Education
RSSEducation in Alaska is the network of public school districts, from K-12 to the University of Alaska system. It takes in school board funding decisions, state education department policy, teacher recruitment, and special education services. It reaches rural, Alaska Native and urban districts alike.
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Week of Aug 31
Kenai will pay a high school pool's utility bills to keep it open another year
Kenai will pay $46,400 of a high school pool's utility bill to keep it open one more year. The swim club's hourly rate more than doubles.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Week of Aug 24
Alaska has no marine radio examiner, so UAS is asking to become one
No one in Alaska can give the marine radio license exam in person. UAS has asked the FCC for permission to do it at its Ketchikan training center.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Alaska nonprofits can now apply to grant K-12 scholarships under a new federal tax credit
Alaska is joining a federal tax credit funding K-12 scholarships for nearly any schooling. Nonprofits can apply now, and school-board and teacher groups object.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage elementary schools drop pre-packaged meals for traditional food service
Anchorage elementary schools have dropped pre-packaged meals. The district says more students are eating lunch but has not released the counts.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska superintendents ask FCC not to cut school internet subsidy
Alaska superintendents told the FCC that districts reachable only by plane or boat would lose the discount that makes school internet affordable.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Alaska says 4,264 fewer K-3 students ended the year reading at the lowest level
Alaska ended the school year with 4,264 fewer K-3 students in the lowest reading category. The figures compare fall to spring, not year to year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Chugachmiut is hiring a lead for nearly $7 million in Indigenous education work
The Chugach region's Native nonprofit is seeking a contractor to lead nearly $7 million in Indigenous education work, from language revival to youth programs.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage's school board says closures won't fix the budget; residents aren't so sure
Anchorage's school board says closing schools won't fix its budget — even as most residents, by the district's own survey, favor consolidation.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
More from Education
Many Alaska districts can reuse last year's foster care agreement for federal funds
Alaska school districts must upload a signed foster care transportation agreement with the Office of Children's Services to complete their federal education funding application.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A young weaver 3D-printed his own form to make a cedar bark hat
A Bartlett High grad wove himself a cedar bark hat using a form he designed and 3D-printed at a tribal lab — work that led to an internship and a paid job.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The Presidential Fitness Test is coming back to Alaska schools, with $1.15 million behind it
The Presidential Fitness Test — the mile run and pull-ups many remember — is coming back to Alaska schools in 2027-28, a decade after it was dropped.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Aug 17
A Fairbanks Head Start for Alaska Native families gets five more years of federal money
A Fairbanks Head Start for Alaska Native families won about $6.18 million in federal money through 2031 for classrooms and home visits from birth to age 5.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
UAF is buying an instrument its accredited chemistry program has gone without
Alaska's only accredited chemistry program has been operating without a standard mass spectrometry system. A $250,000 federal grant will finally buy one.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read
Alaska's arts council wants to bring arts and culture into classrooms statewide, building on a Kodiak model
Alaska's arts council is launching a statewide effort to bring arts and culture into classrooms, expanding a decade-old Kodiak model to the rest of the state.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska students will spend the year researching the veterans buried at Fort Richardson
Alaska students will spend the year researching the veterans buried at Fort Richardson National Cemetery, building a campus memorial and a walking tour.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
All-ability play center opens in Midtown Anchorage, partly with marijuana tax money
An outdoor play center built for children with disabilities has opened in Midtown Anchorage. The ribbon-cutting is Wednesday evening, with open play after.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Coming up
Kodiak Island Borough School District: Board of Education Regular Meeting
KIBSD Central Office Conference Room F140, 722 Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, Alaska 99615
Meeting
State Vocational Rehabilitation Committee Quarterly Meeting
Meeting
Anchorage School Board Regular Meeting
Meeting
Petersburg Borough School District: Regular Meeting
Meeting
Toddler Storytime
Class
About Education
Education in Alaska takes in public school districts, charter schools and the University of Alaska system, along with tribal colleges such as Iḷisaġvik College. The state Department of Education and Early Development sets rules, and local school boards run districts from Anchorage to rural villages.
School funding depends on enrollment counts and local contributions, so budget gaps, school closures and staffing for nurses and special education recur. Districts also weigh school meals, calendars and wellness policy.
Alaska Native corporations and tribal organizations fund scholarships, internships and early learning programs. Borough assemblies and school boards share decisions on money and buildings, and federal programs such as Pell Grants and E-Rate shape access to college and school internet.
More from Education
Anchorage will ship contaminated concrete to Oregon after the state tightened disposal rules, adding $850,000
Anchorage's school board approved $850,000 to ship contaminated school concrete to Oregon after the state tightened its rules on disposing of banned PCBs.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage School District adopts a single English curriculum for grades 6 through 10
Anchorage adopted one English curriculum for grades 6-10 on a 6-1 vote. The selection committee itself split 6-5, and one board member questioned the process.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska tribes get their yearly say on Head Start funding, against a backdrop of documented shortfalls
Alaska tribes running Head Start get their annual say next month on how the program's money is divided, amid research finding tribal programs underfunded.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Money for Alaska Native education keeps flowing, but no new competition has opened in nearly two years
Money for Alaska Native education keeps reaching current grantees, but no new competition has opened since late 2023, leaving no clear door for new applicants.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska takes input on extra child-care help for kids with disabilities
Alaska pays extra child-care help for kids with disabilities and is taking families' input this week, as it separately moves to widen who qualifies for aid.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Aug 10
Free school supplies offered in Nome on Aug. 26
Nome families can get free school supplies, snacks, and crafts at the Recreation Center on Aug. 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., as the school district faces budget cuts.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
School boards move to retire a call to expand a dormant loan program
Alaska's teacher loan program has been dormant since 2018 — so the state school boards association is retiring its resolution that urged expanding it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
UAA students to train inside ANTHC facilities under new workforce partnership
UAA students will train at Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium facilities under a new partnership, routing graduates toward one of Alaska's largest employers.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Sealaska Heritage honors four Southeast educators at Juneau conference
Sealaska Heritage Institute awarded four Southeast Alaska educators for weaving Indigenous knowledge into classrooms at its annual conference in Juneau.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Federal money can now put a homeless family in a motel room to keep a kid in school
Federal guidance now lets Alaska schools use homeless-education money for a motel room when no shelter's available — a last resort to keep a child in school.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska tells school kitchens cooking produce is safest Cyclospora step
Alaska school kitchens are told cooking produce to 158 degrees is the safest way to kill Cyclospora, as washing alone cannot remove the parasite amid a national surge in cases.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sealaska Heritage publishes fifth graders' documentary on Walter Soboleff
Auke Bay Elementary students produced a documentary on Dr. Walter Soboleff. The film fills a gap in classroom history materials.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Week of Aug 3
State proposes five-year lease extension for Noatak school site at airport
Alaska is proposing a five-year lease extension for Noatak's school and fuel tank farm on airport land, even though the airport itself is scheduled to close once a replacement facility opens.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska schools could face a choice between internet and teachers if a federal subsidy is cut
A federal review could cut E-Rate, the subsidy that sent $203.5M to Alaska schools and libraries last year — and school boards warn it's internet or teachers.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sealaska Heritage concludes ninth annual education conference
Sealaska Heritage Institute concluded its ninth annual education conference in Juneau, drawing hundreds of educators from Alaska and beyond for sessions on culturally responsive teaching.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
41.3 million for Alaska Native education is freed up after a month's delay
Fifteen Alaska organizations will share $41.3 million in Native education grants that came a month late, freed up after Sen. Murkowski pressed the education secretary directly.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Native-serving schools vie for $10 million in training money
Alaska Native-serving colleges and trade schools have until Aug. 24 to compete for up to $10 million in federal money to train skilled workers.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage board member proposes a one-year pause on school closures
An Anchorage School Board member proposed pausing school closures for a year, barring emergencies. The board hasn't voted, and a $40M shortfall remains.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska will cover district travel to a school safety summit
Alaska will cover districts' travel to a September school safety summit in Anchorage — even as many face budget deficits and a staffing crisis.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kenai school board weighs AI classroom rules ahead of the school year
Kenai's school board is trying to write AI classroom rules firm enough to matter but loose enough to last, the same bind every district is in. They want them set by fall.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A staffing gap at the state is delaying Alaska school-improvement grants against a hard deadline
Alaska's school-improvement grant approvals are stalled by staff vacancies at the state — with districts facing an Oct. 31 deadline to lock in their reimbursements.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 27
Students get to fire the HAARP transmitter at UAF's summer school
An NSF grant funds UAF's HAARP summer school, where students actually get to run experiments on the Gakona array most people only know from conspiracy theories.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read
Murkowski moves to shield the offices funding Alaska Native and special education
Murkowski is fighting to keep the offices funding Alaska Native and special education from being moved without tribal consultation. Her bill cleared committee.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A federal tax break for K-12 teachers may finally reach Alaska's preschool teachers
A federal bill would give Alaska's underpaid preschool and daycare teachers the same supply tax break K-12 teachers get. Both Alaska senators backed it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
