The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is struggling to staff its most rural schools. This year’s shortage has renewed district interest in evaluating policy revisions and out-of-the-box ideas.
It’s been more than two years since the school district last updated its policy for remote site living expenses. The district has a suite of perks for staff in its most rural schools, from travel stipends, to housing to moving expenses. They’re all ways to offset some of the hardships that can come with living and working in a remote area.
Now, the district is questioning whether its incentives are adequate to recruit and retain employees.
Nate Crabtree, the district’s human resources director, doesn’t think so.
“There's such a competitive market out there that there are districts on the road system,” he said Monday. “There are districts in the lower 48 that are offering signing bonuses that help teachers get ahead, not just cover their expenses to get here, so to speak.”
The board’s discussion was part of Monday work sessions. It comes roughly a month after seven principals wrote a letter requesting more staff to the small schools committee. The district defines small schools as those with less than 200 students.
During the meeting, board members generally supported updates to some elements of the policy. Ideas proposed included increasing the monthly grocery stipend and increasing payment amounts for the district’s Longevity Incentive Program.
That program offers eligible employees an annual lump sum payment after two years of employment at certain rural schools. Award amounts range from $500 after two years to $2,000 after six years. The program is available to staff at Nanwalek, Port Graham, Tyonek and Susan B. English schools.
Board member Penny Vadla says she took advantage of district stipends when she taught in the Bush.
“I think it can be strengthened a little bit – the stipend, the travel, the moving, the housing, they're all separate,” she said. “So you can look right at that. I remember when I went to the bush, many, many, many, many, many years ago, and we could order our food from Costco.”
For the first time, the district’s also planning a targeted ad campaign specifically for the K-12 school in Nanwalek, across Kachemak Bay.
“Nanwalek’s been mentioned,” Crabtree said. “They have three open positions right now. It was a series of, we'll say, unfortunate events, with some personnel matters, and then people not fulfilling their contract, their intention to come.”
Superintendent Clayton Holland says the district will also take a closer look at hiring staff on J-1 visas this year.
Those visas allow foreign educators to teach in U.S. primary and secondary schools. Multiple school districts, particularly in rural Alaska, have taken advantage of federal visa programs to help address teacher shortages. In 2022, there were 91 people teaching on J-1 visas in Alaska.
“Last year, we did take a close look at that — considered going with Kodiak on their trip over and for a variety of reasons weren’t able to do that,” Holland said. “But I would recommend this year that we actually do take a look at recruiting with J-1 visas.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, multiple people said it requires a certain personality to be successful in a new, remote community. Kevin Lyon is the district’s director of planning and operations. He spends a lot of time traveling to the district’s remote communities and says his offIce tries to take care of staff.
“We don't want anything in the house to cause them to be uncomfortable,” he said. “But the biggest thing, in all those villages, I'll just say, is, it takes a special kind of person who wants to be there.”
Monday’s school board work sessions will be available to stream on the district’s BoardDocs site.
