FNSBSD

An analysis of FNSB Assembly and School Board candidate fundraising.

Three seats are open on the Board of Education; today, candidates for School Board Seat G, Meredith Maple and Maggie Matheson. In-person absentee voting is available through Monday, Oct. 2 at the Shoppers Forum Mall in Fairbanks, and at all three municipal clerks' offices: at the city halls in Fairbanks and North Pole and at the Borough building on Terminal Street.Polling places open for voting on Election Day, Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Candidates for Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board and Assembly responded to questions by KUAC and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Journalists.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Board of Education passed a $222,873,000 budget Wednesday night – about 15.3 million dollars less than last year’s spending. The recommendation includes about a $56 million ask from local taxpayers. The budget goes now to the borough assembly for approval.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board is hosting the public to meet the candidates and make comments today about each on the search website. The board may announce their choice as early as Saturday afternoon.

Teachers and school support staff in Fairbanks are still working without union contracts. Negotiations between the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District with both the Fairbanks Education Association, FEA, and the Education Support Staff Association, ESSA have stalled and neutral, third-party negotiator will try to move talks forward.

The Fairbanks Board of Education is asking for public opinion about hiring a new superintendent. They want parents and community members to take on online survey in the next three weeks.

School starts in 12 days for public students in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The School District has more than 35 vacant Certified Teacher positions listed on the hiring website, and 17 teacher aide positions -- although several of those will close after hires are made this week. The staffing shortage is also affecting the school bus system, and there will be fewer routes this year.

Increased public funding for homeschooling is on the Fairbanks North Star Borough school board’s agenda tonight. At a worksession last night, school administrators said there is a lot of misunderstanding in the community about the spending.

A Monday worksession brought out supporters of elementary school orchestra, band, choir