A sso ci a t i o n o f A l a sk a Sc h o o l B o a r d s

August 2009 Vol. XXXIX No.6

COMMENTARY

Quality Schools/Quality Students is AASB’s comprehensive school improvement service to assist school districts and their local communities in raising student achievement to meet or exceed state standards by linking a shared vision for education with successful practices. It focuses on the development of leadership, programs and staff, and community and parent engagement, by securing and coordinating a balance of local and statewide expertise and resources.

Norm Wooten

by Norm WootenQS2 Director

As the newest staff member at AASB let me introduce myself, although that is not neces-sary for most of you. I am Norm Wooten and have been involved with school boards for the last twenty years as a still sitting board member for the Kodiak Island Borough School District. My service with the association began in 1993 when I was first elected to the AASB board where I served until last year.

In April I began working for AASB on a project through the Department of Educa-tion and Early Development (DEED). My job is evolving into the Director of Quality Schools/Quality Students (QS2). Dr. Bruce Johnson has led our district improvement

Let Me Introduce Myself

AASB would like to welcome the following new and returning super-intendents for the 2009-10 school year:

AASB Board

Higher Standards

continued on page 8

This IssueEducation Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

New Superintendents . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

From the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

From the Executive Director . . . . . . . .2

Inside AASB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Call for Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Revised AASB Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

The renewal of the Elementary and Sec-ondary Education Act (ESEA) is igniting new discussions about the need for higher educational standards. And Alaska school boards will be taking part in the debate, via the AASB resolution process.

A draft resolution approved by the AASB Board of Directors on July 26 for discussion by local boards reads:

“AASB supports the right of local school boards to raise expectations for students and prepare them for success in the 21st century. Federal support for states and school districts could be in the form of funding for research, and financial assistance in developing and implementing high standards. AASB op-poses mandatory compliance with national content standards or assessment and any ef-fort to condition to the receipt of federal aid on the adoption or use of national standards and/or tests by states or local districts.”

The draft position statement is part of a 37-page packet of resolutions for the AASB An-nual Conference in November. School boards are encouraged to review the packet and of-fer amendments or new resolutions by the

• Reviewed and approved a revised long-range plan for the statewide nonprofit organization, including a set of goals (see story on page 8).

• EvaluatedExecutiveDirectorCarlRoseandgave him high marks, extending his con-tract another year to 2012.

The next quarterly meeting of the board is scheduled for Nov. 9 in Anchorage.

Members of the AASB Board of Directors and staff at the summer quarterly meeting at the Challenger Center in Kenai.

deadline of September 25th. (See related story on page 3).

Congress may take up the renewal of ESEA later this year. In addition, the U.S. Depart-ment of Education is sponsoring a series of meetings with states to draft core educa-tional standards for K-12 students.

During the three-day summer meeting in Kenai, the AASB Board also:

District Changes for 2009-2010

Chatham SD Scott ButterfieldCraig SD James ThomasCopper River SD Michael JohnsonJuneau SD Glenn GelbrichKashunamiut SD Doug ConboyKenai Peninsula SD Steve AtwaterLake & Peninsula SD Ty Mase

Nome City SD John WehdeNorth Slope Borough SD Peggy CowanPetersburg City SD Rob ThomasonSkagway City SD Les McCormickYakutat SD Rod SchugYukon Flats SD Woody WoodfordYupiit SD Howard Diamond

2 August 2009

Every school board in Alaska ap-proaches AASB core resolutions and belief statements in unique ways. That diversity is a strength of our association. Over the next few months, we can put our own stamp on these important policy statements, providing marching orders for the Board of Directors and the executive director, and a unified position of education issues for the Legislature and the Executive Branch.

On the Kenai Peninsula, our board devotes two meetings to reviewing and debating the resolutions packet provided by AASB. Individual board mem-bers usually get them four or five days before a regular school board meeting in August. Because the resolutions packet is rather long, we review them by their five categories, includ-ing governance, funding, child advocacy, personnel and educa-tion programs. Suggestions for

changes are brought forth, but no action is taken until a board meeting in September.

After debating and amending the packet, our local board re-turns the changes to AASB with a cover letter from the board president. At least one of our members also takes part in an AASB teleconference on resolu-tions held in early September. The teleconference is open to all members.

In October, AASB staff as-sembles all the amendments and new resolutions proposed by each district and distributes them in a new document for debate at the Annual Confer-ence in November. This debate is conducted first in the Resolu-tions Committee and then the full conference.

One additional important step for local boards to take is to

appoint a representative to participate in the Resolutions Committee on Thursday, Nov. 5. Here, the hard but important work of turning various amend-ments and new resolutions into a finished product is done. On Sunday, November 8, the full membership amends and adopts final resolutions drafted by the committee, and the next day, the AASB Board of Directors selects priority resolutions for 2010.

Your local board participation in this process is critical. This is the heart of our association work. Look for the first draft in early August, make sure your board discusses, reviews and amends if necessary any part of the resolutions. Make sure that at least one member from your board is appointed to the resolu-tions committee for work on November 5. Working together we can make a difference for kids in Alaska!

Sammy Crawford

The Road to ResolutionsFRoM THe PReSIDenT

Carl Rose

no Dust on This PlanFRoM THe exeCuTIve DIReCToR

AASB remains a vibrant organi-zation because we ask our mem-bers what services they want, try to deliver them in a cost-effective manner and afterwards solicit feedback on whether we did our job. Every three years, as part of our long-range planning process, we look internally and ask ourselves the same ques-tions. What are we doing and how are we doing it?

The Board of Directors gath-ered in Kenai last month to get the triennial planning process underway again. In the last 20 years, since AASB adopted its first long-range plan, the Board has performed this essential job of governance seven times.

The eighth time was different in that Sharon Young was not

there to facilitate the process, and most of the Board seats had turned over since 2006. But Joseph Reeves and staff did a good job of seeding the discus-sion with valuable information about our progress in the past three years.

During the course of the day on July 24 the Board reviewed our Mission Statement and current goals and discussed the results of a recent membership survey. The Board then conducted a needs assessment, identified critical issues stemming from the needs assessment and mem-ber survey and adopted a revised list of goals.

What happens next is probably the most important part of the planning process:

During the coming months, the Board and AASB staff will de-velop strategies and action plans aligned to the goals. We believe that when the new complete long-range plan is adopted next spring, AASB member districts will see their needs and recom-mendations reflected. The dust of inattention shall not gather on this plan!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the school boards around the state that responded to our survey in May and June. Your comments were thought-ful, honest and often flattering. AASB is a first and foremost a member organization, and we’ll do our best to make it the orga-nization you need it to be.

Association of Alaska School Boards Commentary 3

AASB OFFICERS Sammy Crawford President

Kenai Penn 283-9271

Tammy Fowler Pound President-Elect

Unalaska 581-1463

Crystal KennedySecretary/Treasurer

Anchorage 696-2624

Scott McAdams Past-President

Sitka 747-3376

DIRECTORSCharlene Arneson Chugach 522-7400

Arnold Brower North Slope 852-2611

RoseannDemmert Klawock 209-5412

Duane Edelman Valdez 834-6567

Lon Garrison Sitka 738-0798

Sunni Hilts Kenai Penn 738-0798

Sue Hull Fairbanks 479-3644

Aana Kinegak Yupiit 695-6311

RichardMauer Delta/Greely 895-4956

Melvin Otton Bering Strait 963-3491

Choc Schafer Ketchikan 225-2462

John Steiner Anchorage 696-2629

STAFFCarlF.N.Rose Executive Director

JosephReeves Associate Executive Director

Timi Tullis Director of Membership Services

Bruce Johnson Director of Consortium for Digital Learning

Norm Wooten Director of Quality Schools/Quality Students

SallyRue Director of Alaska ICE

John Greely Chief Editor

Diana Miller Business Manager

For complete staff listing go to our web site under Contacts. http://www.aasb.org/contacts.html

Association of Alaska School Boards, 1111 West 9th St., Juneau, Alaska 99801-1510 Tel: (907) 586-1083 FAX: (907) 586-2995. The Association of Alaska School Boards is a not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to advocate for children and youth by assisting school boards in providing quality public education, focused on student achievement, through effective local governance. AASB represents school boards’ interests before the legislature, state agencies, Congress and other state and national regulatory bodies. Founded in 1954. Commentary is published monthly by the Association of Alaska School Boards, Carl F.N. Rose,ExecutiveDirector.ArticlesorsuggestionsshouldbesenttoJohnGreely, Chief Editor, AASB 1111 West 9th St., Juneau, Alaska 99801. For change of address write to AASB or call 907-586-1083.

AugustTBA NSBAPresidents’Retreat–TBD,LA

September10 ResolutionsTeleconference

19-20 AASBFallBoardsmanshipAcademy–Anchorage

November5-8 AASBAnnualConference–CaptainCook,

Anchorage

9 AASBBoardofDirectorsMeeting–CaptainCook, Anchorage

December11-13 NSBAPacificRegionWinterMeeting,TBD,AZ

10-11 AASBSecretaryWorkshop–Anchorage

10-11 AASBWinterBoardsmanshipAcademy–Anchorage,

2009 CALenDARInside AASB

AASB is soliciting resolutions from local school boards for consideration at the 2009 Annual Conference in Anchorage, November 5-8, at the Hotel Captain Cook. A 37-page draft resolution packet approved by the AASB Board of Directors was mailed electronically to all district offices on July 31. It includes these proposals for directing AASB initiatives in 2010:

• AnewBeliefStatementontheimpor-tance of quality teachers and staff

• Fivenewresolutionsaddressingnationalstandards and testing, school funding, the Alaska Native Education Act, Work-Keys assessments and postsecondary classes for secondary students

• Andthedeletionofoneresolution,4.11School Performance Incentives, and

the continuation of one resolution, 3.1 Declaring Children the Top Priority of Alaska.

On September 10th, AASB has scheduled a statewide teleconference at noon to answer questions about the resolutions and the process. Look for further information on the teleconference as we get closer to the date.

Your school board may wish to comment on these proposed changes or submit resolutions of your own. But to do so, AASB requests that your board schedule time to discuss the resolutions at a regular meeting and vote by official board action. The deadline established by our bylaws for AASB to receive your com-ments and proposals is September 25.

All resolutions received will be compiled and a complete set of resolutions containing submissions from districts will be sent back to your board 30 days before the annual conference, or by October 5, 2009.

If you have any questions regarding the resolutions, please contact John Greely at 586-1083 or jgreely@aasb.org

Address your district’s proposed resolutions and/or amendments to:

ResolutionsCommitteeAssociation of Alaska School Boards

1111 W. 9th Street, Juneau, AK. 99801

Call for Resolutions

After a busy renewal seaon in July, Alaska Public Entity Insur-ance (APEI) added eight new members to its rolls, including the Southwest Region School District.

APEI’s impressive growth in recent years — from 40 to 63 members in just five years — is attributable to its excellent insurance and loss control pro-grams, combined with the lowest premium rates in the market. This year in particular, APEI was able to offer the best rates in Alaska, due primarily to the company’s excellent claims ex-perience. General liability rates

decreased this year an average of 14 percent, auto rates dropped 7 percent, and workers’ compensa-tion rates were down 15 percent, said Jeff Bush, APEI Executive Director.

“APEI remains committed to keeping claims costs low, through strong loss control ef-forts and aggressive claims man-agement,” Bush said. “Although the international insurance market is showing signs of hard-ening, meaning higher prices for everyone, APEI’s loss control and claims management practices are designed to ensure continuing competitive, lower rates.”

APEI encourages all Alaska pub-lic entities — both members and non-members — to seek com-petitive quotes for insurance.

“Unfortunately many Alaska public entities renew their insur-ance year in and year out with-out checking on all their options which could, in many cases, save the entities several thousand dollars annually,” Bush said.

APEI was started as the Alaska School Insurance Co. AASB in 1986. It became a separate non-profit in 1998. AASB retains a seat on the APEI board.

APEI Adds Eight New Members

New Immunization RequirementsChildren entering grades K-6 will need two doses of Varicella vaccine and the medical record to prove it, under new state regulations that took effect July 1. Varicella, or chicken pox, vaccine is available at physician offices, clinics and public health centers throughout the state. For additional information, talk to your doctor or nurse, or call:

Alaska Immunization Program1-888-430-4321

Or visit this website:http://www.epi.alaska.gov/immunize

4 August 2009

Association of Alaska School Boards Commentary 5

6 August 2009

Association of Alaska School Boards Commentary 7

Mark your Calendar!

AASB 56th AnnuAl ConferenCeCAptAin Cook hotelnovemBer 5–8, 2009

8 August 2009

efforts as the QS2 Director since the inception of this service. His responsibilities as the Director of the Consortium for Digital Learning (CDL) and with super-intendent searches began taking so much of his time it was de-cided to bring on a new director to remove some of his burden. With Dr. Johnson’s assistance the plan is for me to take on more of the QS2 responsibilities until the transition is complete.

QS2 is evolving into a greater assistive role in working with school districts – particularly in light of the increasingly stricter standards of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or as we more commonly refer to as No Child Left Behind. Our plan is to continue to work with districts who invite us into their communities as well as with districts who need assistance in improving student achieve-ment and are in an interven-tion status with DEED. We are working even more closely with

QS2 Revisited (from page 1)

WWW.AASB.ORG

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. Postage

PAIDJuneau, Alaska Permit No. 97

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

PROTECTING ALASKA SCHOOLS SINCE 19862233 Jordan Avenue, Juneau Alaska 99801

Phone: 907-523-9400 Toll Free: 1-800-586-2734Fax: 907-586-2008 Website: www.akpei.com

Alaska ICE to determine ad-ditional ways that involvement from communities can increase

student achievement. Alaska ICE and QS2 are looking at ways to involve even more partners in order to be able to offer an even wider array of services to assist districts in educating their students.

My focus will be twofold in the coming months:• Workingwithschoolboards

to serve their districts in ways that best fit their communi-ties individual needs.

• DevelopingaQS2programthat is sustainable into the future to continue to assist

districts in raising student achievement.

In the coming school year we will continue to work with the cur-rent QS2 districts, those boards in districts who need assistance through the intervention pro-cess and will be looking at our capacity to take on additional QS2 partners.

I look forward to continuing my work with AASB in this new capacity and look forward to working with you.

In July, the AASB Board of Directors reviewed and updated the Association’s Long Range Plan. The day-long process included progress reports on current goals and discussion of a membership survey conducted in May and June. During the coming year, the Board and AASB staff will develop strategies and action plans aligned to these goals:

Board Development & Standards Provide board development that brings all boards and board members to competence in effective governance under the principles of Board Standards.

Political Influence Strengthen the political influence of AASB and its members at the local, state and national level representing the diversity of interests that exist within AASB, and involving the total membership.

Community Engagement Assist local school boards in engaging parents, families and their communities in shaping and enriching the education of Alaska’s children.

Student Achievement Expand local school board capacity to ensure the highest potential student achieve-ment and prepare Alaska’s children and youth for the future.

Sustainability Sustain the association and its membership by strengthening AASB’s capacity to effectively serve its members.

Innovation Inspire innovation to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world and continue public education as the foundation of democracy.

AASB GoalsAdopted July 2009