Education
RSSAlaska News covers education policy, school funding, teacher programs, and student services across Alaska's public schools and universities.
Alaska Has the Nation's Worst SNAP Error Rate — and a Bill Coming
Alaska has botched SNAP payments worse than any state three years running — and now a new law means the state may have to start paying Washington back for the mistakes.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min readAI
Alaska Center for the Book honors Delta librarian and Akiachak literacy advocate with 2026 awards
Alaska Center for the Book named Delta librarian Tiki Levinson and Akiachak resident Mary Samson George as 2026 literacy award recipients.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min readAIAlaska
Alaska's educator apprenticeship program wins permanent federal approval
Alaska keeps recruiting teachers who leave. A newly permanent apprenticeship flips that — training locals to become certified teachers without leaving home. It's grown from 5 to 96 in 18 months.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago1 min readAIAlaska
A Nome teacher heads to Stanford to rethink how schools teach
A Nome reading teacher is off to Stanford for a Ph.D. — studying how Inuit knowledge and values can be built into what schools actually teach.
by Melinda Communities.News5d ago1 min readAINome, Alaska
Alaska school meal reimbursements rise 3.5% for 2026-27 school year
Alaska school districts will receive $6.98 per free lunch starting July 1, a 24-cent increase tied to food inflation.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min readAIAlaska
Who pays when the state underfunds school construction debt?
Alaska's cities want the state to stop shortchanging school-construction debt payments and stick locals with the bill. But it's a request, and the money's far from guaranteed.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago1 min readAIAlaska
Anchorage School Board balks at a $2.8M curriculum buy members hadn't seen
Anchorage School Board members got handed a $2.8M curriculum bill at a summer meeting and basically said: first we're hearing of it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAnchorage
A Dillingham campus wants to grow rural Alaska's scientists at home
A Dillingham campus won nearly $889,000 from the NSF to train STEM pros in place for rural Southwest Alaska — a "grow-your-own" model, though the grant runs just three years.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago1 min readAIDillingham, Alaska
Alaska News Roundup: Gas pipeline tax fight, Point Thomson trade-off, and McNeil River access debate
This episode covers the week's major Alaska stories: a gas pipeline tax bill that added oil tax increases, the Point Thomson condensate trade-off for pipeline gas, Mount Edgecumbe enrollment crisis, and McNeil River bear sanctuary access proposals.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
Dunleavy vetoes nearly $90 million but leaves school funding intact
Gov. Dunleavy vetoed nearly $90 million from Alaska's budget, cutting increases for child care, Medicaid and local aid while leaving core school funding intact.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Anchorage board won't reopen a school it may not have fully closed
Anchorage School Board rejected a motion to reopen Campbell STEM Elementary with new state money, but revealed the school may not be legally closed yet, creating a potential opening for reversal.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
An oil spike filled Alaska's budget and hammered its schools — and the new budget sends some back
The oil spike that padded Alaska's budget also jacked up its schools' heating bills — so the budget hands some back. One-time money for a permanent problem.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAlaska
What Fairbanks wants from Juneau — and why it costs more up north
Fairbanks is finalizing its legislative wish list: cheaper piped gas, more school funding, and pensions back — a bill of grievances for a region that pays more for everything.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
Alaska school boards to FCC: don't make us choose internet over teachers
Alaska's school boards warned the FCC that gutting the E-Rate internet subsidy would force districts to choose between paying the broadband bill and paying teachers.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago1 min readAIAlaska
State library, archives, and museum mark ten years in shared Juneau building
Alaska's State Library, Archives, and Museum building in Juneau marks ten years since opening in 2016 with a free family fair on June 27.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min readAIJuneau
The strange snow bug Alaska is spending $750K to understand
A wingless insect that walks on Alaska's winter snow is so rarely seen scientists don't know how many kinds exist — now a UAF researcher has $750K to sequence them and find out.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago1 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
ASD projects $40M FY28 deficit — two months after voters rejected school bond and tax levy
Anchorage School District projects a $40 million deficit for fiscal year 2028 on top of $90 million in earlier cuts, after voters rejected a $12 million tax levy and $79 million bond in April.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly to revisit Nikolaevsk school transfer Tuesday
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will reconsider Tuesday its approval of transferring the $8 million Nikolaevsk School to a Russian Old Believer nonprofit.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIKenai Peninsula, Alaska
Kenai's $9.4M school-cost risk may never actually come due
A gas-tax bill could add up to $9.4 million a year to Kenai's school costs — but the Legislature's analyst says a sunset means none of it would ever be charged.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAIKenai Peninsula, Alaska
Alaska Special Education Crisis: 200 Teaching Positions Unfilled Statewide
Education officials testified about a severe special education staffing crisis with 200 unfilled positions and a 14% increase in students with disabilities despite steady enrollment.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min readAIAlaska, USA
Alaska Senate passes bill for deaf and hard of hearing students
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday requiring schools to better identify and support deaf and hard of hearing students, with no new state funding attached.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Kawerak's mentors help Bering Strait students through the leap to college
Kawerak pairs new college students from Bering Strait villages with mentors who've made the same leap — celebrating small wins and, for one, a chance to study in Japan.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago2 min readAIBering Strait Region, Alaska
Utqiaġvik tribal college buys land for permanent campus
Iḷisaġvik College in Utqiaġvik has purchased land to build a permanent campus, marking the first concrete step toward construction for Alaska's only tribal college after years of planning.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAIAlaska
Alaska Senate passes special education funding and Palmer judge bills
Alaska Senate unanimously passed bill raising special education funding by 16 percent per student. • Senate also unanimously approved adding a fifth Superior Court judge in Palmer to cut case backlogs from 680 to 540 cases per judge.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Alaska school districts could lose unspent federal money if they don't spend it fast
Some Alaska districts have unspent federal education money — and they'll lose it for good if it's not spent by Sept. 30. Notices don't go out until mid-July.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAIAlaska
Noel Wien Library brings Kids Literacy Farmers Market back to Weeks Field July 21
Noel Wien Library hosts Kids Literacy Farmers Market on July 21 at Weeks Field, a free event with activities and a children's market returning for its sixth year.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
ASD claims state funding bill comes too late
Anchorage School District says a potential $37 million state funding increase tied to an August 31 revenue determination arrives too late to hire teachers before the 2026-27 school year begins.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Seven Western Alaska typhoon evacuees graduate from Anchorage schools
Seven students evacuated from Western Alaska villages after ex-Typhoon Halong in October 2025 graduated Monday from Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School after completing their senior year there.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAIAnchorage
Seven village schools could lose internet June 30 over a federal funding dispute
Seven Alaska village schools could lose internet June 30. Federal rules say pick the cheapest. The cheapest doesn't work out there.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIMcGrath, Alaska
U.S. Education Secretary Tours Mat-Su Career and Charter Schools
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited two Mat-Su schools on May 7 as part of a 50-state tour celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min readAIWasilla, AK
A June 30 Deadline Decides Who Eats Free at School
A June 30 deadline quietly decides which Alaska schools feed every kid for free next year — miss it and the cafeteria math gets a lot less kind.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAIAlaska
Nome cuts school funding by $500K, forcing layoffs and larger classes
Nome Common Council cut school funding by $500,000 to $2.7 million for fiscal 2027, forcing the district to eliminate positions including teachers, counselors, and a school psychologist while class sizes grow.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAINome
Judge voids H-1B fee Alaska schools said threatened rural hiring
Alaska has to hire a lot of teachers from out of the country, so an additional $100k per teacher would have been...unsustainable to say the least.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
Alaska passed a federal check that keeps its school funding system intact
Alaska passed a federal school funding test. Translation: the state didn't have to come up with extra money it doesn't have.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
TCLL graduates first 8th grade class after years of Tlingit immersion
Juneau's Tlingit immersion program graduated 8th graders who delivered speeches in Tlingit after years of fluency growth. • Students moved from reluctant speakers to confident communicators in the language. • Program is free for all students and partners with Sealaska Heritage Institute. • Graduates received traditional headbands and advance to high school.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 1mo ago3 min readAIJuneau, Alaska
East High students organize benefit concert to save band program
East High students host benefit concert Saturday to save band program facing elimination due to budget cuts. • School plans to cut band director position, affecting 100 students across five classes. • Concert runs 2 to 5 p.m. at Club Nyt Lyt with $15 suggested donation, all proceeds to band account. • Anchorage schools cutting programs after state education funding remained flat.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min readAISouthcentral Alaska
Alaska marks 50 years of regional education attendance areas
The House Education Committee honored the 50th anniversary of Alaska's Regional Education Attendance Areas, with former commissioners reflecting on the system's creation and ongoing challenges with facility maintenance.
by Alaska News2mo ago3 min readAIHouse
Anchorage School District to receive $37 million from state education funding increase
Alaska Legislature approved a $144 million education funding increase, sending $37 million to Anchorage schools to help cover budget shortfalls from inflation and rising costs, plus a 4 percent annual cap on required local contributions.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
House panel questions education fund proposal with no guaranteed revenue
Alaska House Finance Committee members raised concerns about a constitutional amendment that would create an education fund without any dedicated funding source or protections against future legislatures spending it down to zero.
by Alaska News2mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
House panel debates $113M education funding formula shift
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on a bill that would change how Alaska calculates school funding, using a three-year enrollment average instead of a single October count.
by Alaska News2mo ago6 min readAIAlaska, USA
