While the members of Great Alaska Schools Anchorage are diverse, with a wide range of opinions, we are united by our shared values and vision of a quality education for all students. With the Anchorage School Board launching a search for a new superintendent, it seems appropriate to share some of those values with the board and the public, in the hope of bringing our community closer to work together and move forward to find a new leader for the biggest school district in Alaska.
Community engagement is a proven way to improve our schools that doesn't cost a lot of money. In these lean fiscal times, the district should look to the community as a resource, engaging the public in a collaborative way.
To effectively do this, the public needs to be provided in a timely manner with vital information about our school district, like audits performed by outside agencies, student test scores and other quantitative measures of the effectiveness and overall health of our schools. This includes knowing what it costs to provide an adequate education to every child in Anchorage.
The realities of dwindling resources mandate that the district demonstrate innovation in the delivery of education, while being a strong advocate for providing adequate resources for every child to learn and grow.
Anchorage has the most diverse schools in the country. Our students speak 99 languages, and minority students comprise more than 50 percent of the student population. Public schools have a constitutional obligation to educate every child and the range of our students' abilities is greatly diverse. ASD students come from a wide socio-economic background including many who are homeless or live in poverty. We would like to see ASD leaders continue to actively celebrate the strengths of this diversity, while publicly acknowledging the challenges and advocating for the best strategies and support to meet the needs of such a unique population.
The future superintendent of the Anchorage School District will need to be visionary and focus on strategic planning for the success of our schools. She or he will need to be a strong advocate to legislators and communicate effectively with the public, providing a reference point for public debate.
It is important to recognize that another transition of leadership will be yet another adjustment for teachers and staff. Our new superintendent should be mindful of the needs of employees, supporting them as professionals and inspiring them to succeed and grow, just as they support our children.
The members of Great Alaska Schools Anchorage are pleased that the Anchorage School Board is planning to include members of the public in the search process for the new superintendent, and will stay tuned for opportunities to become involved.
We are grateful to Mr. Graff for his 25 years of dedication to our students, and for stepping up and leading our educators through a very difficult time. We are grateful to hear that his expertise in knowing and working with the needs of the children is staying in the district.
Alyse Galvin is a founding member of Great Alaska Schools. She wrote this with contributions from fellow members Deena Mitchell, Alison Arians, Val Buckendorf, Terrie Gottstein, Suzanne LaFrance, Celia Rozen and Pat Galvin.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com.