State Board of Education Quarterly Meeting Held in Anchorage
Commissioner Johnson Announces Retirement from DEED
Wednesday, Commissioner Dr. Michael Johnson informed Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the State Board of Education and Early Development of his retirement during the Board’s quarterly meeting in Anchorage. The Commissioner will continue to serve through June 30, 2022. The State Board of Education will name an acting Commissioner and begin the search for the next Commissioner of Education and Early Development.
 View the Commissioner's Letter as a PDF
During its business meeting, the Board approved Heidi Teshner and Lacey Sanders as Deputy Commissioners.
The Board approved the initial application for the Knik Cultural Charter School, approved an amendment for Academy Charter School to expand to high school, and renewed the charter for Ketchikan Charter School.
The Board approved Suzzuk (Mary Huntington) as Superintendent of Mt. Edgecumbe High School (MEHS) and Miranda Bacha as MEHS Principal. Travis Vaughan was approved as the Sitka Community Representative on the MEHS Advisory Board, and Jerilyn Kelly was approved as the Parent Representative on the MEHS Advisory Board.
The Board also approved regulations establishing a Seal of Biliteracy, three facilities publications, and alternate assessment scores.
The Board’s next meeting will be a special meeting held virtually on July 13, 2022.
 Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy signs a book for Anchorage School District student Aryonna during a celebration of the Alaska Reads Act at Turnagain Elementary on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Robert DeBerry/ASD)
Alaska Reads Act Ceremony Held at Turnagain Elementary in Anchorage
Tuesday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced his intent to sign into law the Alaska Reads Act, a bipartisan effort with rural and urban support, which lays the groundwork to improve students reading skills through increased accountability and resources. The announcement was made during a celebration of successful legislation with members of the Alaska State Legislature and the Dunleavy Administration at Turnagain Elementary School in Anchorage.
The Alaska Reads Act, which became housed in House Bill 114 (HB 114), was passed by the Legislature in May and included three key elements: the Alaska Reads Act, a public-school funding technical fix, and an enhancement of Alaska’s student loan program. Governor Dunleavy and Senator Tom Begich first introduced the Alaska Reads Act in January 2020.
“Two and a half years ago, Senator Begich, Commissioner Johnson, and I first shared our mutual vision of improved educational tools, resources, and outcomes. Today, we again come together to celebrate the historic combination of investment and accountability. Improving outcomes won’t happen overnight, but other states have proven it can be done with determined, focused efforts. We can’t, and we won’t, accept that last place is the best we can do. This legislation will ensure Alaska’s students have a bright future while providing our steadfast educators with needed resources,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “All in all, this education package shows that legislators and the executive branch can come together around common goals, in a bipartisan fashion, to achieve good things for the people we serve. We are sent to Juneau to do this work, and I’m proud of the work we did together for Alaska’s students, parents, and educators.”
A recording of the event is available here.
State Library Seeks Review and Comment on
LSTA Plan
The Alaska State Library receives $1.1M annually from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to improve library services across Alaska, which we award as grants to libraries. Every five years, the State Library must submit a five year plan to IMLS on how we will use these funds to enhance library services across Alaska. All grants awarded by the State Library must address at least one of the activities in the plan.
Please consider reviewing and commenting on the linked draft state plan. Please email your comments to Claire (claire.imamura@alaska.gov) and Patience (patience.frederiksen@alaska.gov) by the end of the day Monday, June 20.
Free Antigen COVID Tests Available for Summer Programs
The Alaska School Testing Point of Contact for the CDC program is giving away 5 million antigen tests to school districts. These tests are now available to summer programs serving the K-12 population. This includes day camps, residential camps, school-related summer programs, and church camps.
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There is no charge for the test kits or for shipping, and there is no limit to the number of tests which can be ordered. These test kits are over-the-counter tests to be used at home, and come from the manufacturers. They have 9-month to 12-month expiration dates from the time the order is placed.
A new order can be placed every Monday through June 20. Please email Judy.Holland@alaska.gov with the following information:
- Organization’s name
- Individual’s name (this could be the person ordering, or the person receiving the tests)
- Email address
- Phone number
- Street address (Post Office boxes not allowed for deliveries), City, State and Zip Code
- Note whether you do or do not serve “underserved populations” (CDC doesn’t provide a definition for this)
- How many test kits you want to order (2 tests in each at-home kit)
If the number of test kits is higher than 720, Judy will contact you to get additional information for special delivery requirements since this amount will be delivered as a pallet. The delivery information must accompany the larger orders or CDC will reject the order. If you plan to order a large number of test kits, you can consider placing three separate orders on subsequent Mondays if that helps your logistics in receiving and storing the tests.
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