Schools

Juneau Board of Education members vote during an online meeting Tuesday to extend a free student breakfast program during the second half of the school year. (Screenshot from Juneau Board of Education meeting on Zoom)

Extending free student breakfast program until end of school year OK’d by school board

Officials express concern about continuing program in future years without community funding.

 

Students arrive at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé for the first day of the 2024-25 school year Aug. 15. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Allure of student-created viral videos is fueling vicious brawls at U.S. schools

JDHS assistant principal: Cellphones are top way of soliciting, advertising “and almost glorifying” fights.

  • Dec 15, 2024
  • By Natasha Singer ©2024 The New York Times Company
  • NewsSchools

 

Kahyl Dybdahl, left, and Bronze Chevis eat an egg sandwich breakfast before school at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Juneau School District gets $500K extra from BSA increase, may use about $100K to extend free student breakfasts

Juneau gets $5.7M rather than $5.2M from one-time funding boost; free meals set to end this month.

 

Nicole Herbert, director of account services for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, address the district’s school board during a Dec. 3 meeting. She is scheduled to become the new chief financial officer for the Juneau School District in March. (Screenshot from Fairbanks North Star Borough School District YouTube video)

School district’s new financial officer coming from Fairbanks district with its own consolidation woes

Nicole Herbert scheduled to start 12 days before Juneau’s school board sends budget to Assembly.

Nicole Herbert, director of account services for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, address the district’s school board during a Dec. 3 meeting. She is scheduled to become the new chief financial officer for the Juneau School District in March. (Screenshot from Fairbanks North Star Borough School District YouTube video)
Students arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School on the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 15. The school now houses all students in grades 7-8, who were in two middle schools last year, and the students at Thunder Mountain last year when it was a high school have been consolidated into Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)

Report: 11 high school fights during first quarter of school year, up from 3 each of past two years

Consolidation seen as possible factor; middle school incidents more typical compared to recent years

Students arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School on the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 15. The school now houses all students in grades 7-8, who were in two middle schools last year, and the students at Thunder Mountain last year when it was a high school have been consolidated into Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Karen Brewer-Tarver, a partner with the Juneau-based accounting firm Elgee Rehfeld, presents results from a third-party audit of the Juneau School District for past fiscal year to the Juneau Board of Education’s Finance Committee on Thursday night. (Screenshot from Juneau School District livestream)

Positive ending: School district emerges from fiscal crisis with first audit without a deficit in years

Report finds lingering problems with “internal controls,” recommends more staff and refining procedures.

Karen Brewer-Tarver, a partner with the Juneau-based accounting firm Elgee Rehfeld, presents results from a third-party audit of the Juneau School District for past fiscal year to the Juneau Board of Education’s Finance Committee on Thursday night. (Screenshot from Juneau School District livestream)
A student texts on a cellphone in this stock photo. (Ariel Skelley/Getty Images)

Alaska joins growing number of states considering crackdown on cellphones in schools

Most U.S. adults support cellphone bans in middle and high schools, research shows

A student texts on a cellphone in this stock photo. (Ariel Skelley/Getty Images)
Students heading to Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé board a bus at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

State revives effort limiting funds municipalities can give school districts for non-instructional costs

Juneau School District could lose millions for buses, food service, student activities, superintendent says.

Students heading to Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé board a bus at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Reported surge of student fights — some filmed and luring kids from other schools — alarm parents and officials

Fights taking place on and off JDHS campus, students say; questions about discipline policy raised.

A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Lisa Pearce (center), chief financial officer for the Juneau School District, discusses the district’s financial crisis in her role as an analyst during a work session Feb. 17 at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. She announced her intention to resign on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Lisa Pearce resigning as Juneau School District’s chief financial officer after taking on budget crisis

Consultant hired last December became permanent CFO July 1 after helping resolve record deficit.

Lisa Pearce (center), chief financial officer for the Juneau School District, discusses the district’s financial crisis in her role as an analyst during a work session Feb. 17 at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. She announced her intention to resign on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Juneau Board of Education President Deedie Sorensen (left) and Vice President Emil Mackey (right), with his son Emil Mackey IV between them, listen to a presentation during a school board retreat at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Saturday, Sept 28. Recall votes for both board members are failing in the initial vote tally in this year’s municipal election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

School board that made lots of changes appears it will remain the same after election

Three incumbents leading by large margins; recall petitions against two members failing

Juneau Board of Education President Deedie Sorensen (left) and Vice President Emil Mackey (right), with his son Emil Mackey IV between them, listen to a presentation during a school board retreat at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Saturday, Sept 28. Recall votes for both board members are failing in the initial vote tally in this year’s municipal election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Students arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Aug. 21. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Threat of school shooting posted widely, including in Juneau, does not appear credible, district says

Extra police at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Monday morning a precaution, according to notice.

Students arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Aug. 21. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Students arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Aug. 15, 2024, the first day of class for the current school year. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)

Consolidated schools during first month of classes are great, awful or illegal, depending on who’s asked

Superintendent offers praise; teachers fret about class sizes; TMMS students forced to repeat classes.

Students arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Aug. 15, 2024, the first day of class for the current school year. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Boxed kits with naloxone, an overdose-reversal drug, and associated equipment are stacked on tables at the Alaska Department of Health’s Anchorage office on Aug. 9. The kits were assembled that day in preparation for distribution to school districts around the state, in accordance with House Bill 202. The bill requires schools to stock the kits and to have personnel trained to use them. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska schools to be stocked with anti-overdose kits, under new law

Emergency kits to save victims of opioid overdoses are on their way to Alaska schools, in accordance with a new law. The law is the… Continue reading

Boxed kits with naloxone, an overdose-reversal drug, and associated equipment are stacked on tables at the Alaska Department of Health’s Anchorage office on Aug. 9. The kits were assembled that day in preparation for distribution to school districts around the state, in accordance with House Bill 202. The bill requires schools to stock the kits and to have personnel trained to use them. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Results of the Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) assessments and the Alaska Science Assessment from the past year are shown for Juneau’s schools. (Juneau Empire graph using data from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development)

Standardized test scores at some Juneau schools far higher than others

Math, science proficiency at Auke Bay elementary roughly twice Kax̱dig̱oowu Héen’s, for example.

Results of the Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) assessments and the Alaska Science Assessment from the past year are shown for Juneau’s schools. (Juneau Empire graph using data from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development)
Five of the six candidates seeking three open seats on the Juneau Board of Education participate in a forum hosted by the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Juneau Moose Family Center. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

School board candidate forum focuses on lessons learned from consolidation process

Five of six candidates running for three seats answer questions about “what ifs” and “what’s next.”

Five of the six candidates seeking three open seats on the Juneau Board of Education participate in a forum hosted by the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce at the Juneau Moose Family Center. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Students heading to Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé board a bus at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Wednesday morning. While the stop is designated as a park-and-ride option for students, those boarding the bus either walked to the stop or were dropped off by parents. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Changes in student transportation are all over the map after consolidation of schools

Many students say things are fine, but illegal parking and bus woes are prompting course corrections.

Students heading to Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé board a bus at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Wednesday morning. While the stop is designated as a park-and-ride option for students, those boarding the bus either walked to the stop or were dropped off by parents. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Students crowd into the commons area of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé to pick up their schedules, and meet familiar and new peers, before classes start on the first day of school Thursday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

More than 1,100 students show up on first day at newly consolidated JDHS

Students say they’re expecting more friends, more competition and less parking.

Students crowd into the commons area of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé to pick up their schedules, and meet familiar and new peers, before classes start on the first day of school Thursday morning. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Shelley McNurney (right) and Tami Hesseltine examine a muticolor storage shelf in the gym of the former Floyd Dryden Middle School on Saturday, where surplus items from the school were being sold to residents and given away to nonprofit entities. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

No more pencils, no more bookshelves: Floyd Dryden works to clear out surplus items large and small

Furniture, microscopes, pianos among gymful of items being given away or sold by shut-down school.

Shelley McNurney (right) and Tami Hesseltine examine a muticolor storage shelf in the gym of the former Floyd Dryden Middle School on Saturday, where surplus items from the school were being sold to residents and given away to nonprofit entities. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Juneau Board of Education President Deedie Sorensen (left) and Vice President Emil Mackey, holding his son Emil Mackey IV, listen to discussion about next year’s budget for the school district during a meeting March 14 at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. Recall votes for both board members were certified this week for the Oct. 1 municipal election ballot. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Petitions to recall two Juneau school board leaders get enough signatures for Oct. 1 election ballot

President Deedie Sorensen, Vice President Emil Mackey targeted due to school district’s budget crisis.

Juneau Board of Education President Deedie Sorensen (left) and Vice President Emil Mackey, holding his son Emil Mackey IV, listen to discussion about next year’s budget for the school district during a meeting March 14 at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. Recall votes for both board members were certified this week for the Oct. 1 municipal election ballot. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)