Thank You Fairbanks North Star Borough Voters for Your Support!  

It was an incredible experience to run for the school board and to have the opportunity to discuss school-related issues with you over the past couple of months.
  
The preliminary election results were so close that a winner could not be immediately determined. We had to wait an additional week until all the absentee ballots were counted. The final election results showed that of almost 12,000 votes cast, I was shy of winning by a mere 303 votes.

I want to thank all of you for showing your support by voting for me and/or for contributing to my campaign (money, phone calls, sign waving, grassroots’ efforts, and the myriad of wonderful and creative ways you helped to make my campaign successful).

I am honored by your demonstration of support. I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to serve you in the near future.

With much gratitude,  

Lynette Bergh

################################################

 

Click here to see Lynette's interview with News 13 CBS

Click here for A Message to our Military Service Parents

Click here for Lynette's Radio Advertisment

Lynette is a very active volunteer and is passionate about our community and how she can best serve the parents and their children within the school district.

Several years ago, Lynette moved to Alaska with her husband, Tom. Tom is a retired CW3 and together they continue to participate in Fort Wainwright events for retired military and dependents. They have 4 children and almost double that amount in grandchildren. They are Harley motorcycle enthusiasts, and they enjoy the breath-taking views as they ride throughout the beautiful state of Alaska. Yes, Lynette rides her own motorcycle- a Heritage- fully loaded with bags; so she's prepared for every eventuality.

She maintains an open door policy so as to be available to all borough residents who wish to discuss any districted-related topics. 

A friend, and fellow teacher, Adrienne from NY, going to the local places while staying with Lynette in Alaska.

Lynette’s Views

FNSBSD Successes

Expansive Curriculum- FNSBSD has a wonderfully rich curriculum. Lynette applauds the district for not narrowing the content areas to only those subjects that are tested for NCLB (math and language arts). The students are very fortunate to still be participating in such wonderful programs such as music, art, P.E., field trips, and other enrichment programs. Many students in the lower 48 would be envious (or moving here), if they knew!

Graduation Coaches- After researching the possible ways to prevent students from dropping out of school; the district elected to hire Graduation Coaches to act as human safety nets for the at-risk students. The results: students are now being tracked for success, and due to this effort, several students who would have dropped out have graduated or are now receiving services. Lynette believes that this program may prove to be very effective over time and that it should continue to be a mainstay to support the at-risk students.

 

FNSBSD Challenges & Concerns

Not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

One of the School Board’s primary performance goals for the 2008-2010 time frame is to:
Improve writing skills of Alaska Native/ American Indian students, Students with Disabilities (SWD),
Limited English Proficient students (LEP), and Economically Disadvantaged students.

Indicator: A higher percentage will be proficient and advanced and/or will meet or exceed the Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) of 77.18% in Language Arts on the state Standards Based Assessment.

According to the Quality Counts report, the 2009 focus is on English Language Learners. The following data shows where Alaska stands in comparison to the other States:
---- Overall Alaska rating compared to other States 73.2% or “C”
---- K-12 Achievement= 69.4% or “D+”
---- Teaching Profession= 61% or “D-“ - Ranks 50th
---- U.S. average=73.1% or “C”

Lynette believes that this goal may be met by training the teachers in specific instructional techniques and strategies designed for guiding second language learners to success. Many States are certifying teachers in second language instruction. Providing teachers with the tools they need to be successful will translate into raising the overall achievement level for all learners in all subject areas.

Information gathered from Quality Counts. Full report available free online at www.edweek.org/ew/index.html

Advance Placement Scores Dropping

(*Note- “Advanced Placement exams assess college-level knowledge in particular subject areas). See the table below for a comparison of scores from the past 5 years and of district and State of AK:

FNSBSD	English	Reading	Math	Science	All 4
2004	78%	65%	49%	34%	27%
2005	69%	62%	43%	33%	27%
2006	73%	67%	41%	36%	27%
2007	73%	66%	44%	33%	26%
2008	76%	65%	39%	33%	24%
State of AK
2004	68%	58%	47%	31%	25%
2005	67%	57%	47%	32%	27%
2006	64%	55%	46%	30%	25%
2007	65%	55%	47%	31%	26%
2008	66%	55%	46%	31%	26%

Data found: www.k12northstar.org/sites/default/files/NEW%20ACT-SAT-AP2008%20FINAL.pdf

Over the past several years (2004-2008), the percentage of students who pass the exams continues to drop. The strategies used apparently are falling short. Lynette believes that we need to aggressively address this challenge as it impacts students’ readiness for the workforce or higher education.

 

Here's what's going on!