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AASB 1111W 9th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801-1510
Tel. (907)586-1083 Fax (907)586-2995 Email: aasb@aasb.org
Contents
Governance
B.1 Local Governance
B.2 Binding Arbitration
B.3 Advisory Board Training
B.4 School Board
B.5 Class Size
Funding
B.6 Educational Programs and Funding as Top Priority
B.7 Unfunded Mandates
B.8 Meeting School Facility Needs for Alaska Students
Child Advocacy
Preamble
B.9 Child Advocacy Mission Statement
B.10 Language, Cultural and Ethnic Diversity
B.11 Increase in Family and Parental Involvement in Schools & Educational Programs
B.12 Supporting Sobriety
B.13 Prevention/Early Intervention
B.14 Prohibiting Persons Convicted of Sexual Abuse from Serving on School Boards
B.15 Declaring Children Alaska's Top Priority
Personnel
B.16 Alaska Native Teacher Hire & Retention
Education Programs
B.17 Early Childhood Education
B.18 Educational Improvement
GOVERNANCE
1.1 Pledge of Allegiance
1.2 Opposing Mandated School Consolidation
1.3 Opposition To Mandated Borough Formation
1.4 Maintaining Local Control in Charter School Formation
1.5 School Vouchers
1.6 Centralized Treasury: Distribution of Allocated Funds for Schools and Interest Earned
1.7 School Improvement & Student Achievement
1.8 Accountability for Home-Schooled Students Outside the Public School System
1.9 Compulsory Attendance Law
FUNDING
2.1 Sustained, Reliable and Adequate Educational Funding for Alaska’s Students Through a
Nonvolatile Funding Source
2.2 Extraordinary Loss Protection
2.3 Supporting the Findings of the Legislative Education Funding Task Force
2.4 Financial Support of Statewide Strategies for Academic Achievement
2.5 AASB Advocacy on Individuals With Disabilities In Education Act (IDEA)
2.6 Funding Standards-Based Early Learning Programs in Alaska
2.7 Funding for Intensive Needs Pre-School and Other Intensive Needs Students Enrolling
Post-Count Date
2.8 Following the Capital Improvement Project Priority List for Non-Bonded Projects
2.9 Local Contribution in the School Funding Formula
2.10 Education Endowment
2.11 Instructional Technology
2.12 School Construction Debt Retirement for Bonded Indebtedness
2.13 Revenue Sharing & The Community Dividend
2.14 Emergency State Funding for REAA Fuel Storage and Transfer Facilities
2.15 Pupil Transportation
2.16 Funding for School District-Operated Regional Boarding Home Programs
2.17 Funding for Transient Students in Schools
2.18 Insurance Costs
2.19 Financial Exigency For Reduction in Force
2.20 Increased Formula Funding
2.21 Legislative Financial Relief for Ongoing TRS and PERS Employer Rate Increases
2.22 Modification of Minimum Instructional Expenditure Requirement
2.23 Energy Cost Relief
2.24 Timber Receipts Loss Offset Program
2.25 Reliable & efficient service by the Alaska Marine Highway System
2.26 Forward Funding for Schools
2.27 Reconstitution and Active Management of the Public School Land Trust and Permanent Fund
CHILD ADVOCACY
3.1 Declaring Children the Top Priority of Alaska
3.2 Promoting Development Assets in Alaska’s Children
3.3 Fetal Alcohol and Drug Exposed Students
3.4 Preventing Access to Pornography on the Internet
3.5 Violence in Electronic Media and Entertainment
3.6 Inhalant, Alcohol, Tobacco, Methamphetamine & Other Drug Abuse
3.7 Interagency Cooperation Among Service Providers Serving Children
3.8 Suicide Prevention
3.9 Safe Schools/Safe Communities
3.10 Support of State Funding for Teen Health Centers in Alaska
3.11 HIV/AIDS Education
3.12 Education of Youth for Healthy Sexual Decision-Making
3.13 In Support of the Alaska Children’s Trust
3.14 Increased Support for Alaska Head Start Programs
3.15 Supporting the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act
3.16 Revise Parental Permission Requirements for Questionnaires and Surveys Administered
in Public Schools
3.17 Student Wellness
3.18 Promoting Early Childhood Brain Development
3.19 School Activity Schedules in Relation to Major Religious Holidays
3.20 Interventions and Sanctions that Reduce Loss of Credit
PERSONNEL
4.1 Support for Staff Development
4.2 National Certification of Teachers
4.3 Tiered Licensure
4.4 Mentoring
4.5 Special Education and Related Services Training
4.6 Addressing the Teacher, Specialist and Administrator Shortage
4.7 Repeal the Social Security Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision
4.8 Relating to Secure Retirement Benefits
4.9 Addressing Health Care Costs and Medical Insurance
4.10 Supporting Use of Licensed Professionals to Facilitate Services by Electronic Means
4.11 School Performance Incentive Program
4.12 Opposing Mandated Alaska Reading Course
4.13 Urging the State to Revise the Application Process for Nomination and Selection of the
Alaska Teacher of the Year
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
5.1 School-To-Work Programs
5.2 Curriculum Expansion Via Technology
5.3 Native Language Program Development
5.4 Community Schools
5.5 Increasing Student Contact Time
5.6 Modification of the Alaska Certificate of Achievement
5.7 Seeking Clarification on the Native American Languages and the No Child Left Behind Acts
5.8 Encouraging School Districts to Emphasize Civics Education
5.9 Requesting the State to Provide Standards-based Assessments in the Yup’ik Language
AASB Mission Statement
The mission of AASB is to advocate for children and youth by assisting school boards in providing quality public
education, focused on student achievement, through effective local governance.
Belief Statements
Belief Statements are brief philosophical statements about issues the AASB membership believes to be true. They are distinguished from Resolutions in that they are long standing, universally accepted statements that require no specific action, yet underpin the beliefs of the association.
GOVERNANCE
GOVERNANCE
B.1 LOCAL GOVERNANCE
Public education is the responsibility of the states and of the local school boards created there under. This system of
local school board governance is one of the purest examples of democracy in action today, in that, school boards are
held accountable for public education by the public they serve as locally elected representatives. The mission of the
Association of Alaska School Boards is to advocate for children and youth by assisting school boards in providing
students with quality public education, focused on student achievement through effective local governance. Amended
2003, 2007
B.2 BINDING ARBITRATION
Binding arbitration removes decision making from locally elected school boards and puts it in the hands of an outside
entity, and allows a third party to determine the salaries, benefits and working conditions of school district employees
who bargain collectively. It is the elected school board's responsibility to weigh the consequences of decisions
concerning management of school resources. The Association of Alaska School Boards opposes any legislation that
provides for binding arbitration as the final step in collective bargaining.
B.3 ADVISORY BOARD TRAINING
State law requires the establishment of advisory school boards in REAA's and allows them in city and borough school
districts. School boards have delegated authority and responsibility to those advisory school boards, and are
encouraged to provide in-service opportunities and training to local advisory boards to help them become effective
contributors to excellence in education in their communities.
B.4 SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TRAINING
School board members are elected by their local school district citizens based on minimum statewide requirements of
eligibility to vote and residency. They are responsible to the public for policy issues and budgets of millions of dollars
and are coming under increasing public scrutiny. The Association of Alaska School Boards strongly encourages all
school board members to avail themselves of training opportunities to increase their understanding of the issues
confronting their district, to improve their ability to make the decisions required of them and to demonstrate their
accountability to the public.
B.5 CLASS SIZE
AASB opposes any mandating of class size or making class size a negotiable item of bargaining. The Alaska
Supreme Court has held that class size is not a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. While school boards recognize the advantage of small class size, they must be able to use discretion when weighing the cost of reduced
class sizes with other financial obligations and educational needs of a district. Making class size a mandatory subject
of collective bargaining might make class size subject to grievance binding arbitration or otherwise diminish board
control over staffing levels.
FUNDING
B.6 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND FUNDING AS TOP PRIORITY
Article VII, Sec. 1 of the Alaska State Constitution states that the Legislature shall establish and maintain a system of
public schools open to all school age children. Public education is fundamental to democracy and economic
advancement of the state. As such, it is the largest entitlement program. AASB calls upon the Governor and the
Alaska Legislature to make sustainable, adequate and equitable funding a top priority for the exemplary education of
our youth. Amended 2003, 2005, 2006
B.7 UNFUNDED MANDATES
Schools have been inundated with statutes, regulations and court decisions that require additional services without
accompanying appropriations. With inflation eroding purchasing power and increased expectations for services,
schools are forced to respond with decreased resources. AASB encourages all policy makers to take responsibility for
their mandates by fully funding or removing them. Amended 1999
B.8 MEETING SCHOOL FACILITY NEEDS FOR ALASKA STUDENTS
AASB believes that the Alaska State Legislature and the Governor must address the continuing need for additional
school space and major school maintenance. Amended 1998, 2002, 2006
Preamble
As community leaders committed to education and the equal opportunity for each resident to achieve his/her
potential, we act on behalf of all children for the good of the community; and we act on behalf of each child. We
accept our responsibility and its challenge of finding viable and relevant solutions to the myriad of problems facing
children today. We believe that it takes a whole community to educate a child. We encourage the legislature, tribal
governments, agencies, organizations, businesses, communities, congregations, extended families, parents and
guardians to willfully commit to the development of each child. Together we will identify and clearly articulate the
needs of our children, and together we will implement effective solutions and achieve measurable results. Together,
we will share in the rewards that an emotionally healthy, educated, and vital citizenry will contribute to the future of
Alaska. To fulfill our role in the shared responsibility of educating children, we are resolved to pursue the following
resolutions. Amended 2002, 2006, 2007
B.9 CHILD ADVOCACY MISSION STATEMENT
The advocacy role of school board members is to promote parental, public and social service commitment to the
shared responsibility of educating all children and youth in public education. Amended 1998
B.10 LANGUAGE, CULTURAL, AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY
Alaska is a vast state and is populated by persons of diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Our schools
must provide an environment that respects the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the student populations.
Furthermore, AASB believes that schools must make every effort to support programs that encourage learning and
valuing diverse cultures. In doing so, AASB encourages tolerance and pride without isolating or alienating a particular
group. Amended 1998, 2007
B.11 INCREASE IN FAMILY AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS & EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
AASB believes, and research supports the belief, that the single most important factor in student achievement is
parental, family and guardian involvement in the educational process, both at home and in the schools. AASB feels
that family involvement in the education of children is of highest priority and strongly encourages school districts to
initiate contact with families in a culturally responsive way. Amended 2003, 2006, 2007
B.12 SUPPORTING SOBRIETY
AASB encourages our students and parents to help in overcoming our communities’ affliction with alcohol and drugs.
AASB supports efforts of schools and communities to become and remain alcohol and drug free through activities
that: encourage the formation of sobriety groups in every Alaska community; encourage the practice of healthy lifestyles, values and activities; support existing groups working to promote sobriety; and encourage and support
sober role models. Amended 2007
B.13 PREVENTION/EARLY INTERVENTION
AASB believes in the prevention aspects of health and social service programs. Prevention is cost effective, both in
dollars and in reducing human suffering. Many of the social and health problems we are experiencing now will only
continue to grow if effective prevention/intervention programs are not in place. AASB supports early identification of
and intervention for children at risk and inclusion of parents and guardians in prevention and intervention services.
Amended 2002, 2006
B.14 PROHIBITING PERSONS CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ABUSE FROM SERVING ON SCHOOL BOARDS
School board members should serve as role models for students and staff. AASB believes that persons convicted of
sexual abuse should be legally prohibited from serving on a school board or REAA school advisory boards while
required to maintain registration as a sex offender under AS 12.63.010.020. Amended 1998, 2007
B.15 DECLARING CHILDREN THE TOP PRIORITY OF ALASKA
AASB believes children are the top priority of the state. This declaration extends to the safety, health, education and
future of our children. Adopted 2005, Amended 2006
B.16 ALASKA NATIVE TEACHER HIRE & RETENTION
Studies have shown that Native teachers have had a very positive effect on Native students. The hiring and retention
of qualified Alaska Native teachers has long been supported by educational and Native organizations. AASB strongly
urges school districts to recruit qualified Native teachers. The University of Alaska is encouraged to more actively
recruit Native students. Local school districts, with the help of the Alaska Department of Education and Early
Development, are encouraged to provide leadership in developing programs to encourage Native students to choose
education as a field of study, and to make every effort to foster the hiring and retention of Native teacher aides and
teachers.
All children should have opportunities to learn during the formative early childhood years. Many of Alaska's young
children are placed at risk for future school failure because they do not have access to rich learning opportunities for a
variety of reasons. The Association of Alaska School Boards therefore supports and encourages districts and/or
communities to develop early childhood programs and include a parent and family involvement component. Amended
1998, 2007
B.18 EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
AASB believes the elements of a quality educational improvement effort should address the following five key areas:
• Parental Involvement: Should encourage a high degree of parental involvement in all aspects of their child’s
education; collaboration on societal issues outside schools that impact children's learning (schools and
various agencies must collaboratively plan to provide services to children to effectively meet their needs); and
accountability to the public to assure desired results – a "world class" education.
• Community engagement: Should involve many different sectors of the community in the schools to broaden
the experience afforded students and promote the shared responsibility of adults in our communities in
supporting Alaska’s youth to achieve academic success, engage in positive, thriving behaviors and reduce
unhealthy behaviors.
• Student Standards: Should include the development of educational programs to meet high standards and
identified competencies (they should be delivered by a variety of means that meet the diverse needs of
students and prepare them to be contributing and productive citizens in a rapidly changing world).
• Professional Standards: Should include the highest standards of professionalism by school employees
throughout the district.
• Accreditation Standards: Adequate and appropriate space, furnishings, equipment and technology; adequate
and equitable funding that will allow for the most effective planning and use of each educational dollar; and an
early childhood education program. Amended 1998
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