A question

[strategery blunder]

Is Alaska in need of high school social sciences teachers? I am considering setting up shop in Anchorage after I get out of college and get certified.

[cleofus1]

1. yow!

the school district is always under fire here. The conservatives are active and are out to tear down the district anyway they can. Teachers are slandered and marginalized. The school budget has been slashed repeatedly and their is no hope in sight....you would have to put up with an awful lot in order to work as a teacher up here.

[strategery blunder]

2. Thanks for the warning

Maybe I'll settle for teaching in Montana

[northofdenali]

3. Try the local NEA - and YES we need good teachers!!

http://www.neaalaska.org/

Especially if you are willing to go to some of the smaller schools (not necessarily "bush" schools, just in smaller communities); charter schools are also growing.

The "neocon" character of the state is slowly changing as the "old guard" is dying off and the neocons who moved up with the Pipeline are retiring "south". We need all the good, progressive folks we can get!

[cleofus1]

4. I can't disagree...

We do need teachers...and certainly the bush communities and smaller outlying towns may be more progressive. I will say that the Anchorage School districts budget has been cut by at least 30 million in the last two years and we are looking at more cuts in the future. The states overall complexion is conservative.

[MissB]

5. Really?

Sorry to butt into your forum. I graduated from Dimond in 1987, and felt that I received an excellent education. I'd moved up to Anchorage from a rural system in Washington state. It was so refreshing to find a school system that didn't use a levy system to raise money.

So I'm curious as to how far the district has fallen since then. What sort of cuts are they making with that 30 million? Art? Foreign language? Music?

Thanks -

MissB in Oregon

[cleofus1]

8. heres a letter from todays paper..

"I am a high school student. I see the problems every day that our schools face. I also am a voter, and I voted for all three of the bonds to pass, considering that either we are going to pass these bonds and help our students to get their education in a safe environment, or the state will increase taxes.

If you went to any kind of school and looked around, you too would see why they need to have more funding for repairs, new schools to ease crowding and a new administration building so that we as taxpayers will not have to keep paying for five leased buildings. If we do not pass the proposition for the new building while we can still get back 60 percent of the cost from the state government then we will end up paying for the whole thing.

I have to sit in classes all day with up to 30 kids and try to learn something. Have you tried to do that? It is difficult to try to even talk to your teacher, much less get help with something you don't understand."

and yes the bonds were overwhelmingly defeated.

[Catshrink]

6. I want to move to Anchorage -- I'm a science teacher.

I've completed the appliation for Alaska certification and submitted the ap to ASD. Haven't heard anything yet. I hope it isn't that dysfunctional!

[cleofus1]

7. 1987 was a long time ago...

I have two children in the ASD. My son is six and my daughter is 7 years old. We talk to their teacher at least twice a month. We go to all the PTC and to different meetings through out the year. They are not on the verge of collapse...but certainly no one can take a 40 to 50 million dollar hit in the last three years and not be affected. This last election the School Board tried to float several bonds that would pay for school upkeep (some schools are in sad condition) and administration builings...both failed miserably. Right now the majority of people here feel that the public school should be abolished and education should be privatized. School vouchers are a popular idea.You have to understand as the oil industry imported workers from Texas, Oklahoma and other southern states the complexion of the state has changed. The Anchorage Baptist Temple has a huge congregation that is told how to vote. And guess what? They are not told to vote in favor of the public schools or liberal issues in general....I hate to sound so pessimistic, but if I were you I would access the Anchorage daily news and use their archive function to do some research on local stories regarding education before you sell the farm and move up here.

[Catshrink]

9. Thanks for the insight, cleofus....

you've given me plenty to think about. My sister and her husband are in Anchorage and they are rabid freepers and Clinton-haters. I think that's the mentality you're talking about.

I guess my question is whether Alaska is worse than any other state. Public schools are taking a hit all over. I'm in Arizona which currently ranks 49/50 in per pupil spending. ASD may actually be a step up.

But, I will check out the ADN archives for stories. Thanks again!