The largest school district in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta will have a new superintendent in July.
Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) school board members voted on Feb. 13 to appoint Andrew Anderson to take over the superintendent position after the current superintendent, Kimberly Hankins, retires.
In a statement, Anderson said that he is “honored and humbled” to be selected as the incoming superintendent, and that he looks forward to working with staff and communities throughout the district to support the learning and growth of students.
Anderson has history in the Y-K Delta and more broadly throughout Alaska. He was superintendent for the Lower Yukon School District between 2018 and 2020, and held the positions of assistant superintendent and human resources director in that district as well. He’s also been principal or vice principal for a handful of schools in the Bering Strait School District, and he was the principal of Nome Beltz Jr./Sr. High School.
In 2022, Anderson was a finalist for the Kodiak Island Borough School District superintendent position.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Secondary School Administration from Montana State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Harvard University.
In a written statement, LKSD school board president Clarence Daniel said that selecting a new superintendent is a big decision, and that the board went “back and forth evaluating each candidate and it was a tough decision to make.” Daniel added that he hopes the community feels a sense of ownership in the process.
The process of selecting a new superintendent was a long one, involving multiple rounds of interviews and a variety of consultations with district staff, students, families, and community members. The school board also entered into a $14,500 contract with the Alaska Association of School Boards to help with the search for candidates.
Anderson was one of three finalists for the position. The other two finalists were both already employed by the Lower Kuskokwim School District: LKSD Assistant Superintendent Edward Pekar, and Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Principal Joshua Gill.
