It was the fourth of six scheduled town halls to allow the public a chance to voice their opinions on the Anchorage School District’s proposal to close six Anchorage elementary schools that would help close a $68 million budget deficit.
Monday’s town hall meeting at Nunaka Valley Elementary School saw a packed gym with an overwhelming majority of those attending opposed to closing the school.
The gatherings are designed to give the public an opportunity to voice their opinions about different cuts the school district is considering. For some, it's enough to stir emotions.
The Anchorage School District canceled classes Thursday morning as well as all after-school activities. Alaska Pacific University also announced a campus closure.
Almost every program within the Anchorage School District, elective or position is being considered for cuts as the Anchorage School District struggles with its budget deficit.
With a budget deficit of almost $68 million staring them in the face, officials with the Anchorage School District are still working to find ways to close the gap.
With only a handful of childcare options available in Palmer, the closure of Profiles of Excellence creates an even larger need for providers in the small Mat-Su city.
For students, parents, teachers and other staff across the district, it comes with sadness as the harsh reality of the budget deficit comes under the spotlight.
A new graphic design program at the University of Alaska Anchorage campus has brought changes to the Department of Journalism and Public Communications.
Tuesday night's Anchorage School Board meeting centered on the district's budget and a large amount of one-time funding, leading to a room packed with people who wanted to voice their opinions.
As proposed, the resolution would require high school students in the Mat-Su to take two semesters of logic. The first semester would occur in 9th grade as an introductory course with the second semester in 11th grade that would focus on “Socratic” logic
Board Policy 6117 states that principals would require homeroom or first-period teachers in all grades district-wide to set aside at least one minute, but no more than two minutes, of silence at the start of each school day.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District School Board voted to suspend a policy that previously allowed transgender students to use the gendered bathroom which corresponds with their own gender identification.
School bus services strained by a lack of drivers are “on track to be fully staffed” later this fall, according to a letter sent to parents from Anchorage School District.
In a Wednesday letter to parents of ASD students, the superintendent said the estimated deficit for the fiscal year 2024 is sitting at $68 million, with surveys soon available to parents of families asking their input.
The MSBSD Teacher Scholarship Loan with Chadron State College program - informally called “Grow Our Own” - enrolls recently graduated high school students into an online college, as well as places them with part-time jobs in Mat-Su schools.
The policy goes on to state that principals would require homeroom or first-period teachers in all grades district-wide to set aside at least one minute, but no more than two minutes of silence. During this time, students are not allowed to interfere with other students’ participation, and teachers are not allowed to suggest how a student chooses to utilize that time.
Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt told families in a letter Sunday that there are seven new bus drivers currently on the roads, with “more than 50 in the hiring/training process to do the same.”
It’s still unclear whether the elementary school will reopen on Monday following Friday’s cancellation, but the district expects to make that decision by Sunday.
Late Friday afternoon, Alaska National Guard and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Director of Communications Alan Brown shared an update on the request.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District said the staffing shortage was not related to the current bus driver shortage the district is experiencing.
Wednesday morning, Bryantt was interviewed about his goals for this upcoming year, which will be his first as the head of the district. Already, Bryantt has concerns about the budget and teacher retention. His priority for right now, he says, is fixing the bus driver shortage.
According to district spokesperson Jillian Morrissey, the district is short about 20-30 drivers. Each school essentially has a designated “no bus” day during the week until those positions can be filled, relying on parents to provide their own student transportation.
Nearly four years after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook Southcentral Alaska, community and Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District leaders visited the new Houston High School building on Thursday.
The Anchorage School District is moving to a rotating schedule for student transportation on buses, and hoping that an aggressive recruitment strategy can help attract enough drivers.
Later this week, a fundraiser to help raise money for the construction of a new building for the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School is taking place.
The Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals recently announced Colony Middle School's Mary Fulp as the Alaska Principal of the Year for 2022, citing her statewide leadership and her advocation of students, education, as well as other principals.
An updated administrative regulation from the Anchorage School District will more broadly allow students to wear cultural and traditional regalia during graduation.
Throughout the pandemic, many college students never got to walk during graduation ceremonies. The University of Alaska Anchorage is going to give students a chance to re-capture that missed experience.
The Anchorage School District is expected to make a hire for the superintendent position within the next 10 days, according to Tuesday's virtual town hall meeting.
The Anchorage School District has three finalists to fill the district’s top job, after Superintendent Deena Bishop announced she will retire at the end of this school year.
As legal marijuana becomes more mainstream, the conversations about how to talk to children about pot have been evolving in Alaska. Experts say parents should be upfront with their children about the impacts of marijuana — especially on young, still developing brains.
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