LEADERSHIP

Good Governance and Fund Balances

Lon Garrison, Executive Director, AASB

This past week, an issue arose that demonstrates the need for good governance and its connection to the fund balances of each school district. The governor recently shared a table, compiled by the school finance staff at DEED, that showed the fund balances of districts as reported on their June 30, 2022, annual audits and DEED's estimates of unspent COVID relief funds. It seemed rather shocking.

This information caused quite a stir among legislators as the sum total for all these funds suggested school districts had hundreds of millions of dollars that were unspent. Unfortunately, the information in the table was grossly outdated and came with no narrative explaining the limitations of the information DEED collects as a statutory requirement. It does not convey the complexities of managing and reporting school finances. It was simply used for political purposes, to sow seeds of doubt that schools are struggling mightily to make ends meet. So what does this have to do with you as school board members? EVERYTHING!

GUEST COLUMN

Student Success in Alaskan Schools Has Many Measures

April Smith, Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board

In a room full of over 300 leaders in Alaska Education, a speaker asked what student success is. She asked anyone who thought a diploma was student success to stand. No one stood. She asked who thought “proficient” test scores were success. No movement. She asked about grades, a stir but no wave of agreement. Finally, people were asked what they did define student success as. Answers were varied but had a theme. Everyone could agree that student success looked different for every student and every community in Alaska. No one had it on their list that excellent NAEP scores were a defining measure of student success. Not a single parent, guardian, or educator I have ever met has spoken to me about their student’s standardized test scores.

During my time in Juneau this session, I was repeatedly asked about test scores. I was grilled about being “49th” and told money won’t improve test scores.  I was asked if I supported accountability, but not a soul could tell me what accountability meant. There were vague platitudes about making schools “better,” “respecting parents’ rights,” and “answering for the money,” and so on. Some people who did not support increased funding wanted improved test scores. Many people simply want students to have what they need to succeed in whatever they want to pursue.

Herein lies the problem. In order to find solutions to problems, the people trying to work together must have a clear understanding of the goals. We have a disconnect between the people with the money and those with the plans. School budgets are public documents and approved by DEED. Accountability for every dollar spent is built into the budget process. I fully support transparency and accountability for funds, meaning transparent budgets that show where dollars go.

AASB 2023 Legislative Priorities

On behalf of our member school districts statewide, the AASB Board of Directors has adopted three legislative priorities that focus on Funding, Educators, and Students. Supporting resolutions can be found in Where We Stand 2023.

AASB 2023 Legislative Priorities

Legislative Testimony Templates

AASB has created two templates for use in submitting written testimony to the legislature. We've included a Legislative Testimony Guide, along with a fill-able PDF testimony template and a Microsoft Word testimony template that can be edited to use for your own testimony. These templates can be used to respond to a call-to-action for testimony on a pending bill.

• Legislative Testimony Guide
• Legislative Testimony Template - Word Doc
• Legislative Testimony Template - Fillable PDF

Who Represents Your School District?

Find out which legislators represent your school district during the 33rd legislature. Includes contact info for Senators, Representatives, and all Senate and House committees.

Find My School District Legislators

BOARD DEVELOPMENT

Your Role in School Board Elections!

Jenni Lefing, Membership Services Manager

As the school year starts winding down, now is the time to start thinking about next school year. Are you up for re-election? Have you decided on whether you are running again? The sooner you decide, the sooner you can help to find excellent school board candidates for your community! We often get asked whether school board members can be involved in school board elections, and if so how. The answer is YES! 

Here are some suggestions on what you and your board can do to support your local school board elections.

CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING

Building Social Emotional Skills at School:

Highlights from 3 Districts

Maressa Jensen, Social and Emotional Learning Coordinator

Strong relationships within schools and communities offer essential support for student success. Districts across the state are working with AASB’s Conditions for Learning team to promote relationships in which staff, students, and families can enhance social emotional competency, build strong cultural identity, and develop a sense of belonging. 

The impacts of this work are far-reaching. At a statewide workshop designed to explore ways to improve Alaska’s low rate of postsecondary completion, one of the group’s top recommendations was embedding culturally affirming social and emotional learning in our schools.

We want your input! 

AASB's annual Membership Survey is now open through June 1!  This short survey is for ALL board members, superintendents, and executive administrative assistants.

The Membership Survey results will be used to guide our work and make improvements to meet the needs of our membership!

AASB's Board of Directors and AASB staff rely heavily on feedback from this survey as we consider the development of new programs and services for members, and evaluate existing AASB services. All answers are confidential and will not be tied to you as an individual.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

With The DASH TO SAVE™ Incentive Program

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• You can use your assets in or outside of Alaska at any eligible university, college, vocational school, apprenticeship, or even K-12 public, private, and religious schools.

The United States Supreme Court announces certain disability discrimination claims can bypass administrative hearings

“Fine Tuning” Episode 9 (Now with Practice Pointers!)

John Ptacin, Sedor, Wendlandt, Evans & Filippi, LLC

On March 21, 2023, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools that a student with a disability does not have to exhaust Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) procedures before filing a lawsuit if they are seeking compensatory damages under separate laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act.



The Court’s decision in Perez departs from prior case law. Before this case, students and parents could not go directly to court for compensatory damages unless they submitted to the Alaska’s IDEA hearing process first.

“Order of Business” says when you can make a motion

Ann Macfarlane, Professional Parliamentarian

It is a fundamental principle of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition (RONR) that main motions must be taken up at the proper time on the agenda. (A main motion proposes action by the body). This is necessary in order to preserve order, and the rights of members. To that end, RONR establishes a standard “Order of Business.” This describes the classes of business and when each will be considered. If you have adopted RONR, this is your Order of Business.

Are Boards allowed to administer an oath of office to someone via Zoom?

Answer: The quick answer is YES you can.  The important aspect is to follow the time frame outlined in your policy for this oath.

Got a question? Email Timi Tullis, Tiffany Jackson, or Jenni Lefing

Looking for a New Superintendent?

The Association of Alaska School Boards has been conducting successful and economical superintendent searches for over twenty years. 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.

If you would like AASB to conduct a superintendent search for your district, or have questions, Learn More or Contact Us