Bethel

Alaska Airlines charges about $300 -$400 round-trip to Anchorage, and flies 3 times a day Mon-Sat, and 2 times on Sunday.. Frontier Air Service and ERA Aviation also offers daily flights.

The Bethel airport is the third busiest air field in Alaska. It offers everything from jet service with Alaska Airlines to smaller multi-seat regularly scheduled flights to charters to helicopter flight seeing. From the airport you can call any number of cab companies in town to take you wherever you need to go. From the airport to anywhere is $7 a person. To get your freight, you might need to borrow or rent a truck. It is a good idea to contact your principal (also called site administrator) in advance of your arrival. Usually it is possible to ask for someone from the school to meet your plane.

Bethel is located along the banks of the Kuskokwim River on an alluvial plain. About 5,400 people live here, and Bethel is the transportation hub of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Bethel is a large village or a small town, depending on your definition. Most roads are unpaved and can be muddy, but they dry quickly. A short walk from most places in Bethel can take you onto tundra, where you can pick berries or go ptarmigan hunting in the summer and fall. The landscape is flat, but mountains are visible in the distance. Many people enjoy getting out on the river whenever possible because the banks are wooded and the land takes on a different aspect from Bethel’s open flatness, and the difference is immediate. Salmon fishing is good on the river and it’s tributaries, so most newcomers try to develop a fast friendship with someone who has a boat.

Bethel Regional High School (BRHS) is the largest school in western Alaska with approximately 450 students. Kilbuck Elementary School serves students in grades 3 - 6, Mikelnguut Elitnaurviat School (M.E.) is a primary facility serving grades K - 2. Ayaprun Elitnaurvik is the Yup’ik Immersion Charter School. The Bethel Alternative Boarding School (BABS) serves high school level students and the Bethel Youth Facility (BYF) is both part of the state correctional system and the school district.

Approximately 91 teachers serve the six schools. Additionally, the LKSD district office is located in Bethel. There are another 35 certified staff who work in the district office.

August is usually the rainiest month of the year, with temperatures in the 40 - 60 degree range.. Sunny days in August are golden, so go out and enjoy them. The winter days vary - sometimes in the 20’s, sometimes in the minus 20’s. With no mountains to stop them the winds are often strong here, the wind-chill can get down to minus 70.

Housing is expensive, and hard to find. Apartments, duplex units, and houses are all available for rent, but there are often waiting lists for them. More houses have recently become available, but rent can run between $700 to $1400 a month, though that sometimes includes utilities. Housing has full running water, but usually must be delivered by truck to and from most areas of town, costs run from $100 to $350 a month for water, sewer and garbage depending on amount and frequency of delivery.  Electricity runs most families from $100 - $200 a month (30 cents/kilowatt hour), and oil costs about $4.50 a gallon, and will be increasing over the summer.. Most homes are oil heated.

Bethel has three main grocery stores: AC, and Swanson’s, plus a couple of quick-stop gas and junk food stores. You can purchase most of the necessities of daily life in town, though prices are very high. There is a local sales tax of 6%, which is charged on groceries as well as other items.

You might save money if you have space and cash for making bulk orders from Seattle companies like Span-Alaska. The large warehouse stores in Anchorage offer ship-out service for an added fee. Many teachers also utilize internet shopping, placing orders with Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.

What should a new teacher bring?

Getting set up is expensive. Bring normal household items such as pots/pans, coffee pot, break-resistant dishes, utensils, bedding, towels and things you enjoy related to any hobbies you have already. There is a small, but well-stocked community library which lends both books and videotapes. A television is recommended. Yard sales are a regular weekend happening in the fall and spring. That is the place to pick up needed items you discover you want inexpensively. A good quality down parka, a pair of warm winter boots, and a pair of rubber boots or shoes for times when it’s muddy are a good idea. When teaching, the schools are pretty well heated. Teachers dress casually, but professionally. Jeans are acceptable, but casual slacks or skirt are more often the norm. Experienced teachers will want to bring their favorite teaching materials with them. The school budgeting provides for the basics, but specialty items have to be ordered and it takes time to get them. There are very few teacher supplies available here.