Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

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.

Chief Sean Case addressed questions raised by the national series and said recent policy changes, outreach, and coordination are helping the department improve MMIP investigations.

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

The documentary series “Lost Women of Alaska” now airing on HBO examines the crisis through the investigation of an Anchorage serial killer and how local police handled the case.

A delegation of lawmakers made an impromptu visit to the school on Feb. 6, calling the conditions and deteriorating facilities "deplorable."

Lawmakers with the bipartisan majority caucus have expressed support for more funding for schools, but point to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s history of vetoes as a major roadblock.

The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management director updated lawmakers and outlined a “significant cleanup mission” planned for this summer.

Chronic absenteeism has remained high since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the reasons for why students are missing class are difficult to define and vary widely across the state.

Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation said they support the state’s appeal and are urging FEMA and the Trump administration to fund the disaster relief effort.