Association of Alaska School Boards

E-NEWS

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A weekly digest of education news for Alaska's School Board Members.

Association of Alaska School Boards, 1111 West 9^th St., Juneau, AK 99801. Tel.

907-586-1083, Fax 907-586-2995. Carl Rose, Executive Director,

crose@aasb.org: John Greely, Editor, jgreely@aasb.org. Review past issues of

the E-News on the AASB Website at <http://www.aasb.org>. To unsubscribe send an email stating the same to jgreely@aasb.org.

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AASB E-News

March 22, 2007

--TOMORROW (FRIDAY): AASB LEGISLATIVE TELECONFERENCE, NOON

--SUPREME COURT WEIGHS ‘BONG HITS’ SPEECH CASE

--WALTERS LEAVES KODIAK SCHOOLS AFTER 30 YEARS

--KALTAG STUDENTS HOPE IDITAROD SLED WILL LAUNCH JOURNEY

--DEADLINE NEARS FOR JUNE NELSON SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

TOMORROW (FRIDAY): AASB LEGISLATIVE TELECONFERENCE AT NOON

An hour-long audio conference updating member districts on the 2007 legislative session is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 23 from noon to 1 p.m. AASB Executive Director Carl Rose will host the session. A question and answer session is also planned.

“Although the legislature has yet to attain critical speed when it comes to education issues, it won’t be long before both houses are moving very quickly,” says Rose. “I look forward to this opportunity to discuss legislative issues with our members and organize our advocacy efforts around specific priorities.”

The session will allow members to access the Internet and the telephone at the same time to follow the presentation on various issues and bills. Here is the link for the webcast and instructions on how to dial into the teleconference:

http://www.aasb.org/Frontpage/audioconf.html

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SUPREME COURT WEIGHS ‘BONG HITS’ SPEECH CASE

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sharply divided on whether a high school student’s banner proclaiming “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” outside an Alaska high school was protected speech or a message that school authorities could suppress because it ran counter to their policies against the promotion of illegal drugs. See full story here:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/03/19/28speech_web.h26.html

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WALTERS LEAVES KODIAK SCHOOLS AFTER 30 YEARS

Kodiak’s longtime superintendent of schools will leave her job at the end of June, after refusing to accept a one-year contract with no pay raise offered by the Kodiak Island Borough Board of Education in January. Superintendent Betty Walters sent a letter notifying board members of her decision. See full story here:

http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=4508

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KALTAG STUDENTS HOPE IDITAROD SLED WILL LAUNCH JOURNEY

Students in Kaltag are hoping that the names of mushing legends Susan Butcher, Lance Mackey, Jeff King, Martin Buser and Robert Sorlie will be worth $10,000 or more. The 36 students in Kaltag, a village along the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, asked the mushers passing through to sign a sled. It’s now up for auction on eBay. The plan is to use the money raised from the auction for a trip to Seattle to visit the science museum there. See full story here:

http://newsminer.com/2007/03/20/6028/

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DEADLINE NEARS FOR JUNE NELSON SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Ten high school seniors in the class of 2007 will qualify for $1,000 scholarships from the Association of Alaska School Boards, but the deadline to apply is fast approaching. The statewide non-profit organization is accepting applications for the annual June Nelson Memorial Scholarship Program until April 3, 2007.

“We are pleased to be able to help young Alaskans attend the college, business or trade school of their choice,” said Carl Rose, executive director. “These scholarships can help make higher learning more affordable.”

Graduating seniors who are attending a public high school in Alaska are eligible for the competition. Students should submit an application form available at the association’s website, www.aasb.org and include a copy of their high school transcript with cumulative GPA, an acceptance letter from a business, trade or college institution, two letters of recommendation, SAT or ACT scores, and a completed student involvement form. The competition also includes an essay question, “What can students, parents and communities do to improve public education in Alaska?”

A panel of school board members from the AASB Board of Directors will judge the applications and announce the 10 winners in late April.

The scholarship program is named after the late June Nelson, a long-time advocate of public education from Kotzebue. Funds for the program are raised through donations to an auction at the AASB Annual Conference and through other events. Since its inception in 1992, the program has provided scholarships to 126 Alaska high school students.

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Association of Alaska School Boards

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Association of Alaska School Boards

1111 West 9^th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801-1510 Tel. 907-586-1083

Fax 907-586-2995 Email: aasb@aasb.org

Website: http://www.aasb.org