Southwest Alaska high school students celebrate their graduation after a destructive October 2025 storm forced them to finish out their senior year in Anchorage. The ceremony marked a powerful step forward for the students and their families on their healing journey, blending village traditions in a city setting that honored culture, community, and courage.

Mt. Edgecumbe has been the focus of public concern and legislative hearings this year after more than 100 students disenrolled during the school year.

Alaska school districts have increasingly relied on international hiring to fill an ongoing teacher shortage across the state, particularly in rural and remote districts. In the fall of 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order increasing the H-1B visa fee from $5,000 per applicant to $100,000 per applicant.

Tassels moved from right to left on mortarboards as dozens of graduates from across the region received degrees at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Kuskokwim Campus commencement on May 7.

The scholarships are open for applications and will be given to support students in their upcoming fall semester of school.

Meanwhile, administrators insist the center is growing and becoming more community-focused.

Lawmakers are calling for the Trump administration to waive the fee for teachers hired through the H-1B visa program, which allows employers to recruit highly-skilled workers from overseas. The federal government raised the fee from $5,000 to $100,000 for each new applicant to the H-1B visa program in September 2025.

The state board will create a new committee to review concerns, including student services and maintenance needs, after roughly a quarter of students disenrolled this year.

Jason Hlasny, a former Lower Kuskokwim School District school psychologist, is returning as the district’s new superintendent.

Rural Alaska districts are especially reliant on international teachers to keep instructors in their classrooms.