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Voices of Alaska Education
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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.
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Norm Wooten
AASB Executive Director
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Sound Advice for School Board Leaders |
The following article appeared in American School Board Journal. It is used with the permission of NSBA and the author, Robert Rader, Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. I thought it contained valuable insights for board members.
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Jenni Lefing
AASB School Climate and Conference Coordinator
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Get Ready for Virtual Annual Conference! |
We sure had a fun time gathering with over 22 districts and 100 board members for the Fall Boardsmanship Academy in September. Hearing the conversations and connections from Bethel to Metlakatla warmed our hearts. And, on top of these connections we had some great sessions.
If you missed it, NOW is your chance to join us for our next event, our 67th Annual Conference. Each year AASB’s annual conference is the largest gathering of school board members in the state.
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Online Venue, Familiar Features
Though it is going to look different than any other conference we have offered in the past, we are moving forward on bringing our membership together to learn and become the best board members they can be! AASB staff have been working hard to put together a robust program with the same quality that you can always expect.
This year’s conference will include two general sessions, two pre-conference sessions (Ready Set Govern for new school board members & Parliamentary Procedures with Ann Macfarlane), 15 breakout sessions, a Networking Lounge, an online June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser, Delegate Assembly, Awards Ceremony and more!
We are offering a ‘district rate’ as we hope that members would learn together. In turn, the district rate would be lower per/person if the boards attended as a team! If you have a question about registration, contact Jenni Lefing and I will work with you!
Tips for a Successful Conference Experience
To get the most out of this year’s virtual Annual Conference there are some key tips that we want to make sure you follow:
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MOST IMPORTANT: Download zoom on to the device you will be using for conference. You can download the Zoom app from the Download Center. For additional Zoom Tips, check out our handy Zoom Guide. If you have never used Zoom before, check out the video tutorials at zoom.us, or ask district staff to show you how to use it before the conference begins.
- To fully participate in AASB’s virtual events, you will need a stable internet connection. If you do not have access to stable internet, please speak with your Superintendent about arranging an opportunity to go into your local school or district office.
- If your board is attending as a group in person, note that there will be times where there will be options to attend different breakout sessions. During these times, members may want to be in different rooms, or have headphones with their device.
- During Annual Conference, AASB staff will be standing by to provide support and answer your questions, simply call 907-463-1660 and Diana and her team will be there to assist.
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Schedule at a Glance
Thursday, November 5
- 9:00 am Resolutions Committee
Friday, November 6
- 9:00 am-noon Experienced Board Member Academy; Jurassic Parliament; Running Great Meetings! (optional add-on to main conference)
- 3:00-4:30 pm Like Sized District Forums
Saturday, November 7
- 8:30 am Keynote Speaker William Parrett, Director of the Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies, & Professor Boise State University
- 10:30-11:30 am Morning Sectionals (choose 1 of 4)
- 11:45 am-12:30 pm AASB Business Meeting and Board of Director Candidate speeches
- 12:30 pm- 1:15 pm Lunch Break
- 1:15-2:30 pm Roundtables and time to chat with other board members
- 3:00-4:00 pm Afternoon Sectionals (choose 1 of 4)
Sunday, November 8
- 8:30 am Keynote Speaker Kameron Perez-Verdia, President & CEO of Alaska Humanities Forum
- followed by the Delegate Assembly
- 11:30 am-12:15 pm Lunch Break
- 12:15-1:15 pm Afternoon Sectionals Part 1 sessions (choose 1 of 4)
- 1:30-2:15 pm Afternoon Sectionals Part 2 (choose 1 of 3)
- 2:15 pm Closing & Awards Ceremony
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June Nelson Auction Goes Virtual
Lastly, don’t forget we are still be holding the June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser this year- online! We hope you’ll consider donating and bidding.
- The auction will go live November 2, but you can get a sneak peek at some of the great items that have already been donated by visiting the online auction.
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If you have an item to donate, please fill out the online donation form.
- If you have questions about donating, please reach out to aasb@aasb.org.
Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you November 6-8!
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You're Invited to Attend!
AASB Virtual Annual Conference
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Join your colleagues from across Alaska to:
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Hear from state and national experts on a variety of topics.
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Learn about educational initiatives, projects and strategies happening around the state.
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Connect with over 300 school board members, district leaders, and other education advocates.
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William Parrett
Director of the Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies, Professor of Education at Boise State University.
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Kameron Perez-Verdia
President & CEO of the Alaska Humanities Forum, Co-Chair of Anchorage Assembly Public Safety and Budget/Finance committees
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Pre-Conference Session
Experienced Board Member Academy November 6
"Great School Board Meetings"
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In this lively and interactive pre-conference session, Professional Parliamentarian Ann MacFarlane of Jurassic Parliament will impart practical tips on using Robert's Rules to equip you to run effective meetings!
- $500 per district (only one location log-in issued)
- $150 per individual board member
- 11/6, 9 am - 12 pm
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Ann Macfarlane
Professional Parliamentarian
Jurassic Parliament
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June Nelson Virtual Auction
Opens November 2
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Proceeds Fund Student Scholarships
The AASB June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Auction is now online! Lots of great items have already been donated by school boards from across Alaska.
Set up your free account and get ready to bid when the auction opens November 2.
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There's still time to donate items! |
To donate auction items, please fill out the online donation form. |
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Registration is Now Open
for 2021 Alaska School Climate
& Connectedness Survey!
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Schools are looking quite different this year. But no matter what shape learning is happening your district- on-line, in -person, or blended, it is essential for students, staff and families to feel safe and connected. |
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We invite your district to join the over 30 school districts that participate each year in the School Climate & Connectedness Survey (SCCS). This survey is an opportunity to collect and use school climate data to improve and strengthen school environments, relationships, and connections between students, staff and families. This year’s statewide survey window is January 19- March 26.
For the 2021 school year, additional questions are being added to better understand the needs of students, staff, and families during COVID-19.
For more information and to register, click here:
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Virtual AASB
Executive Admin Workshop
December 10, 2020
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Virtual AASB
School Law Day
December 11, 2020
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Virtual AASB
Maintenance Conference
January 13-14
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“That’s a bold-faced lie”
Ann Macfarlane, Professional Parliamentarian
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It beats me how people can say that parliamentary procedure is boring. An article about a recent meeting of Branson Missouri aldermen is full of interest (read it here). The most gripping moment, from my perspective, is when the City Administrator says the following: |
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“He’s not going to stand up there and lie about me. I’m sick and tired of his lies. I do not stand with any of you six (the board of aldermen). I stand for the city of Branson, and for him to say that I took anyone’s side, on any issue, is a bold-faced lie.”
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Proof of Life? Russell Crowe cannot save your district from a ransomware attack
Clint Campion of Sedor, Wendlandt, Evans & Filippi, LLC
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Part four of the series, Ripp’d from the Headlines
In 2000, Russell Crowe starred in a movie called “Proof of Life” as a “K&R Consultant,” or expert in negotiating kidnap and ransom cases. In the end, Russell Crowe and his team are inserted into the kidnapper’s base camp and rescue the hostages. Unfortunately, if your district is subject to a ransomware attack, you cannot call Russell Crowe to save the day.
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More from Sedor, Wendlandt, Evans & Filippi, LLC:
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ASK AASB: Do annual budget items that exceed the district policy limit require additional board approval to purchase? |
Does the purchasing limit referenced in our board policy refer to ANY purchasing, or would items included in the annual budget process be exempt from needing another board vote when the district goes to spend that money?
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Read more answers to frequently asked questions at ASK AASB
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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.
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Creating More Equitable Schools Together |
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Recent circumstances and events, including the Corona Virus and consistent violence against people of color, have brought inequities and injustices into focus. Alaska has its own history to reconcile from the bombardment of Alaska Native communities to the abuses experienced within the Bureau of Indian Affairs or mission-led boarding schools. This historical trauma was experienced within the living memory of this generation, and has had a lasting impact on Alaska’s students and families.
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Hydaburg City School District: An Approach to Culturally Responsive Schools
Camille M. Booth, M.Ed., MSW, Assistant Superintendent
At Hydaburg City School District (HCSD) our entire certified staff is engaging in an independently led book study using Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain by Zaretta Hammond. We kicked off the study at our beginning-of-the-year in-service and will be reading through the book, reflecting, and discussing strategies and processes throughout the year. We are particularly focusing on the Ready for Rigor Framework.
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Trauma Engaged Schools In-service with Chatham & Hoonah
Many school staff that work with students that have experienced trauma understand how learning is affected by trauma.
If students who’ve experienced trauma (intense, prolonged and/or multiple adverse experiences) encounter stress in the classroom, they will not be able access their higher level thinking brain as their thinking responds in such a way that they either act out or disengage depending on how they tend to respond to stress.
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Trauma Engaged Tools: Transforming Schools Webinar Series
Each Tuesday thru December 1
3:30 – 5 p.m.
For school district staff, school board members, and families
Get familiar with the “Transforming Schools Toolkit,” an online companion guide to the “Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma Engaged Practice in Alaska,” released in 2019. Join AASB and the Department of Education and Early Development on Tuesday afternoons for discussions focused on the resources available in each of the toolkit’s 11 sections.
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To learn more about STEPS Alaska projects,
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Since 2016, the Lower Yukon School District (LYSD) has been collaborating with AASB and six other districts across Alaska in the Culturally Responsive Embedded Social Emotional Learning (CRESEL) grant from the US Department of Education. The grant is part of the Investing in Innovation (i3) program to develop innovative practices that improve student achievement.
In this article, As'iingaq Janet Johnson, the LYSD Yup'ik Language and Culture Director, describes how starting the school year with Student Subsistence (SS) days was a way to ”…focus on our strengths to help us get started”. The Student Subsistence days video is posted on the LYSD website.
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Lower Yukon’s Yup'ík Language and Culture Program
As'iingaq Janet Johnson, LYSD Yup'ik Language and Culture Director
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It has been said that subsistence is at the heart of Yuuyaraq, a way of life for Yupik people. Opening the school year with Student Subsistence (SS) days in Lower Yukon School District (LYSD) was an exciting and enriching time when the local environments became our school for two weeks. |
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Student Subsistence Days, west side coastline near Kotlik. Photo: Juwan Akaran
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First of all, I would like to thank Gene Stone, LYSD Chief School Administrator and the district office team for allowing culture, tradition, and education be the focus as we all return to school. With the many unknowns due to the COVID-19 virus that created an imbalance in our lives, it was a great way to focus on our strengths to help us get started in the school year. With the knowledge, wisdom, and help of paraprofessionals, community supports, and school administration, we made it happen. We now can look at ways to improve and strengthen this approach for next year.
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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.
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Officials appeal to Alaskans for help as state reports 526 COVID-19 cases Sunday
Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media
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Alaska reported a record-shattering 526 positive COVID-19 cases in a single day Sunday, in what the Department of Health and Social Services called “another significant escalation” of the pandemic in the state. The numbers follow over a month of triple-digit daily case counts.
State officials are appealing to Alaskans to take precautions. “Alaska, we need your help, we are on a fast acceleration,” wrote Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer in a Facebook post in advance of the new numbers.
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A scanning electron micrograph shows a cell (green) heavily infected with particles (yellow) of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. |
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Latest COVID-19 Response Resources from the REL Program |
In response to COVID-19, the 10 Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) have collaborated to produce a series of evidence-based resources and information about teaching and learning in a remote environment, as well as other considerations brought by the pandemic. |
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Featured Resources
Audience: teachers, school leaders, district leaders
Audience: teachers, school leaders
Audience: school leaders, district leaders
Audience: teachers, school leaders, district leaders
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Stress in America™ 2020 - A National Mental Health Crisis
American Psychological Association
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Each year, the American Psychological Association (APA) surveys people across the United States about stress: its sources; its intensity; and how people are responding to stressors, both mentally and physically. |
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Our 2020 survey is different. It reveals that Americans have been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the external factors Americans have listed in previous years as significant sources of stress remain present and problematic. These compounding stressors are having real consequences on our minds and bodies.
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‘We need you for the future’: Elders and Youth conducts virtual conference
Wesley Early, KOTZ Kotzebue
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This year, the Elders and Youth Conference went virtual for the first time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s meeting was a little different, conducted mostly through pre-recorded messages and live Zoom calls. However, both keynote addresses highlighted the desire to keep thousands of years of Native culture moving forward, pandemic or not.
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Kiley Kanat’s Burton (left) of Cordova and Rev. Traditional Chief Trimble Gilbert of Arctic Village were the keynote speakers for the 2020 Elders and Youth Conference. Photos by Diana Riedel and Crystal Dzehgak Frank, Courtesy of First Alaskans Institute |
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OPINION: Innovative approach to Inupaiq language learning may offer template for others
Carey Restino, Bristol Bay Times
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For more than 5,000 years, the Inupaiq language was spoken across the northern regions of Alaska and Canada. But when Russian, British and American colonists arrived, requiring Alaska Natives be taught in English and punishing those who refused, |
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UAF Alaska Native Language Center |
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it took only a few decades for this far-reaching language to become endangered. Today, most of the speakers are 40 or older, and very few children speak Inupiaq fluently, a sign that without a concerted effort, the language could die out with Alaska's Elders.
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The 2020 Alaska Youth Voting Challenge is an opportunity for our youth, 17 and younger, to learn about the importance of voting by encouraging the adults in their communities who are eligible to vote, to do so in the general election on Nov. 3, 2020.
Our Motivation
- Increase youth civic engagement
- Empower youth to lead at the local, statewide, and national levels
- Help Alaskans learn about the voter disenfranchisement and impacts on Native peoples and BIPOC
- Build up the confidence, ability and expectation for our children and youth early
Accepting the Challenge
- Identify a Pre-K to 12th grade youth group, student group, or schools located within the state of Alaska
- Ensure participants are children and youth 17 years old and younger (Adults may support youth efforts)
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Submit Letters of Interest (LOI) via email –OR– the online form at no later than 5pm Alaska Standard Time on November 3rd (Election Day).
Prizes
- 1st Place - $15,000
- 2nd Place - $10,000
- 3rd Place - $5,000
*Prizes will go to a school or youth organization and winner must agree not to distribute funds to those involved.
Please contact the Alaska Native Policy Center with questions.
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Nonprofit, nonpartisan program educates kids about voting
Kris Capps, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
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Kids can participate in the upcoming election, thanks to Kids Voting North Alaska.
This nonprofit group is a nonpartisan, grassroots-driven voter education program committed to creating lifelong voting habits in children, increasing family communications about citizenship, and encouraging greater adult voter turnout. It is an affiliate to Kids Voting USA.
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Laura Conner of West Valley High School created this poster, which won first place
for high schools in 2019.
Photo: Kids Voting North Alaska
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Rep. Don Young visits Homer on campaign trail
Megan Pacer, Homer News
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In a small campaign event with supporters in Homer, Rep. Don Young touted his years of experience and spoke of November’s upcoming election as a matter of keeping Alaska free.
On the subject of education, Young said that local Alaska communities should control and fund their schools on the local level through their school boards, rather than rely on the federal government or even the state for funding.
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Rep. Don Young speaks during a campaign event at Land’s End Resort in Homer, Alaska. Photo: Megan Pacer, Homer News |
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“Since when was it the responsibility of the state to fund schools?” Young said. “Read the (Alaska) Constitution. That’s when we got the oil money, we started financing the schools. And everybody said ‘oh well that’s easier than me raising my taxes on myself,’ but you lost control of your schools.”
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Don Young and challenger Alyse Galvin debate natural resources, social issues and COVID-19 response
Aubrey Weiber, Anchorage Daily News
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In their first televised debate, U.S. Rep. Don Young and challenger Alyse Galvin worked hard to contrast themselves from each other, peppering each other with jabs. |
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Screenshot of Debate for the State broadcast by Alaska Public Media and Alaska's News Source. |
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Young, 87, touted his 47 years of experience, saying he remains effective and knows how to get the U.S. Congress to work for Alaska’s benefit. Galvin, 55, while at times commending Young’s work in the past, said he’s lost his touch and Alaska needs a new representative in Washington, D.C.
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Sullivan and Gross clash on health care and Supreme Court in Alaska US Senate debate
Becky Bohrer, Associated Press
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The major candidates in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race attacked each other’s integrity and clashed on issues of health care and the Supreme Court in a high-profile broadcast debate less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election. |
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Screenshot of Debate for the State broadcast by Alaska Public Media and Alaska's News Source. |
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Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic-supported independent Al Gross somewhat shared the Anchorage debate stage; Sullivan, who appeared on a monitor beside Gross, participated from Washington, D.C., where the Senate is preparing to vote on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Remember to Vote on or before November 3rd! |
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Alaska School District News |
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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.
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Tegan Hanlon, Alaska Public Media
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Tegan Hanlon, Alaska Public Media
Anchorage School District teacher and parent Michelle Foss joined dozens of others who spoke to the board directly, or sent in written comments, decrying the school district’s plan to bring thousands of kids back into buildings in November.
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Mayowa Aina, Alaska Public Media
Although tutoring programs currently serve just a fraction of the district’s more than 40,000 students, the district is pointing to it as an example of what in-person schooling could look like during the pandemic.
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Tegan Hanlon, Alaska Public Media
Anchorage’s East High has a new name: the Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School. The Anchorage School Board voted unanimously to rename the school—one of the nation’s most diverse—after the late trailblazing lawmaker and education advocate.
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Tim Ellis, KUAC
Four new cases of COVID-19 in Delta Junction were reported by local authorities, including one involving a person at the local elementary school. Delta Greely School District officials announced the covid case in a letter to parents, saying Delta Elementary School will be closed for deep cleaning.
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Kris Capps, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
When Tri-Valley School received notice that its longtime Viking Warrior logo was a trademark violation, administrators thought it might be a joke. It wasn’t.
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Peter Segall, Juneau Empire
There is no date for when in-person classes will resume in Juneau, said school district Superintendent Bridget Weiss. However, a recent student inventory gives district staff better data to use while plotting a path forward.
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Tegan Hanlon and Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and the Mat-Su Borough School District closed or extended closures of 19 schools as coronavirus cases surge statewide.
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Ashlyn O’Hara, Peninsula Clarion
More than one-fifth of all Kenai Peninsula Borough School District students are enrolled in Connections, the district’s home-school program, according to district enrollment numbers.
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Ashlyn O'Hara, Homer News
Four towers will be constructed to expand internet access following an assembly vote.
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Erin McKinstry, Alaska Public Media
The Kupreanof Island village of Kake is trying to bring down the high cost of energy by transitioning to renewables. They’ve looked at solar, wind, hydro and now biomass heating, an old technology with a new design.
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Eric Stone, KRBD
After students and staff return from the two-week break in January, many will likely need to quarantine and await COVID-19 test results to ensure the virus stays out of school buildings.
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Sarah Lapidus, Kodiak Daily Mirror
This will be the school district’s second school closure, after Peterson Elementary shut its doors for one day when a student there contracted the virus. Superintendent Larry LeDoux said all students considered close contacts will quarantine for 14 days and attend classes virtually.
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Greg Kim, KYUK
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is now one of the nation’s leaders in COVID-19 infection rates. In order to change the trajectory of the pandemic in the region, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation is asking for drastic actions.
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Greg Kim, KYUK
A Bethel elementary school teacher tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, Oct. 14. She shared her story about what her experience with coronavirus has been like.
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Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK
COVID-19 cases will have to drop dramatically before many Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta schools can return to in-person classes. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation has been working with school districts in the region to help them decide.
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Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK Bethel
The Tuluksak School is doing remote learning, but not because of COVID-19. Students set the school on fire.
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Johanna Eurich, KYUK
Last spring, most schools shut their doors and moved to remote learning after COVID-19 arrived in the state. After completing the school year learning alone at home, students in Emmonak seem to have a new appreciation of school.
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Tim Rockey, Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
After over 19 months of contract negotiations, the Mat-Su Borough School Board voted 5-1 to ratify the contract agreement with the Matanuska-Susitna Education Association.
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Jeremiah Bartz, Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
The state reported a single-day record of 75 new COVID-19 cases in the Mat-Su Borough Sunday.
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Sophia Desalvo, KNOM
The Nome School Board swore in new board member Jill Peters and featured an update on the new Inupiaq Immersion Program led by Kiminaq (Maddy) Alvanna-Stimpfle.
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Wesley Early, KOTZ, Kotzebue
A former teacher at the Trapper School in the village of Nuiqsut is suing the North Slope Borough School District, claiming the district did not properly address racist actions by students.
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Jenna Kunze, Arctic Sounder
Six weeks into the school year in the Northwest Arctic Borough, teachers, parents and administrators agree that remote learning in rural Alaska is challenging at best, damaging at worst.
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Joe Viechnicki, KFSK
All three Petersburg school buildings closed Tuesday, October 27 after the announcement of a positive COVID-19 test result for a student in the elementary school.
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Angela Denning, KFSK
Petersburg schools’ enrollment is down by about 40 students this year. Despite the drop, the district’s finances are doing okay, according to district administration.
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Robert Woolsey, KCAW
With the holidays just around the corner, the Sitka School District is considering adopting a travel policy that would follow stricter guidelines for quarantine and testing than currently used by the state.
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Maggie Nelson, KUCB, Unalaska
The Unalaska City School Board has approved an agreement with local service provider TelAlaska to provide limited remote learning services for students and staff in the district.
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Hope McKenney, KUCB, Unalaska
On Oct. 17 of last year, the PenAir Saab 2000 plane went off the end of Tom Madsen Airport’s runway. Forty-two people were on board, more than 10 were injured and one passenger died. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the crash is ongoing and an agency spokesperson said it could take up to two years to finish.
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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Opinion
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News late last month that a bill has been introduced in Congress to finally provide a long-overdue additional allocation of land to the University of Alaska is certainly a welcome development. |
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Sage Smiley, KSTK
Wrangell schools’ superintendent Debbe Lancaster is leaving, but says she’ll stay on the job through the end of the school year. This comes less than a month after she was formally reprimanded by the school district for an unauthorized, all-expenses-trip she’d led to Juneau.
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Alaska School Sports News |
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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.
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Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News
Alaska won’t crown state champions this school year in football, swimming, volleyball and several other activities. The Alaska School Activities Association canceled state championship events for all fall sports and activities because of rising COVID-19 cases in Anchorage and other parts of the state.
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Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News
It’s still not clear how many people have tested positive for COVID-19 following an Anchorage youth hockey tournament in early October that led to what officials described as a cluster of infections.
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Tegan Hanlon, Alaska Public Media
Most sports and activities are back on at Eagle River High School after a party led to the temporary shut down of the programs over the weekend. Anchorage School District administrators say they were tracking about 20 students who either had symptoms of the coronavirus, or possible exposure to someone infected.
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Tyler Thompson, KDLG
Over 30 people attended an awards ceremony in the school parking lot, socially-distanced from each other. COVID-19 kept the teams from traveling this year, but they competed with the Southwest Region School District in virtual races.
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Sam Ferrara, fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Seasons are not quite over for all Fairbanks North Star Borough student athletes after the Alaska School Activities Association announced the cancellation of all remaining 2020 fall championships.
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Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News
Ingenuity was on display in Juneau, where high school runners prepared for the Region V cross-country championships with an obstacle relay race. They ran bases on a ball field, crawled under picnic tables, climbed flights of stairs, waded through Gastineau Channel and jumped over bales of straw. They even ran on a cross-country course for a little bit.
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Megan Pacer, Peninsula Clarion
A member of the Homer High School football program has contracted COVID-19, and as a result the entire program is quarantining.
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Jeff Helminiak, Peninsula Clarion
The central peninsula went to high-risk status, pushing all central peninsula students, except for select groups, to 100% remote learning. Also, the Alaska School Activities Association announced the cancellation of all fall state events and playoffs.
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Sophia Desalvo, KNOM
The 2020 Alaska State Cross Country Championship results are in, and the state qualifiers from Nome-Beltz High School (NBHS) and the Bering Strait School District (BSSD) delivered strong performances overall.
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. WEBINAR . Welcome to the Board!
Presenters: AASB staff and Katie Oliver, AASB President-elect.
Were you just elected to your board? Do you have questions? We have answers!
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. WEBINAR . How the Board can Support their Superintendent during the COVID Pandemic
Presenters: Clint Champion, Dr. Bridget Weiss, Scott MacManus, Lon Garrison, and Timi Tullis. Co-sponsored by AASB and the Alaska Superintendent's Association.
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. WEBINAR . Simple Answers to All Your COVID-19 Legal Questions
A conversation with DEED Commissioner Michael Johnson and Attorney John Sedor about operational legal issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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AASB Workshops for You and Your Board |
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AASB now offers condensed, distance-delivered versions of our popular workshops and training sessions. Member districts receive a special rate for AASB sessions: $600 includes preparation, up to 3 hours of training, and a post-training report. |
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We can also provide customized solutions based on your needs.
Please reach out to us.
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AASB Superintendent Search Service |
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Looking for a New Superintendent?
The Association of Alaska School Boards has been conducting successful and economical superintendent searches for over twenty years.
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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
If you would like AASB to conduct a superintendent search for your district, or have questions, Contact Us
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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!
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Association of Alaska School Boards | aasb.org
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