Jamie Diep

3 weeks ago | ktoo.org | Jamie Diep

This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond. The Alaska State Museum in Juneau houses a collection of tens of thousands of objects, from canoes and plants to the state’s last publicly accessible theater organ. But how do you maintain all of those items? That’s conservator Ellen Carlee’s job. https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/TVCarlee_WEB.wavThe following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

3 weeks ago | ktoo.org | Jamie Diep

The Alaska Board of Education unanimously approved new reading standards for Alaska Native languages Wednesday. This means students from kindergarten to third grade can have their reading skills evaluated in an Alaska Native language instead of in English. The new standards are broader than the state’s current reading standards. This allows schools to fit the standards to their cultural and linguistic needs. The standards recognize students can achieve literacy in state languages other than English.

3 weeks ago | ktoo.org | Jamie Diep

The Alaska State Board of Education is considering a regulation change that would further limit how much money local governments can give to school districts. At its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday the board will decide whether to open a 30-day comment period for the proposed change before deciding on approval at a later meeting. The new regulation would narrow the definition of what kind of spending counts as a local contribution.

3 weeks ago | ktoo.org | Jamie Diep

The University of Alaska Southeast hired two new administrators. One will lead its School of Education and the other will oversee the campus in Sitka. Carlee Simon is the new dean of the UAS School of Education. She’s worked as the school’s interim dean since 2023 and led its accreditation efforts, according to a news release from UAS. The campus appointed her as the permanent dean last December. Simon said she’s excited to work with faculty on larger projects.

1 month ago | ktoo.org | Jamie Diep

Friday is the last day of school at the Juneau School District, and high school seniors graduate on Sunday. It will be the first graduating class since the district consolidated Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and Thunder Mountain High School. Two hundred eighty seniors are expected to walk at the 4 p.m. ceremony, which will be held at the high school auditorium.