Welcome  to the Lower Kuskokwim School District!

We  have developed this site in the hopes that it will make the transition to  your new home and career a bit smoother. “We” are the members of the  Lower Kuskokwim-NEA, the only local in Alaska representing both teachers  and educational support professionals. We are working with the school  district to help you become a long-term teacher in rural Alaska. As you  can see, we have included a page for each site. 

This  section has ended up as sort of a free-wheeling, brainstorming list of  items that are generic to a new teacher to the district. These are  the responses we got when we’d ask a teacher “what is it you wish  you’d known before you came”

“Remember  that you can often charter to your site instead of taking a scheduled  flight. The cost is often cheaper if you share the flight or if you have a  lot of excess baggage, call and check prices first. And if you travel with  pets, it often is easier to charter.”

“There is a $50 fee per kennel on Alaska Airlines,  and a fee on smaller airlines.

“Be aware that on the small planes, your luggage  allowance is 40 pounds - and they charge by the pound after that”.

“Have a phone card in case you have to use the  school phone for long distance. Sometimes it takes a while to get your new phone installed.”

“Bring stamps - some post offices run out.”

“If you do your own shopping and shipping in  Anchorage, there is a 24-hour post office near the airport (follow the  signs). You can purchase boxes at Carrs, Costco or Sam’s.”

“Keep all your moving receipts - post office  mailings, plane tickets, etc. The move to your new job might be tax  deductible.” The association has negotiated a $1000 reimbursement for  moving expenses for new teachers. Reasonable expenses are paid by the  district.

“If you worked in another district in Alaska,  remember to have your sick leave transferred to LKSD. You have 90 days to do this, otherwise you lose it.

"Think  about retirement early! If you have Lower 48 years you might want to buy  in and start paying for them early. What many people don’t realize is  that interest is charged for the years you are here - sometimes the  interest you owe is almost as much as the principle. You can have payroll  start deducting an additional amount early in your Alaska career.”

“While  you may be tempted to buy something down in the Lower 48 before you get to  the village you will be stationed in, you really should wait until you get  to Anchorage and shop there. 'Winter gear' has a whole different meaning  to stores in Alaska than it does in the stores in the Lower 48. Once you  get where you are going, and talk to the people at your site, you will  have a better idea of what you will personally need, and you will have a  better handle on what to buy. Otherwise, expect to spend about $250-300.  for a GOOD quality winter parka and snow pants. Remember, before you buy  from anyone, ask how cold a temperature that sleeping bag, parka, snow  pants or cute woolen hat are good for. Lower 48 winters are nothing like  here. If you are cold when you go out, you can be miserable, or  potentially be a  hazard to yourself from frostbite or hypothermia.  About the hardest thing to get, that you never have enough of, is hangars  for your clothes.”

"The  best winter boots are "bunny boots" which can be obtained  through the Army/Navy store in Anchorage" (Or at the Second Chance  Store on Spenard).

Shipping  is free with a big enough purchase from Amazon.com, drugstore.com and many  other websites. 

Keep  track of your "wish I'd known" statements and we'll include them  next year.

We  hope that you will join the LKSD team to help provide the best possible  education for the students in our communities.

Feel  free to contact me if you have any questions. If you contact the various  members who have agreed to be site contacts, please don't ask them to rate  their principal. This puts them in a very uncomfortable position. Thank  you for respecting the members who have graciously made themselves  available to help you move to the communities of the Kuskokwim Delta.

Chip Hagedorn, LKNEA  President LKNEA

chagedorn@lknea.org

P.O.  Box 628

Bethel,  AK 99559

Sites  that will give you more information about the communities in Alaska.

Alaska  Community Database Online - community profiles from the Alaska  Department of Community and Economic Development.

Orientation  Handbook for Rural Educators - NEA-Alaska's handbook, a lot of good  information for people wishing to teach in Alaska.