Where I Stand

“Grade Banding”

You can find extensive discussions of this issue by me in the Archives. Our elementary schools are (or at least were) distributed amongst the neighborhoods throughout the borough, but our secondary schools are all in city centers. We might benefit from changing from elementary (grades K-5), middle (6-8), and high (9-12) schools to having only K-8 schools and high schools. This would likely require re-opening some elementary schools that have been closed and would involve shuttering the middle schools. There is compelling evidence that parental involvement would increase and learning outcomes would improve. There are other “grade banding” options that could be considered. The discussion that should have taken place several years ago can still take place. We should present the trade-offs of a few options, including the status quo, to parents, have town halls and other discussions, poll stakeholders (especially the parents!) and then move forward in a way that results in the community invested in the success of whatever decisions are made.

Tech in schools

Both locally and around the nation the negative influence of phones and other technology devices like iPads and Chromebooks, and the software on them, has become a pressing concern. I have spoken with Alice Rhee, a passionate local advocate on the topic (her web page on the topic: https://kidsoffscreensak.org/), Fairbanks Education Association leadership, and a handful of teachers and students on what current practices are, and what they like and don’t like. I require more information before taking a firm stand on things, but I have a few thoughts.

• I am fully supportive of the School Board’s decision this past school year to remove phones from the classrooms.

• I do not think the earliest grades benefit from children using devices like iPads or Chromebooks, so I support not having them in the classrooms for grades K-4, perhaps even a grade or two higher.

• My son’s middle school has switched from issuing Chromebooks individually to having them on carts and then using them for specific purposes. This seems to be an improvement, but some of the software (especially iReady) being used has some real issues. These middle grades are where I think the downsides versus upsides (like great YouTube videos demonstrating concepts, or the Internet as a research resource) need to be weighed carefully and more nuanced policies set.

• I think computers have to have a major role in high-school education, but a careful look at how devices are currently being used in these grades is warranted.

• It is hard for me to imagine an “opt-out” policy (one of the items Ms. Rhee advocates for) that could be implemented without the end result being teachers trying to teach two sets of curriculum in the classroom, and I think we are already spreading the teachers’ attention too thin in their classes. I am open to hearing more on this.

• I think an interesting idea that could be considered is a tech-free magnet school. I would like to survey the parents on their interest in the idea and perhaps flesh out the feasibility of such an option.

• Regarding a task force to study the issues and make recommendations (another item Ms. Rhee advocates for), I agree in principle but the devil is in the details. Unfortunately the history of “task forces” in our local district is that they tend to be dominated by cronies of the superintendent and mostly exist to “recommend” already made decisions. The approach to creating task forces that are independent, appropriately comprised, and whose recommendations carry appropriate weight, is a broader issue.

• The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially for homework assignments, needs to be clearly addressed (currently under Board Policy 6161.3). This is an area of obvious importance for our educational system. We need to work with the teachers, principals, and staff to make sure that they have adequate training to play a lead role in developing system-wide guidance and resources for teachers and staff. The overall field is evolving so rapidly that the topic will need to be revisited annually.

Teacher and staff compensation

It was not that long ago that the Fairbanks school district was a favorable enough place to work that teachers new to the area sought to get on the substitute teacher roster just to get their foot in the door for future positions. When positions are unfilled, the remaining teachers and staff are spread even thinner. I am a believer of the law of supply and demand, and right now the demand for teachers and staff exceeds the supply. Part of the compensation issue is wrapped up in the retirement plan, which is outside the scope of the school district, but overall the district has proven unwilling to negotiate compensation plans sufficient to increase the supply of teachers and staff, and this needs to change. The “good news” is that multiple sources have told me that there are a lot of qualified local teachers and staff who are sitting on the sidelines, so if good compensation packages are created, many empty positions could be filled without additional recruiting. A couple of particular issues have been brought to my attention. The district’s preference for being self-insured for health insurance apparently is not working out well, and alternative options need to be considered. Also, my understanding is that our district is unwilling to fully credit teachers moving into the district as part of military families for their years of experience, so there are a lot of military-connected teachers that could be filling positions that are doing something else. Currently negotiations are taking place regarding collective bargaining agreements between the district and both the teachers’ union and the support staff union. I sincerely hope that the district is seeking CBAs that will draw highly qualified teachers and staff to the district and not pursuing agreements just above the threshold to induce a strike.

A Voice for Teachers and Staff

I decided to embark on this campaign because of the experience I shared with many parents of being voiceless. Since I began this campaign many teachers and staff have approached me to tell me that they are also shut out of the decision making process. It is both meaningful and symbolic that the only way for a representative of the Fairbanks Educators Association (FEA, the teachers union) to be able to voice an opinion at a school board meeting on behalf of the teachers is to sign up for public testimony where they are limited to three minutes of speaking time. This is absurd. A “day one” change that I would like to see implemented is for FEA, the Education Support Staff Association (ESSA), and the Fairbanks Principal Association (FPA) to be given the option to have a speaking slot at every school board meeting. It is, of course, a much larger project to change the culture and dynamic that is currently excluding them; a good place to start is probably some restructuring of how the various board advisory committees operate.

Legislative Agenda and Lawsuits

While I am all for school board members advocating for legislation at the borough and state level as individuals, for two reasons I think it is generally counterproductive for the school board as a body to have a legislative agenda. First, the school board does not have the resources or the authority to develop compromise legislative solutions, so there’s no nuance involved. Second, we need parents supporting the school district, but every time a resolution is passed advocating for some piece of legislation, the main thing it accomplishes is antagonizing the tens of percent of parents who don’t hold the same political views. I think that the only times that the school board as an entity should engage in the legislative process is if it has surveyed the parents and determined that there is at least 75% support among them for that engagement. I am strongly against the school district’s current practice of filing lawsuits or threatening legal action to try and overturn state law or borough statute.

Valuing Each Student Equally, Charter Schools and Pearl Creek

Please see the blog post on this topic for more details and explanation.

The District should strive to value every student enrolled equally, regardless of whether they are enrolled in BEST homeschool, a charter school, or a non-charter school.  Charter schools are a valuable part of the school district; they are public schools that any student in the district can attend. The successes that they achieve should inform decisions in the non-charter schools.  Charter schools are oversubscribed and we need more of them.  We need HomeS.T.E.A.D. (in Two Rivers) and Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School open as soon as possible.