Misplaced priority? Teachers make up just 42% of Alaska school district employees
By Sarah Montalbano – Alaska Policy Forum Alaska’s teachers are outnumbered by other staff in all but seven school districts. For every four teachers in Alaska, there are five staff members performing functions peripheral to the business of teaching
Court ruling may give Anchorage School Board pause in barring parents from testifying against sex books
In a case that resembles what happened to an Anchorage man who was recently silenced during an Anchorage School Board meeting, a Georgia-based parental rights group has won a federal First Amendment case against a school district that barred parents from
Is the Anchorage School District breaking the law by offering graphic sex books to kids
Under the guise of “free access to information” the Anchorage School District has allowed its school librarians to order and display books for minors which depict or describe graphic scenes of sexual intercourse, masturbation and oral and anal sex. The
OPINION: Vilifying truth-tellers in Alaska and beyond
In biblical times, there were Jonah and Jeremiah. In the 19th and 20th century there were John Quincy Adams, Clement Vallandingham, Anthony Comstock, Smedley Butler, Joseph McCarthy and Robert Welch. In more recent years, Joe Scheidler, Randall Terry,
OPINION: Why is Lady Justice’s blindfold slipping in Alaska?
We all want our judges to be honest, fair, intelligent and experienced persons who uphold the constitution and the law without bias. Although some individual judges in our state meet this description, why are an increasing number of Alaskans concerned about
Research suggests Alaska should not simply advance failing readers to the next grade
By Quinn Townsend – Alaska Policy Forum Ten years ago, Mississippi implemented a statewide early literacy policy similar to the Alaska Reads Act enacted here in 2022. One controversial portion of both bills is a retention requirement — in Mississippi, if
Juneau’s systemic racism committee wants vast monitoring powers over local government
In 2020, the Juneau Assembly approved the creation of a “systemic racism review committee,” which was tasked with analyzing ordinances and alerting the assembly to any possible racist undertones or unforeseen racist outcomes. This work is done before the
Emails reveal names, titles of Anchorage educators who support graphic sex books in schools
When a particularly offensive and sexually graphic book lands on the shelf of an Alaska school library, or is included in a district’s collection, outraged parents understandably ask, “Who’s responsible?” In most cases, it is extremely difficult to
Bill looks to balance power in Alaska’s judge selection process
A bill introduced by Senator Mike Shower (R-Wasilla) would significantly change the process by which district and appellate judges and magistrates are appointed to their positions. Currently, the Alaska Judicial Council, made up primarily of attorneys, gets
OPINION: Mat-Su must resist organized leftist plot to rewrite its rich history
You might have thought that recalling three Palmer City Council members last year would dampen the Democratic leftist, socialist ideology being pushed in some influential circles around the Mat-Su. But these four council members (including one who lost her