Education

Two long-term substitutes have finally arrived in the village of Ouzinkie, on the Kodiak Archipelago, after staffing shortages left the school there without a consistent teacher all year. It’s another chance for students to get the consistency they need as hiring struggles ripple to rural areas of the state.  The school in the village of Ouzinkie, seen here from the …

The Kodiak Island Borough School District has been scrambling to fill one of two teaching positions in the village of Ouzinkie. The school district has already begun interviews after firing a teacher early in the semester.  The school in Ouzinkie normally has one elementary teacher, and one secondary teacher for middle and high school aged students. A sign depicting the …

Brian Venua/KMXT Kodiak High School students came together to start an open pantry to alleviate food insecurity for their peers. The fundraiser was created as part of a civic engagement course they took to learn about systemic inequality, where they were required to create a service project.  One of the students, John Eaton, a freshman, says everyone pitched an idea …

Kodiak High School’s fire alarm went off twice Friday morning before students started class. Both turned out to be false alarms, but students had to wait outside or in buses for around 30 minutes until the issue was resolved. According to Assistant Principal Matt Bieber, the alarm tripped due to a faulty sensor. After a single reset, students began to …

North Star Elementary students and staff were put on alert Wednesday morning after a suspicious wooden box was placed near the building. Cyndy Mika is the Kodiak Island Borough School District Superintendent. Mika says staff notified both Alaska State Troopers as well as the Kodiak Police Department immediately after discovery. Families waiting in line to pick up their children from …

Kodiak High School. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Listen to this story; The first day of school for Kodiak students is next week. And teachers in the Kodiak Island Borough School District are busily preparing for the upcoming year –  including a group of newly arrived teachers from the Philippines. Nori De Asis has wanted to be a teacher …

Dr. Cyndy Mika has had a busy season. She took over as superintendent for Kodiak Island Borough School District just over a month ago, and has since then been preparing for the upcoming school year — which begins Monday, Aug. 29. Mika joins KMXT’s Dylan Simard to discuss solutions to hiring difficulties, challenges and opportunities for the school district, and …

Early morning fog at Kodiak high school. Kayla Desroches / KMXT Listen to this story; The state budget signed by Governor Dunleavy in June sends $1.18 million to the Kodiak Island Borough School District. That was expected, according to the district’s chief financial officer Sandy Daws. But it doesn’t recoup KIBSD’s fund balance, which was drawn down $2 million this …

Listen to this story; The Kodiak Island Borough School District is getting a funding bump from the Borough. Last week, Kodiak Island Borough Assembly members voted 5 to 2 to approve the school district’s request to raise their annual assistance by $1.5 million. The request came at risk of cutting teachers or programs without a funding boost. The Kodiak Island …

Every parent wants their children to succeed in school, but not every parent is in the same position. Getting support from a school district can be a daunting task; the Kodiak Island Borough School District’s new Family Resource Center is hoping to make it a bit easier. Superintendent Larry LeDoux says that the goal is to make the school system …