@difficulthuman.bsky.social
Potter, educator, mother, sister, Alaskan, living on Dena’ina land.
Attendance is such a tricky thing to address. It takes tact and care and curiosity and respect. When we talk about student achievement and school performance we often ignore the fact that almost half of our students (depending on the school) are chronically absent. #education #attendance #alaskasky
Chronic absenteeism can affect academic outcomes and Alaska has the highest rate in the nation. Read more from @corinne-smith.bsky.social at the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/30/a...
Alaska lawmakers consider strategies to boost attendance as chronic absenteeism persists | Alaska Beacon
Alaska has some of the highest rates of chronic absenteeism in the nation — state data shows that more than 44,000 students were considered chronically absent from public schools last year.
alaskabeacon.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:20 AM
Attendance is such a tricky thing to address. It takes tact and care and curiosity and respect. When we talk about student achievement and school performance we often ignore the fact that almost half of our students (depending on the school) are chronically absent. #education #attendance #alaskasky
What do you want to hear from Alaska candidates as they compete for your vote this election? Let the @alaskabeacon.com know with this form 👇 and we'll ask!
docs.google.com/forms/d/1cBp...
docs.google.com/forms/d/1cBp...
What should the Alaska Beacon ask candidates?
Every election, the Alaska Beacon sends a candidate questionnaire to legislative and statewide candidates for office before the August primary election. It's the biggest public primary questionnaire i...
docs.google.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Hope Juneau is able to find a great superintendent ready to tackle educating the public and legislators about the need for increased funding.
The application for the position closes on Feb. 5. Board members say they're hoping to make a hire by March.
Juneau School Board seeks feedback for superintendent search
The Juneau School District Board of Education is working with a search firm to collect feedback from the community before it makes a hiring decision.
www.ktoo.org
February 1, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Hope Juneau is able to find a great superintendent ready to tackle educating the public and legislators about the need for increased funding.
Thank you to the students and health care workers who organized and showed up for this walkout on Friday. #anchorage #alaskasky
Two grassroots protests in Anchorage drew hundreds of participants Friday who decried the actions of ICE officers and the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in the U.S.
‘Heartbroken and furious’: Anchorage nurses and students protest ICE actions
Health care workers say they were galvanized to speak out after federal agents shot and killed intensive care nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
www.adn.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Thank you to the students and health care workers who organized and showed up for this walkout on Friday. #anchorage #alaskasky
Hope folks will educate themselves about the candidates for #AnchorageAssembly and Anchorage School District School Board. These officials have significant power over day to day lives. And we have recently seen how local officials can be instrumental in pushing back against out of control feds.
Six Anchorage Assembly seats and two school board seats are on the ballot for the April 7 municipal election. https://akpub.io/4aoZ5U4
Anchorage Assembly election to feature slate of 17 candidates
Two seats on the Anchorage School Board are also up for election. Anchorage’s municipal election is set for April 7.
akpub.io
January 31, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Hope folks will educate themselves about the candidates for #AnchorageAssembly and Anchorage School District School Board. These officials have significant power over day to day lives. And we have recently seen how local officials can be instrumental in pushing back against out of control feds.
So much fun getting to root for the Pili family! #alaskasky #pilipower
January 31, 2026 at 5:06 PM
So much fun getting to root for the Pili family! #alaskasky #pilipower
Anchorage School District faces $90M deficit, proposes cutting hundreds of positions www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/01/31/a... #alaskasky #educationfunding #akleg #anchorageschooldistrict
Anchorage School District faces $90M deficit, proposes cutting hundreds of positions
The Anchorage School District is facing a $90 million deficit for fiscal year 2027, prompting officials to propose sweeping cuts that would eliminate more than 380 full-time positions and numerous pro...
www.alaskasnewssource.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Anchorage School District faces $90M deficit, proposes cutting hundreds of positions www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/01/31/a... #alaskasky #educationfunding #akleg #anchorageschooldistrict
Reposted
Gondor Calls For Aid
Hi Alaskans the Mat-Su Bourogh needs you desperately. The right wing nut jobs have been very successfully attacking the libraries and it's getting dire. This proposal seems like it would never pass but the council is filled with
Hi Alaskans the Mat-Su Bourogh needs you desperately. The right wing nut jobs have been very successfully attacking the libraries and it's getting dire. This proposal seems like it would never pass but the council is filled with
January 29, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Gondor Calls For Aid
Hi Alaskans the Mat-Su Bourogh needs you desperately. The right wing nut jobs have been very successfully attacking the libraries and it's getting dire. This proposal seems like it would never pass but the council is filled with
Hi Alaskans the Mat-Su Bourogh needs you desperately. The right wing nut jobs have been very successfully attacking the libraries and it's getting dire. This proposal seems like it would never pass but the council is filled with
Thank you to the #anchorageassembly members who voted to add the educational tax levy to the April municipal ballot. If approved by voters, it could offset a $89 million deficit by about $11.8 million. #education #anchorageschooldistrict
Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced a proposal for a one-time, $12 million levy for the Anchorage School District. In doing so, she asked the Assembly to set aside other revenue measures, including her own 3% sales tax proposal.
Mayor asks Anchorage Assembly to set aside sales tax proposal in favor of plan to help fund schools
The proposal comes as the Anchorage School District faces an $83 million operational funding shortfall for the upcoming school year.
www.adn.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Thank you to the #anchorageassembly members who voted to add the educational tax levy to the April municipal ballot. If approved by voters, it could offset a $89 million deficit by about $11.8 million. #education #anchorageschooldistrict
A nonprofit organization has launched a marketing campaign intended to attract educators to Alaska from the Lower 48 in order to quell a statewide teacher shortage.
Nonprofit’s marketing effort aims to bring Lower 48 teachers to Alaska
The effort is aimed at combating teacher shortages and high turnover rates that are a challenge in both urban and rural Alaska.
www.adn.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Legislators set out new education priorities with 10 bills filed ahead of the session on issues ranging from homeschool student testing and district budgeting to curriculums and student safety. (via Alaska Beacon) https://akpub.io/49S9q9X
An early look at Alaska education bills for 2026: homeschool testing, curriculums, student safety
Lawmakers introduced new bills related to education ahead of the 2026 legislative session, and will continue debating bills from last year.
akpub.io
January 22, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Reposted
Great opinion piece from @rebeccabraun.bsky.social last week about #akleg and SB113 vetoed by Dunleavy last year. Close a loophole in corporate income tax for $65 million annually! #alaskasky #alaska
Opinion: Legislators have 5 days to clock an easy win www.adn.com/opinions/202...
Opinion: Legislators have 5 days to clock an easy win www.adn.com/opinions/202...
Opinion: Legislators have 5 days to clock an easy win
SB 113 modernizes Alaska’s tax code, supports schools and passed once already. There’s no reason to fail it again.
www.adn.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:23 AM
Great opinion piece from @rebeccabraun.bsky.social last week about #akleg and SB113 vetoed by Dunleavy last year. Close a loophole in corporate income tax for $65 million annually! #alaskasky #alaska
Opinion: Legislators have 5 days to clock an easy win www.adn.com/opinions/202...
Opinion: Legislators have 5 days to clock an easy win www.adn.com/opinions/202...
Hey, Great Alaska Schools! Do you have a presence here? If not, we invite you to join us! #alaskasky #education
January 22, 2026 at 4:16 AM
Hey, Great Alaska Schools! Do you have a presence here? If not, we invite you to join us! #alaskasky #education
Excellent letter to the editor in our local paper.
My LTTE published today on ICE's thuggery.
"To those fickle leaders: May you live very long lives. May you never forget how you cheered in these moments. May your cowardice keep you awake on the coldest nights in Fairbanks."
www.newsminer.com/opinion/lett...
"To those fickle leaders: May you live very long lives. May you never forget how you cheered in these moments. May your cowardice keep you awake on the coldest nights in Fairbanks."
www.newsminer.com/opinion/lett...
January 22, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Relieved to see this compromise brought forward. I support it but hear a lot of negativity from colleagues. Really curious what Tier 3 educators think of it. Will they support it? Does it make sense for them to stay in education for this kind of compensation? #anchorageschooldistrict #education
After negotiating for more than a year, the Anchorage School District and the local teachers’ union have come to a tentative contract agreement.
Anchorage School District and teachers union reach tentative contract after months of negotiation
If approved, the three-year contract would increase teacher salaries by 5% in each of the first two years and by 4% in the third.
akpub.io
January 21, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Relieved to see this compromise brought forward. I support it but hear a lot of negativity from colleagues. Really curious what Tier 3 educators think of it. Will they support it? Does it make sense for them to stay in education for this kind of compensation? #anchorageschooldistrict #education
Reposted
When LEAVING the US. We are in fully in the "your papers, please" mode of fascism.
New— An American citizen boarding flight from Boston to Lisbon just now told me after showing boarding pass, every passenger stopped on jetway by two ICE agents demanding to take their photo. When passenger asked why, ICE threatened to detain them. If they said no photo, couldn't board/TBD detained.
January 21, 2026 at 1:46 AM
When LEAVING the US. We are in fully in the "your papers, please" mode of fascism.
Agent EZ-17 of the special BorTac unit of Border Patrol has consistently been shooting protesters in the head and face with chemical irritants. This agent should be removed from the Border Patrol. This kind of brutality has no place on our streets. #minneapolis #borderpatrol
Chemical irritants were shot in the direction of protestors' faces within the same neighbourhood and on the same day as the shooting of Renee Good. Watch our analysis of one federal agent’s actions with @evidentmedia.org below: youtube.com/shorts/ETSQd...
Analyzing one federal agent’s use of less-lethal launcher in Minneapolis (Graphic content warning)
YouTube video by Evident Media
youtube.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Agent EZ-17 of the special BorTac unit of Border Patrol has consistently been shooting protesters in the head and face with chemical irritants. This agent should be removed from the Border Patrol. This kind of brutality has no place on our streets. #minneapolis #borderpatrol
Reposted
As AOC so clearly pointed out: "I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face."
January 17, 2026 at 4:49 AM
As AOC so clearly pointed out: "I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face."
Reposted
It's time to show our power! On the 1-yr mark of Trump's 2nd term (Jan 20) let's walk out together to oppose a racist, anti-worker program. Then, we WALK IN to hold our congressional delegation accountable. Meet us at 510 L Street at 2 pm. WE are the priority! #StandUPAlaska
January 17, 2026 at 11:10 PM
It's time to show our power! On the 1-yr mark of Trump's 2nd term (Jan 20) let's walk out together to oppose a racist, anti-worker program. Then, we WALK IN to hold our congressional delegation accountable. Meet us at 510 L Street at 2 pm. WE are the priority! #StandUPAlaska
Reposted
Nasra Ahmed, a U.S. citizen raised in St. Paul, recounts the encounter with a dozen ICE agents that led to two days at the Sherburne County Jail. She was taken for an MRI in arm and leg restraints, and then released Friday night without charges:
January 18, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Nasra Ahmed, a U.S. citizen raised in St. Paul, recounts the encounter with a dozen ICE agents that led to two days at the Sherburne County Jail. She was taken for an MRI in arm and leg restraints, and then released Friday night without charges:
Thank you, Representative Gray, for this statement. I would like to hear from military leaders about what they anticipate any deployment to Minnesota would look like. Our political leaders at all levels need to be taking action to protect democracy. #alaskasky #military #alaska #minneapolis #akleg
With the news that 1,500 active duty Army soldiers in Alaska have been placed on prepare-to-deploy orders in case President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis, I am making a statement as co-chair of Alaska's Joint Armed Services Committee. Immigrants matter. #akleg
January 19, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Thank you, Representative Gray, for this statement. I would like to hear from military leaders about what they anticipate any deployment to Minnesota would look like. Our political leaders at all levels need to be taking action to protect democracy. #alaskasky #military #alaska #minneapolis #akleg
Reposted
Alaskans: tomorrow Monday MLK Day Jan 19 there are free legal services events in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks & Juneau.
Attorneys are providing free, confidential legal help.
See event info below 👇
Attorneys are providing free, confidential legal help.
See event info below 👇
Alaska attorneys to provide free legal help on MLK Day holiday, writes @corinne-smith.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/13/a...
Alaska attorneys to provide free legal help on MLK Day holiday | Alaska Beacon
Volunteer attorneys will be available in Juneau, Bethel and Anchorage for free, confidential legal assistance for civil legal matters.
alaskabeacon.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Alaskans: tomorrow Monday MLK Day Jan 19 there are free legal services events in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks & Juneau.
Attorneys are providing free, confidential legal help.
See event info below 👇
Attorneys are providing free, confidential legal help.
See event info below 👇
I strongly oppose sending active duty military into any US community. As a former military spouse I recognize the deep sacrifices of our soldiers and their families. That sacred trust is for defense of our country. Not policing our own citizens. #alaskasky #usarmy #democracy #usmilitary #minneapolis
The Pentagon has ordered two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska, to be ready in case of a possible deployment to Minnesota, defense officials said. www.adn.com/nation-world...
Pentagon readies 1,500 soldiers from Alaska to possibly deploy to Minnesota, officials say
Troops with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division are preparing after Trump’s Insurrection Act threat, according to defense officials.
www.adn.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:32 PM
I strongly oppose sending active duty military into any US community. As a former military spouse I recognize the deep sacrifices of our soldiers and their families. That sacred trust is for defense of our country. Not policing our own citizens. #alaskasky #usarmy #democracy #usmilitary #minneapolis
Reposted
Tomorrow! ICE Know Your Rights Training with the local NLG chapter. 1p at First Presbyterian on 10th Ave in Anchorage.
We'll be there with zines on mutual aid, affinity groups, community self defense, emergency preparation, & more.
#alaskasky
We'll be there with zines on mutual aid, affinity groups, community self defense, emergency preparation, & more.
#alaskasky
January 16, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Tomorrow! ICE Know Your Rights Training with the local NLG chapter. 1p at First Presbyterian on 10th Ave in Anchorage.
We'll be there with zines on mutual aid, affinity groups, community self defense, emergency preparation, & more.
#alaskasky
We'll be there with zines on mutual aid, affinity groups, community self defense, emergency preparation, & more.
#alaskasky