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 May 25
Alaska districts must submit fiscal 2027 plans by May 15. Many don't yet know what the state will give them.
Alaska school districts must submit improvement plans and budgets by May 15 while facing massive shortfalls and uncertain state funding, with Kenai Peninsula weighing four school closures and Anchorage facing a $90 million gap.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min readAnchorage 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 AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
DEED seeks Interior, Northwest parents for migrant education council
Alaska's education department seeks two parents from Interior and Northwest regions by May 31 to join the council that guides the migrant education program for students whose families move for seasonal work.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
UAF glaciology program returns to McCarthy for eighth summer
UAF Tom Sawyered 28 young folks who will now be spending 11 days out on a glacier.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly approves $13.8M for schools, $836K below district request
Assembly approved 13.7 million dollars for schools, 836 thousand less than requested. • District already cut 2.7 million and warned more cuts mean losing aides, nurses, and counselors. • Federal COVID aid and education grants have ended, leaving borough to fill the gap. • State funding unlikely to improve until Alaska depletes its constitutional budget reserve.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 18
Cordova Council approves $181,000 school funding increase, defers payment decision
Cordova Council approved $181,000 school funding increase, half the district's request. • Council delays payment decision until May 20, debating mill-rate increase. • District needs to split 36-student seventh grade class and hire math teacher. • Cordova High School ranked Alaska's top high school two consecutive years.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
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 5mo ago3 min read
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 5mo ago1 min read
More from Education
Kodiak Assembly weighs $800,000 school funding compromise
Kodiak Assembly proposed $800,000 school funding using one-time earnings instead of raising property taxes. • School district faces rising costs while state funding has stalled since 2011. • District is depleting reserves and full funding would cut building repairs and hospital upgrades. • Assembly split on using temporary money for ongoing costs.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage schools eliminate elementary health teachers, shift to integrated model
Anchorage cuts 27.5 health teacher jobs, embedding health into reading, PE, and social-emotional learning instead. • K-3 students learn health through reading curriculum, grades 4-5 use existing materials with teacher training. • Board member warns piecemeal approach may not meet district's own 2024 health education policy. • Main risk is finding time to train teachers in already packed school days.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
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 News5mo ago2 min read
Utqiaġvik tribal college buys land for permanent campus
Iḷisaġvik College, Alaska's only tribal college, has purchased land in Utqiaġvik to build a permanent campus after operating without one.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate passes special education funding and Palmer judge bills
Alaska Senate unanimously passed bill increasing special education funding by 16 percent per student. • Senate also approved adding a fifth Superior Court judge in Palmer to reduce case backlog from 680 to 540 cases per judge.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska House passes education package with teacher loan repayment, energy relief
Alaska House passed education bill with teacher loan repayment up to $5,000 yearly for hard-to-fill roles like special education and STEM. • School districts get energy cost reimbursement based on three-year heating and fuel averages. • Local school contribution growth capped at 4% annually to ease property tax pressure. • Bill heads to governor after final Senate approval on last day of session.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska districts face June 30 deadline for federal education funds
Alaska school districts must submit federal education grant applications in substantially approvable form by June 30, 2026, to receive funding starting July 1, or face delays.
by Alaska News5mo 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
Joint committee forwards $16M school bond with flood mitigation funds
Juneau's Joint Assembly-School District committee approved a $16 million school bond that includes $300,000 for flood mitigation at school properties, following the 2023 Mendenhall River flooding.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Senate panel advances education bill with energy relief, loan program
Alaska Senate Finance Committee advanced a bill providing energy cost relief to school districts and expanding teacher loan repayment programs.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska lowers bar for toddlers to get early intervention services
Alaska lowered the eligibility threshold for toddler early intervention services from 50 percent to 25 percent developmental delay, allowing thousands more children to access help earlier.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readWeek of May 11
Alaska News Roundup: Gas pipeline tax fight, Point Thomson trade-off, and McNeil River access debate
Senate passed gas pipeline tax bill raising oil production tax floor to six percent, drawing industry criticism. • Point Thomson regulators warn blowdown for pipeline risks sixty-five million barrels of condensate. • Mount Edgecumbe enrollment dropped a quarter to three hundred eleven students amid facility and health concerns. • Fish and Game reviews wheeled plane landings at McNeil River bear sanctuary despite conservation objections.
by Walter AlaskaNews6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel advances bill to stabilize Alaska school funding with enrollment averaging
Senate panel advanced a bill letting school districts use three-year enrollment averages for budgets, aiming to let them make staffing decisions earlier and reduce teacher turnover.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Bering Strait School District holds second budget meeting in nine days
Bering Strait School District holds its second budget meeting in nine days on May 13, with no public agenda posted and decisions that could affect 1,800 students across 15 rural schools.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readHouse panel sets amendment deadline for civics education bill
House Finance Committee set Friday's amendment deadline for a bill requiring Alaska high school civics education and a diploma seal, with $58,000 in first-year costs.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House panel adopts fiscal note for Alaska Native languages task force bill
Alaska House Education Committee approved funding details for a bill creating a task force to assess how the state supports its 23 Alaska Native languages.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska schools face May 15 deadline for improvement plans, funding
Alaska school districts must submit three-year improvement plans and budgets to the state by May 15, a deadline that comes as districts budget without knowing their actual state funding.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska House Passes Required Local Contribution Cap for Schools
Alaska House voted 24-16 to cap annual growth in required local school funding at 2%, shifting roughly $29 million in education costs from municipalities to the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Week of May 4
House Finance begins review of Alaska LNG tax bill with competing rate proposals
House Finance is debating a new tax plan for the Alaska LNG pipeline. Lawmakers and the administration disagree on the tax rate.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
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 to tour career programs and meet students as part of a 50-state tour marking the nation's 250th anniversary.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readHouse panel advances Alaska Native languages task force bill after rejecting university, state agency seats
House panel advanced a bill creating a legislative task force to review Alaska Native language programs, rejecting proposals to add university and state education officials.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readHouse Finance Advances Education Funding Bill Despite Fiscal Concerns
The House Finance Committee advanced a school funding bill costing $130 million annually to stabilize district budgets.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska residential schools seek doubled stipends to cover rising costs
Senate Bill 257 would double state funding for Alaska residential schools to cover rising costs. The bill aims to fix a funding gap that has remained stagnant since 2014.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
House panel advances Alaska Native language task force bill
House panel advanced a bill to create a task force reviewing Alaska Native language preservation, with lawmakers calling the state's language situation a crisis.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Anchorage budget crisis mirrors national school funding squeeze
Anchorage School District approved closing three elementary schools and cutting over 500 staff positions to address a $90 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Week of Apr 27
Juneau schools seek $10M bond for roofs, HVAC after state funding dries up
Juneau School District is seeking $10 million in bonds to fix leaking roofs, upgrade heating systems, and install security cameras after state funding for school maintenance dried up.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska Senate Panel Advances Youth Suicide Prevention Bill
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill to fund voluntary firearm safe storage devices for families and create school guidelines for notifying parents of suicidal thoughts or bullying.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Alaska House Weighs $113M Education Funding Overhaul
House committee heard testimony on a $113 million bill to give school districts budget certainty by July 1, but members questioned whether the state can accurately model the long-term cost.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Alaska marks 50 years of regional education attendance areas
Alaska marked 50 years of Regional Education Attendance Areas, the system that brought local control to rural schools serving 15 percent of students across more than half the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Education Fund Amendment Advances With Key Questions Unresolved
A proposed constitutional amendment to create a protected education fund advanced in the House despite missing funding and scope details.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Senate Passes $2.47B Capital Budget Focused on School Repairs
Alaska Senate passed a $2.47 billion capital budget Tuesday that directs $88.7 million to fix deteriorating K-12 schools, including a fire suppression system waiting 20 years for repair.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House panel hears bill to overhaul school funding timelines
House Bill 261 would let Alaska school districts budget using enrollment numbers from July instead of October, letting them offer teacher contracts months earlier when more candidates are available.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
