Education

As a product of the public school system here in Alaska from kindergarten through high school, I received a solid educational foundation that amply prepared me for college and law school. The experiences afforded me through school sports and other programs, even in remote areas of Alaska, were far ranging and life defining.

While I realize much has changed since my years in Alaska’s public school system, I can attest that all four of our children who graduated from West High School in Anchorage were equally well prepared for college and professional studies. They had a myriad of opportunities and many quality teachers who helped set their course. One of our daughters has stated that she could not imagine there being a better educator on the planet, even at an Ivy League college level, than her Honors’ English teacher at West High School.

In their elementary years, our children were also fortunate to attend Sonrise Christian School where I served on the school board. I know first hand, the benefits of a small private school system with a high level of parental involvement and ownership in the success of the programs and accomplishments of the students. Still, when our children discuss the impact of those years on their lives, they reflect upon a certain principal who took a personal interest in each child and a third grade teacher who made learning fun.

Our public schools must be adequately funded, but we must remember it is the quality of our teachers, not our facilities and equipment, that makes the critical difference. When I graduated from high school, my family was still struggling from the devastating financial consequences we suffered from the ’64 earthquake.  I was only able to attend my first year of college because my former third grade school teacher at Fort Greeley Elementary School, Mrs. Keveren, invited me into her family’s home in Oregon where I lived my freshman year of college because I could not afford the dorm.

Yes, facilities and all of the modern advances in equipment and technology are important. But our focus needs to be on attracting and retaining the very best educators who approach their positions as a calling, not just a job. Several of my elementary school years were spent in Quonset hut buildings at Fort Greely. In one of those Quonset huts, I was fortunate to be a student in the classroom of Mrs. Keveren, with whom I still correspond and visit today. I felt no disadvantages from learning within the confines of a Quonset hut, only rewards from having been taught by a remarkable teacher.

Another area of concern is the low high school graduation rate of 45% in rural Alaska. We must address the discrepancies between our rural and urban school districts. Programs need to be tailored to the specific needs and culture of the area. There are successful programs that have greatly increased the graduation rates of rural high school students, which need to be continued and expanded.

At the college level, President Mark Hamilton and others at the University of Alaska have done an extraordinary job of offering scholarship incentives to some of Alaska’s best and brightest high school students. This keeps these promising students and future Alaskan leaders on the home turf where our communities and businesses can benefit and prosper from their contributions.