Our Mission: To advocate for children and youth by assisting school boards in providing

quality public education, focused on student achievement, through effective local governance.

Families, caregivers, parents, early childhood teachers, administrators, school board members and funders from a variety of communities and members of the advisory Early Childhood Joint Task Force have been actively sharing their passion and ideas to improve early childhood care and education with contractor Denali Daniels + Associates. The new strategic plan and the needs assessment on which it is based were funded by the federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG) awarded to the Alaska Department of Education.

 

Communities visited so far include Kodiak, Bethel, and Kotzebue, with upcoming visits to Klawock/Prince of Wales Island, Interior Alaska, and the Anchorage/Mat-Su area. Presentations and/or engagement sessions have occurred with members of the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council; AASB; Kindergarten Ready Network; AEYC-Anchorage, tribal administrators and statewide Head Start directors.

 

To stay up to date on the project:

The project described was supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0012, from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

AASB's Annual Legislative Fly-In and Youth Advocacy Institute (YAI) focused on Board/Superintendent relationships, learning about key issues for this legislative session, and guidance on how to effectively advocate for public education. A new feature this year was a Friday preconference session focusing on Superintendents and School Board Presidents.

High School students attending this year’s Youth Advocacy Institute (YAI) had opportunities to develop advocacy & leadership skills, learn about current legislative education issues, and spend time with school board members and legislators to discuss issues faced by students in Alaska schools.

Presentations, photos, and resource materials from the Fly-In are posted here.

The Fly-In was a great opportunity for education advocates from around the state to come together and engage legislators in crafting solutions to the challenges districts face. Read on to learn about some of the week's highlights.

Surveying the Political Landscape

Norm Wooten and Dr. Lisa Parady provided an overview of the realities, issues, and distractions driving this year’s legislative session. They discussed teacher recruitment and retention, PFD size, new revenue streams, the legislative lawsuit against the governor regarding separation of powers and forward funding, the Dunleavy recall effort, and diminished oil revenue that has resulted in Alaska realizing more income from the Permanent Fund than from oil. 

Communication Tip: Remember the "Reverse Golden Rule"

Juneau School Board Member Brian Holst and Superintendent Bridget Weiss focused on communication between the board and the superintendent. Teams accomplish more than groups, and communication is synonymous with relationships. Working as a team is anticipating what other board members need to know to do their jobs. They pointed out that there are both formal and informal sides to communication. Their board participates in group social activities to build informal communications that help with formal communication when the time comes. They allowed time for attendees to discuss whether they are taking advantage of their current opportunities.

Superintendents should know their board members’ individual communication needs and relationship styles work best. Weiss urged attendees to remember the Reverse of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as they would do unto themselves.” Perception is very important. Handling conflict resolution effectively makes the whole team stronger. How we communicate is personal. The board is the elected “face of the community.” Superintendent perspective: the superintendent is a critical role and we can’t do it by ourselves. Conclusion: Good relationships with the board are critical for effectiveness in the community so our kids can be successful. Board perspective: you get out of a relationship what you put into it.

Slideshow

When hiring a superintendent, who do you envision leading your district? Alaska has a diverse culture, and the lack of “soft skills" can be detrimental to a superintendent. Critical skills a superintendent needs are strong communication, ability to build relationships, excellent listening skills, and ability to accept feedback from the board.



Slideshow

Meanwhile at the Capitol Building, YAI Students Address Issues

Despite busy schedules, legislators made time Saturday to meet with students attending the AASB Youth Advocacy Institute (YAI) to share their experience and insights with young adults eager to learn about the legislative process, and who have an interest in becoming engaged constituents and voters.

Representatives Hopkins, Knopp, Story, and Zulkosky, and Senators Hughes and Kiehl, met with students in the Butrovich committee room at the Capitol to listen to their concerns and answer questions. The conversation covered a range of topics and regional issues. Student questions included:

YAI students also had an opportunity to practice giving testimony at a mock committee hearing, in preparation for actual committee testimony in coming days.



Gazing Into the Crystal Ball

AASB Executive Director Norm Wooten prognosticated on which bills might have the best chance of passing this session. Highlights included:

Issues the legislature is currently focused on:



Slideshow

Identifying Regional Commonalities

Sunday afternoon was devoted to like size district forums. Attendees broke into small groups based on district sizes to discuss issues their districts have in common and develop lists of legislative priorities. The whole group came back together to compare notes and develop talking points based on the priorities they had identified.

Setting Legislative Priorities

Following the like size district forums, Lon Garrison facilitated a whole group discussion in which each of the groups shared their top two legislative priorities:

REAA/Rural



Mid-size & Single Site

Urban/Large

The top priorities identified by districts were compiled into the following set of talking points on key bills and issues that are most relevant to regional concerns. Attendees spent time refining their messages for use during appointments with legislators and testimony to committees in the following days.

2020 Legislative Talking Points

She said there is lots of energy and excitement around tribal compacting in the legislature this session, and anticipates lawmakers will be looking for opportunities to apply it to education. She does not see tribal compacting as a cost savings measure that divests the state’s responsibility without resources. "It must be meaningfully funded," she said, "while also looking at what opportunities exist with the funding that is already coming into our communities."

"We should be doing everything we can to keep our best and brightest in Alaska," Zulkosky said. "Both students and teachers,"

Fly-In Testimony - House Education Committee

Breaking Down the Language Barrier

Kashunamiut school board member John Atchak spoke to the importance of integrating Native languages into instruction, but teacher shortages and retention issues in his district have made it challenging. He pointed to Chevak school's Cup’ik immersion language program as a success story, "We have two certified teachers to teach fluent speaking and understanding of our language. When little kids become proficient in speaking Cup’ik, they are educating their parents at the same time," he said. "Thinking in two languages connects both hemispheres of the brain."

Fly-In Testimony - Senate Education Committee

Despite Innovative Efficiencies, Program Cuts Eminent

Anchorage School Board President Starr Marsett began her presentation with a profile of the district and strategies they've employed in response to recent funding cuts.

ASD is Alaska's 8th largest employer, with over 46,500 K-12 students—58% students of color, 42% white—and an 84% 4-year graduation rate. The district offers many CTE opportunities, the newest being aimed at "growing our own teachers" to create a more diverse teaching staff who stays in Alaska. The district has partnered with LYSD to bring students to King Tech school. The district also offers immersion schools in seven languages, including Yup'ik. 80% of students in Pre-K are moving into Kindergarten without IEPs.

ASD has closed or merged 5 schools in 4 years, facilitated CTE partnerships with other districts, and placed preschools in open classroom spaces in declining enrollment schools. Even with these more efficient uses of time, space, and funds, the ASD budget this year has a $19.5 million deficit. In response, the district is cutting the IGNITE program and delivering health differently, ASD is also looking at boundaries in an effort to reallocate students among schools that are over or under capacity. "We are doing everything we can," said Marsett, adding "Our prediction is that in the future we will be cutting more programs, even though we are being very efficient"

Yaneri Abreu, a senior from East High School, is involved with student government told the committee she sees the Fly-In as an opportunity to learn more about the legislative process. "We've seen the programs Starr talked about in our school. At East, its amazing for us to be in such a diverse community that is so rich in opportunities," she said. " Having trained counselors in our schools is very helpful. We need more mental health providers in elementary schools. We’re seeing lots of trauma and ACEs showing up in our schools."

Ramping Up Mental Health and Reading Efforts

Kaegan Koski, a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District student, addressed the district's Social Emotional Learning (SEL) efforts, reporting that the Sources of Strength suicide prevention program has been implemented in eleven schools. The program empowers students to connect with each other when feeling depression or sadness, he said, and models how to intervene before a bad situation arises. 

Koski said the district also has a number of early literacy projects aimed at younger students, including the Book Nook project he co-runs that addresses a growing apathy toward reading among young students. Weekly episodes are produced that feature public figures in the community relating their favorite books and stories.

School Board Member Debbie Cary and Communications Director Pegge Erkeneff highlighted district concerns, including aging infrastructure and the need to expand SEL efforts. " If we can address mental heath issues at younger ages, we will have healthier high school students," Cary said. Budget shortfalls have meant dipping into district savings last year. The borough is supporting funding the district to the cap.

For so long districts have been used to getting cut, Begich told the group. He encouraged districts to s tart talking about what is needed and what that looks like. Students should think about what they want, not what they’ll settle for. "You never enter a negotiation with your lowest offer, but with your best offer," he said.

Begich offered three points for school boards to consider when advocating for their districts:

1. Be aspirational. Stop thinking that the only answer is to take less. Set targets and know what you want to achieve. Providing the kind of education you want for your students means changing people’s minds, which is not easy. 

2. Shoot for specific targets. Identify things that will change the game, and don’t be afraid to ask for them. Universal Pre-K is one of those goals - prepares youth for better jobs, higher incomes, avoidance of the criminal justice system and health care system, AND these benefits are passed on to their children. It’s generational.

3. Take advantage of moments when they are given to you. You have to want it. If you want universal voluntary Pre-K, you have to get engaged in it now, because there may not be another opportunity in our lifetimes. R ealize the value of this moment, and that you don’t do this work alone.

In the Senate we have transcended party lines to work together, Begich said. I believe this year we will make decisions about education that will move us forward. We ask you to step up and become involved. We received over 30,000 constituent messages, and that changed the mind of the governor. 

Lets take advantage of the moment and use our voices to make this state the aspirational place we know it to be. I believe in the future of Alaska, and in the role of school boards in shaping that future, he said.

Articles in this section are excerpted from the AASB STEPS Alaska Promise Neighborhood Newsletter that focuses on the work in progress among the Supporting Transitions and Educational Promise Southeast Alaska (STEPS Alaska) grant regional partners, who are striving to improve outcomes for Southeast Alaska’s youth.

Professional Learning and Development in Southeast Alaska

To learn more about STEPS Alaska projects,

Read the latest STEPS Alaska newsletter



With the increased installation of security cameras in our society, it is not just a dream. It really does feel like somebody’s watching us everywhere we go. Security cameras enhance our safety and security, but they result in a lot less privacy. Security cameras are watching us at the airport, at the store, at the bank, at work, at the hospital, and increasingly, at schools.



4 Minute Read

More of the series, Technology and the Law:

More from Sedor, Wendlandt, Evans & Filippi, LLC:



The motion “to call the question,” which has the technical name of “previous question,” may be the most abused motion in all of Robert’s Rules of Order. It is very common for people to shout out the word “question” or “I call the question” in the expectation that debate will immediately stop, and a vote will be taken. This is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

3 Minute Read

Constitutional Quiz

Test your knowledge of Alaska's Constitution

Q: What percentage of all mineral lease rentals, royalties, royalty sale proceeds, federal mineral revenue sharing payments, and bonuses received by the State shall be placed in the Permanent Fund?

(Answer Below)

Download a Free Copy of Alaska's Constitution



Register Now!

NEW VENUE: Centennial Hall, Juneau

We’re hoping for an even bigger turnout at our next fly-in!!

Attend the Spring Fly-In to: 

Please join us in Juneau and add your voice to the chorus of education advocates this session. Alaska legislators need to hear from you!

Room Blocks available at Four Points Sheraton and Baranof Hotel.

Fly-In Schedule | Registration



Hurry, Registration Closing Soon!

Join over 30 school districts who measure school climate as a first step to improving and strengthening school environments, relationships, and connections between students, staff, and families.

Information | Registration



​ The Outer Coast Year offers a diverse cohort of up to 20 Alaskan, Lower 48, and international high school graduates a transformative educational experience in Sitka, Alaska founded on the belief that students should have agency and ownership of every aspect of their academic and personal lives and the responsibility to positively affect the communities to which they belong.

The Year consists of two semesters:

The Outer Coast Year  is our first postsecondary program, based on the pillars of intellectual inquiry, meaningful service and labor in the community, and student self-governance. Graduating high school seniors and recent high school graduates (including GED holders) may apply online or print a mail-in application.

Information | Apply

AEYC-SEA is sponsoring an early learning symposium in conjunction with the Juneau STEM Coalition, Thread, Central Council of Tlingit & Haida, and JEDC. The theme is STEAM: Curiosity Unleashed, and is centered around science education for early learners. Activities will include professional development seminars and a screening of Molly of Denali! Scholarships and university credit is available for certain participants. Please click the links below to get more information and register.

Information | Registration

Include your school or district news items or newsletter

Submit Link or PDF file

Browse The Inside Scoop Newsletter Collection



Please note - some news outlets may require registration or a paid subscription for link access. Others may grant free access to a limited number of articles before requiring a paid subscription.

Please note - some news outlets may require registration or a paid subscription for link access. Others may grant free access to a limited number of articles before requiring a paid subscription.

However, some parents who home-school their children have concerns. Home-schooling parent Staci Eibert believes that the bill overall is a good idea but the pressure to succeed may become too much.

Sen. Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, the sponsor of the bill, added further clarity. "The bill does not mandate that a person who chooses to home-school their [student] would have to do the required tests or the screenings in this bill," Begich said. "There’s clearly been some misinterpretation of that."

2 Minute Read

“This is the first time they’ve ever really put money toward early childhood education in this state. That’s a good thing–a great thing–recognizing how important it is,” said Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter. “But not a lot of conversation with the local communities about what might already be in place.”

3 Minute Read

The district identified 86 students who require intensive services at the beginning of the year. Of those, 81 were recently approved by the state, leading to the additional state funding. Intensive-needs students qualify for 13 times the regular student allocation from the state. In total, the district received $31.6 million from the state for fiscal year 2020.

2 Minute Read

Board member Sarah Holmgrain is on the district’s policy committee. She says the timing of it has probably been influenced by the contagious coronavirus that’s been spreading throughout China and threatening other countries. "We haven’t had this situation in Petersburg,” Holmgrain said, “but like a lot of things you’d rather have a policy in place in the event it does. Trying to figure out after the fact is never a good policy.”

The policy is recommended by the Association of Alaska’s School Boards. It identifies the health, safety, and welfare of students as the top priority.

2 Minute Read

The bill is largely symbolic and would not change how tribal governments already operate, since each of the 229 Native Alaska tribes are already federally recognized, lawmakers said. The legislation would instead enshrine in state law what has been the status of these tribes for years and formally recognize tribal sovereignty.

2 Minute Read

“We had 3 priorities in mind when we went in,” said ASD’s Chief Financial Officer Jim Anderson. “One was to protect core class size as much as possible, one was to preserve educational opportunities as resources allow, and three was to try and preserve jobs for our employees as much as possible.”

2 Minute Read

Beth Lougee was named to the top schools job following a 20-minute closed-door session Wednesday evening. Members of Ketchikan’s school board didn’t discuss the contract in public.But its terms were released following the unanimous vote. She’ll be paid $145,000 annually plus benefits. Lougee has held the interim position since former district chief Bob Boyle stepped down in late 2018. She had been the district’s curriculum director.

2 Minute Read

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. Learn about our Search Service

List of superintendent searches AASB is currently facilitating

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



Your school district is a vital member of the Association of Alaska School Boards, our state’s leading advocate for public education. Together, we work to ensure equity by strengthening the connections between schools, families, tribes, communities, and government so that every Alaskan child has the opportunity to receive a quality public education.

The many services AASB offers are designed to provide maximum benefit to our members in meeting their district's goals. Check out our Membership Benefits brochure and let us know how we can assist you!

AASB Membership Benefits Brochure