LEADERSHIP & ADVOCACY

Investing in What Carries Alaska Public Education Forward: AASB’s 2026 Legislative Priorities

Lon Garrison, AASB Executive Director

As winter settles in, communities across Alaska are lighting school hallways with holiday concerts, gatherings, and the final fall sports tournaments. The long nights and shorter days invite reflection—on where we’ve been, what we’ve weathered, and what we hope the new year may bring. For Alaska’s school boards and the students and communities they serve, that reflection has helped shape AASB’s 2026 Legislative Priorities.

At their heart, these priorities come down to a familiar Alaska value: investing wisely in what matters most, our kids. For public education, that means investing in students, educators, and the school buildings that anchor our communities—always with student success and well-being at the center.

AASB's 2026 Legislative Priorities

Based on the priorities of our member school districts statewide, the AASB Board of Directors has adopted four legislative priorities calling for investment in Public Education, Educators, Infrastructure, and Student Achievement & Wellness.

Download the 2-page PDF legislative priorities flyer that includes Supporting Resolutions for each priority.

Legislator Contact Information

This searchable guide helps you identify which legislators currently represent each Alaska school district, with links to their contact information. Includes lists of House and Senate majority and minority members, and Education and Finance committee members.

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 offer practical insight into current policies, funding, and key issues affecting Alaska’s public schools, equipping you to engage confidently and knowledgeably with both legislators and your community.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT

The Foundation of Effective Governance: A Look at Your Board’s Bylaws

Pete Hoepfner, Board Development Coordinator

As we wrapped up another successful AASB annual meeting last month, I found myself reflecting on the energy in those training sessions about effective meetings and policy governance. Board members from across Alaska gathered to sharpen their skills, share challenges, and recommit to the work that matters most—serving our students and communities. In my conversations across the state, I've been reflecting on an important question: When was the last time your board reviewed Article 9 of your bylaws, assuring that your bylaws reflect your current practices and procedures?

I know, I know—bylaws aren’t exactly thrilling reading material. But here’s the thing: your board’s 9000 series policies are the blueprint for everything we discussed at the annual meeting. They’re where the rubber meets the road on effective meetings, proper procedures, and accountable governance. In my role as board development coordinator, I’ve seen boards operate under bylaws that haven’t been reviewed recently, that might contradict their current practices and procedures, or that fail to embed practices and procedures within the bylaws themselves.

CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING

Youth Leadership Institute 2025

Lakrisha Chookán Brady, Youth & Cultural Education Coordinator

AASB’s Annual Conference and Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) were held on November 13th – 16th in Anchorage, Alaska. Historically, this conference has been an opportunity for school board members and youth leaders from across the state to gather and work together on issues affecting Alaska’s schools. 

This year we had representatives from 31 different school districts, and a total of 77 students and 31 chaperones. Each student had opportunities to attend breakout sessions tailored to Alaskan youth who want to grow their leadership and communication skills. These included Finding Your Future, Self Care for Leaders, The AI Shift: Your Role as a Student Leader, Choose Connection: Building Resilient Leaders Through Community and Civic Engagement and many more. Students even had opportunities to share songs and dances from their home communities and cultures. 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

AASB’s 2026 Leadership Academy

& Legislative Fly-In

and Youth Advocacy Institute

Your participation matters! Our schools have urgent needs. Let’s come together at this year’s Leadership Academy & Legislative Fly-In and Youth Advocacy Institute to support Alaska’s students.

When: Saturday, Feb 7 – Tuesday, Feb 10, 2026

Where: Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, Juneau

Whether you’re just getting started on your board or want to brush up on the basics,

AASB’s First-Term Board Member Webinar Series is for you! 

This series of seven webinars will be held from October through February and will cover topics such as conducting effective meetings, school finance, working with your community, school law, and more.

We invite your school districts to participate in the 2026 School Climate & Connectedness Survey (SCCS). Each year, the majority of Alaska school districts collect and use school climate data to improve and strengthen school environments, relationships, and connections between students, staff and families. Participating in SCCS also opens up additional opportunities for grant programs through AASB to support initiatives to improve school climate. 

Questions? Contact the School Climate team at sccs@aasb.org 

CGN is launching a monthly series of live programs focused on the Class of ‘27. In our first workshop you will learn:

• How to approach the college admission experience as a family.
• What colleges are looking for.
• How to strategically align careers, majors and high school course selection.

Save the Dates!

April 18-19, 2026

More details and registration information

for this 2026 event coming soon!

Opinion: Don’t Wait, Invest in Your Child’s Future Before Year-End

As Alaskans, we know how quickly the calendar turns. Before we blink, 2025 will be in the rearview mirror. If you’ve been thinking about saving for your child’s future education, now is the time to act, and there’s a compelling reason to do it before December 31.

The Education Trust of Alaska recently commissioned a statewide survey, and the results were eye-opening. Fewer parents today feel confident that their children will pursue education and training after high school compared to just a few years ago. Rising costs and uncertainty are fueling hesitation, but planning ahead is still the smartest way to keep options open for your child’s future.

Alaska 529 remains one of the most flexible and trusted tools for education savings. Funds can be used to pay for education and training at nearly any college or university in the US and includes vocational and technical schools, and certain apprenticeship costs. Recent changes in federal law expanded uses to include professional credentialing programs and the ability to move excess funds into a Roth IRA. There are no sales charges, federal tax benefits apply, and you can start with as little as $25 or by simply saying “Yes” to the Alaska 529 question on the PFD application.

A $10 Million Lesson in "Assumed Duty"

Part 5 of the series, Judicial Roundup: Corralling Cases That Affect Schools

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

This year, our firm’s lawyers are rounding up the cases that affect school districts in Alaska and throughout our country. In this fifth installment of our "Judicial Round Up," instead of looking at a case that sets a national legal precedent, we pause on the dusty trail to discuss a tragedy that sent shockwaves through the education community and the specific legal considerations arising from it.

In November of this year, a jury awarded $10 million to a teacher, Ms. Zwerner, who was shot by a six-year-old student in her first-grade class. Ms. Zwerner brought a lawsuit against the Newport News (Virginia) School Board and various administrators. While several claims were dismissed, the case proceeded to a jury against the assistant principal breaching an assumed duty of care.

A perfect intro for teens in student government

Ann Macfarlane, Professional Parliamentarian

I'm very fond of classy quotes from the classics. Euripides, the Greek dramatist, wrote: "Who so neglects learning in his youth loses the past and is dead to the future."

Not least among important things to learn is how to run, and take part in, good and fair meetings, since much of our life is spent in them.

If you have a young relative in student government, please feel free to send them our paper, Parliamentary Procedure for Junior and High Schools. I wrote this for my nephew in junior high school.

This is our best effort to explain the key principles of parliamentary procedure and Robert's Rules of Order. It's short, easy to read, and can be shared freely.

When a board appoints someone to a vacant seat, what is the correct order of steps? Should the new member take the oath of office before the board reorganizes, or does the reorganization come first?

Answer: Before taking office, any board member, whether elected or appointed to fill a vacancy, shall take and sign the oath as mandated in AS 14.12.090 Oath.

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