starts its next physical activity challenge February 1.

Over the past two decades, 300 elementary schools across the state have joined the free Healthy Futures Challenge. More than 220,000 individual children have participated and received prizes for being physically active, said Harlow Robinson, executive director of Healthy Futures.

This fall, 77 elementary schools in 16 school districts participated in the challenge with over 5000 student logs submitted for prizes. Now is a great time for schools to sign up online for the spring challenge.

“We’re proud of the lasting impact our program has had in helping Alaska kids build healthy habits for life,” said Robinson, featured in a video about the benefits of the Healthy Futures Challenge.

I'm Sorry: That's Classified

Daniel Bellerive, Sedor, Wendlandt, Evans & Filippi, LLC

Part 5 of the series Back to Basics

In Part 3 of the series, we discussed tenure and how it’s a really big deal. Tenure is a creature of statute, and that statute doesn’t apply to everyone. Education Week claims that 30-40% of school employees are “classified staff.” But who are they? What can we do with them? And why are they called “classified?” This month, I’ll help you find the answer to at least two of those questions.

When the chair is a bully or out of line

Ann Macfarlane, Professional Parliamentarian

What can you do when the chair is a bully, or out of line?

Unfortunately, sometimes the chair lets their position go to their head.

We outlined some basic principles about bullying in this post, “Do you have a bully on board?” If you are burdened with a chair who bullies or intimidates others, we suggest the following approach.

Does every board policy update need to go before the school board for approval?

Answer:

In general, any amendments to school board policy—including additions, deletions, or language changes—require formal school board approval. This process is outlined in Board Bylaw 9311 School Board Policies. 

However, most school boards in Alaska delegate to their Superintendent or designee, the ability to make minor policy amendments limited to updates to the legal notes section, legal references, or minor editorial or grammatical corrections that do not affect the policy’s intent or meaning. This delegation allows for efficient maintenance of the board policy manual while enabling the board to focus on policy issues. When AASB issues a model policy update, our Instructions Sheet will identify changes that do not require formal board action because the amendments are limited to legal notes, references, or minor stylistic edits.

Got a question? Email Jenni Lefing or Katie Oliver

Looking for a New Superintendent?

The Association of Alaska School Boards has been conducting successful and economical superintendent searches for over twenty years. Our Superintendent Search Service provides expert facilitation of the entire search process, including identifying the needs of the district, recruiting candidates, conducting background searches, facilitating interviews, and all the steps to help with the hiring process.

If you would like AASB to conduct a superintendent search for your district, or have questions, Learn More or Contact Us