IT APPEARS THAT ALASKA IS NOT IMMUNE FROM WHITE CHALK CRIME EITHER. CHECK OUT A PORTION OF A BLOG DESCRIBING WHAT IS GOING ON THERE AND HAS BEEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS AT LEAST! NAPTA

Post: BEWARE NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Posted by J. E. Beck on 3/27/06

I know this is an Alaska teachers chatboard so I feel obligated to inform all potential teachers that things are not conducive to teaching on the slope right now. Currently, our district is messing with teachers. New teachers who have done an excellent job in the classroom are being let go after one year. Imagine that it could be you after you have spent an inordinate amount of money on moving your family and belongings only to be let go just because the supt. is a jerk. Our new supt. (compliments of Wyoming~no thanks!) is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is so anti-teacher that I feel compelled to let potential teachers know to stay away! Involuntary transfers of tenured teachers who have been here for years are occurring because he would rather hire new teachers for a lower wage. Teachers are working on an expired negotiated agreement which will not be resolved anytime soon due to the lack of commitment from our district towards teachers. To make matters worse, he wants to put an evergreen clause in his contract. Anyone heard of that before? There is a reason that Wyoming people have said "Our gain, your loss" when we acquired the idiot. Our district personnel is currently attending job fairs in several lower 48 states (South Dakota-my home state, along with Wyoming and Montana). At any rate, if they come to your area, stay far, far, away. Ask to speak to a teacher to find out the real scoop. Any district not willing to bring a teacher to a job fair indicates trouble on the homefront. Talk to veteran teachers and be afraid, very, very afraid!

Re: BEWARE NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT-to Fran

Posted by School Board Member on 11/30/07

I feel for you. This superintendent of yours is making a fool of himself all over Alaska. He is bad news, and I feel bad for his board whom he has duped. I can promise you one thing, he will never work in Alaska again once he has used up and spit out the North Slope...

On 11/29/07, School Board Member wrote:

I seriously doubt that " most of us agree that its been a better place to work since a lot of the whiners left." Speak for yourself. Many teachers tried to make a difference, and were labeled as "whiners" or "troublemakers". Free speech is no longer allowed in this section of the country. If you are vocal and stand up for teacher rights, you are labeled. This district used to have the best teachers in the nation, who were disregarded as trash, and "teachers are a dime a dozen" was the motto. Teachers tried to negotiate for a much needed payraise and informed the district that there is a teacher shortage and the salary range needed to be re-visited. Instead of good faith negotiations, a teacher pay for performance (unplanned program) was jammed down the pipe. Communities who were opposed to this meltdown were ignored.

Can you believe one of the administrator interview questions is this: "What will you do with ineffective teachers who are politically connected in the community?" This means if you choose to affiliate yourself with an affluent or politically affiliated local family, you've raised a red flag. This superintendent does not even have a clue about what an effective teacher does. You are labeled as ineffective if you are not a follower of the "wolf in sheep's clothing."

Superintendents in Rural Alaska come and go, but this one takes the cake. Yes, definitely wait until there's a change in this district before you apply.

Re: BEWARE NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Posted by Agnes Waters on 8/10/08

It is the NSBSD BOE. They are idiots. He tells them how great they are and they beleive him. They aren't great, they are suckers. He keeps hiring his croonies from Wyoming and the board keeps allowing it to happen. How top heavy is the central office? The good thing is the board members who brought him in are being voted out. The 2 new board members elected last year have also become pawns. They are as useless as the current members. He tells the board what they want to hear and they follow along like little puppies, panting and begging to have their heads scratched. I think the next person to fall will be the board president, too bad she doesn't know it. I have heard talk that the tidy school contracts she gets for her daughter may be another determining factor in her downfall. I wonder what will happen after he has cleaned their coffers and left the district broke? The borough mayor has basically washed his hands of the districts finances because he and the assembly could be held liable when the debt starts t pile up. Things are dismal and will not get better until someone with a backbone starts to ask questions. They will of course receive the obligatory bribe, 5-day trip to Italy, job for family member, contract for family member. See you in the funnies NSBSD BofE.

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