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Sometimes it can be a real chore to find the space in our lives to give thanks. Lately, I know that has been the case for me. Every day seems to present a new and unexpected challenge. I have struggled to find the right message for this month’s article, and then it hit me with gratitude and thankfulness.

It has been a very long 20 months of pandemic shenanigans, and just like many of you, I sometimes wonder why all this is happening and when will it end? It can often feel overwhelming. Many folks talk about self-care, and for me, that has been a topic that often feels out of reach because of the responsibilities I feel committed to uphold. I am sure many of you feel the same. As school board members who are leaders in your communities, this has never been more challenging. For superintendents and staff, the effort to keep children safe and learning is such a formidable task every day. However, we do not do this work alone, and for that, I am so very thankful.

Timi Tullis, AASB Associate Executive Director

Do you feel as a school board member you are doing one of three things: preparing for, attending, or following up on a meeting?

Board members dedicate a lot of their time to meetings. You have meetings for decision-making, problem solving, planning and evaluating! If you or your board are struggling with your meeting, here are a few tips to improve upon it.

Throughout the four days, attendees reconnected while learning, networking, and sharing insights. AASB’s Annual Conference began on Thursday, November 4th, with two pre-conference opportunities: Ready Set Govern and the Experienced Board Member Academy.

Since time immemorial, Alaskans have taught their children the skills needed to survive and thrive in our unique environments. Those skills may look different in modern society, but research indicates that connecting to culture, family, and community values is a powerful way to motivate students to pursue training and education.

Janelle Vanasse is the superintendent of Mount Edgecumbe High School and previously a longtime school administrator in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region. She has been examining the disconnect between the bright, motivated high school students she has worked with and the low numbers graduating from college or career and technical training.

AASB is offering three conferences during the month of December:

Plan to attend these informative events! Descriptions and registration links below.

This training is an opportunity for Executive Administrative Asisstants to connect and share ideas with colleagues from around the state.

Schools – possibly more than any other public or private entities – embody this tension between freedom and order. Schools bring together an incredibly diverse group of people each of whom want and expect the freedom to express themselves. On the other hand, schools must have sufficient order in the school community to be able to effectively and successfully deliver the level of education the next generation requires and deserves. This is a tall order made only more difficult over the last few years by the pandemic, societal discord, social media, and political polarization.

Registration requirements for AASB’s School Law & Equity Day and Executive Administrative Assistants Training conferences will require one of the following three items:

In addition, all attendees are required to follow AASB’s COVID-19 mitigation plan, which includes wearing a mask throughout the conference.

For more information, please reach out to Jenni Lefing.

AASB, in partnership with the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, is proud to launch Trauma Engaged Schools social media resources.

Through these 23 simple, visually appealing messages we strive to build awareness and support for Trauma Engaged best practices among Alaskan educators and schools.

AASB also provides a suite of Transforming Schools resources to help Alaska schools and communities integrate trauma-engaged practices and policies into their everyday activities. Transforming Schools offers a framework, toolkit, video library, e-modules, and milestone guides.

The Association of Alaska School Boards is proud to announce its 31st Annual Scholarship Award Competition! The June Nelson Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late June Nelson, a longtime school board member from Kotzebue. June contributed much to the cause of education and is remembered for her outstanding service on behalf of Alaska’s children.

This 2021-2022 school year, AASB will award fifteen graduating seniors each with a $1,500 scholarship to apply toward their post-secondary education. The scholarship may be applied toward the student’s choice of a business, trade, or college institution.

Over 200 attendees representing forty two school districts and a more than a dozen sponsors gathered at the Anchorage Hilton for AASB's first in person Annual Conference since 2019. In addition, many more board members from across Alaska joined virtual sessions that were streamed live via Zoom throughout the conference. We were humbled by the turnout and outpouring of support. Our thanks to all whose efforts and generosity helped to make it a safe and successful event!

Participants at Thursday's Experienced Board Members Academy pre-conference day received complimentary copies of the AASB publication, Stronger Together: The Power of School and Family Partnership in Alaska. School board members, community partners, parents and grandparents from across Alaska contributed to the book, which provides a roadmap and key milestones for family, student, and school partnerships.

An overview of The Alaska Safe Children’s Act, AS 14.30.355 (Erin’s Law) and AS 14.30.356 (Bree’s Law), information about state-developed curriculum, and other resources was provided by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. The mission of the Professional Teaching Practices Commission was explained, as well as its role in disciplining educators, and the complaint filing process.

The law firm of Sedor, Wendlandt, Evans & Filippi provided an outline for how to conduct a professional boundaries investigation. Topics covered included hiring a private investigator, who to interview, records to review, disciplinary action, and board communication.

Some highlights included:

She offered some tips that have helped her as a school board member:

Ms. Lende closed her presentation with a poem titled A Blessing For Leaders by Irish poet John O’Donahue. Here is a brief excerpt:

May you have the grace and wisdom to act kindly, learning to distinguish between what is personal and what is not.

May you act not from arrogance, but out of service.

May leadership be for you a true adventure of growth.

Poems Heather Lende shared during her keynote presentation | Video

The Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) definition of educational equity: Educational equity is the fair allocation of resources, based on need, to address opportunity gaps and promote equitable outcomes for every student.

Ms. Whaley provided examples of what educational equity is, and isn't:

Slides | Video

The 2021-22 AASB Board of Directors are (Back row, left to right) John Mark, Lower Kuskokwim; Dana Mock, Delta/Greely; Margo Bellamy, Anchorage, Secretary/Treasurer; Pete Hoepfner, Cordova, President; Katie Oliver, Kodiak, Past President; Kasaŋnaaluk, Marie Greene, Northwest Arctic Borough, President-Elect; Tim Doran, Fairbanks North Star Borough. (Front row, left to right) Chrya Sanderson, Fairbanks North Star Borough; Diane Gubatayao, Ketchikan; Penny Vadla, Kenai; Clarence Daniel, Lower Kuskokwim; Dr. Barbara Amarok, Nome; Brian Holst, Juneau. Not pictured: Andy Holleman, Anchorage; Michael Swain Jr., Bristol Bay.

Each November at AASB's Annual Conference the membership elects individuals to serve on the AASB Board of Directors. These school board members were elected to the following terms on the AASB Board this year:

1. The Board Chair asks board members if there are any items on the Consent Agenda they wish to pull for separate consideration. Any member may do this, it requires no second and the member does not need to state a reason.

2. When the board is finished pulling items the Chair states: “I would entertain a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.”

3. A board member makes the following motion: “I move to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of items XX to XX.” Another member seconds.

4. The Board Chair asks for any discussion. If there is none (and there usually isn’t) the chair moves to the vote.

5. The chair asks “Is there objection?” After a pause, if there is none, the Chair declares “The Consent Agenda is approved without objection.” If someone does object, do a roll call vote.

This process maintains the balance of power and rights, and yet still creates expediency in dealing with usual, repeated business.

Read more answers to frequently asked questions at Ask AASB

Got a question? Email Timi Tullis or Tiffany Jackson.

Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, suggests that we not think of culturally responsive teaching not as prescriptive (how to) as much as a mindset. Culturally Responsive teaching is “a way of thinking about and organizing instruction to allow for great flexibility in teaching...it helps teachers understand the brain-based principles...so that we can stimulate underperforming students’ cognitive development and grow self-directed learners.”

#playmatters #rainorshinelearningallthetime

During this live Q&A, you’ll have the opportunity to ask Kela and Natasha questions about E-rate and how it works. If you’d like to submit questions ahead of time, please do so here.

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The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB Program) is a temporary federal program that launched on May 12, 2021 to help eligible households pay for internet service during the pandemic.

For students whose families are struggling to afford their monthly internet service, this program may be able to help. The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) administers the EBB Program under the direction of the FCC.

For more information visit GetEmergencyBroadband.org.

For Shawna Williams, getting broadband will mean being able to see her teachers and classmates. During the pandemic, Williams decided to get her college degree, while holding down her full-time job as a childcare worker, and raising five kids. She has the fastest internet plan available in Akiak, but she says it can't handle video all the time, which means she attends her remote classes by phone.

The bipartisan bill will upgrade and modernize our core infrastructure—making critical investments in roads, bridges, rail, ferries, ports, airports, energy, water systems, and broadband. The landmark legislation also strengthens electric grid resiliency and minerals supply chains (including for clean energy technologies), while reforming the permitting process and providing for wildfire mitigation. In total, it provides $550 billion in new spending over five years, without raising taxes, and will grow America’s economy, create jobs, and push against inflation.

It has very significant funding for Alaska roads, water systems, ports, airports, our ferry system, bridges, and Coast Guard infrastructure. It also contains historic funding for broadband build-out in Alaska, which will help our fellow Alaskans in terms of education, telehealth, and small business opportunities, and it has billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees for the Alaska natural gasline—a step toward unlocking our massive reserves of natural gas for the benefit of Alaskans, our country, and our allies overseas.

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is an integral part of Southeast’s transportation portfolio, and I have been a long-time supporter of their operations. In fact, it was my own legislation that made it possible for the AMHS to qualify as a “highway” for the purposes of federal funding in the first place. This bipartisan infrastructure bill builds on this progress by providing $1 billion for essential ferry service to rural Alaskan communities. Additionally, it provides $73 million for the construction of new ferries for Alaska, while providing funding for an electric ferry pilot program to help our fleet run cleaner. Finally, for the very first time, the AMHS, will be eligible to receive future federal Highway aid funds for operation and repair. To say that this bill is a game-changer for Southeast is an understatement -- this is a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity for Southeast Alaska’s families and economy.

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.

- For More Information -

Email Timi Tullis or call 907-463-1660

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