As the long and lazy days of summer ebb, back-to-school instincts kick in – new supplies, new shoes, a fresh start.
The state’s second largest school district is just north of Anchorage, in the Mat-Su Valley – with 45 schools and about 17,000 students. Its newest superintendent, Deena Paramo, is in the job just over a year after originally joining the district as a middle school teacher in 1993 and rising to the level of assistant superintendent.
Her selection for the top job came on the heels of unexpected, sad news — her predecessor, the respected and accomplished educator Kenneth Stephen Burnley, died of complications from double knee surgery in July 2011, having served the district just one year and a day. The school board chose Paramo to follow him. Her first year included some school boundary changes, a ‘Title 1 Distinguished School’ award, a jumping-jack entry in the Guinness record book, the state’s spelling bee champ, and a zero-tolerance policy on bullying — among many other things.
From Paramo’s perspective, what does the new school year look like? Where are the challenges, where are the opportunities? And what’s on your mind as a parent, a student, a Valley resident?
Join me, host Kathleen McCoy, and Dr. Deena Paramo, to talk about riding out her difficult entry, working to fulfill Burnley’s plans and developing her own vision for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. We invite your questions and concerns.
LINKS:
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District website
- State of Alaska Report Card to the Public, MSBSD
- State gets first federal waiver for ‘No Child Left Behind,’ APRN
- Feds grant waiver to Alaska on No Child Left Behind, Anchorage Daily News
- Kids Count Alaska-overview
- Kids Count, Alaska-education breakout
- Zero Tolerance for Bullying at MSBSD, The Frontiersman
- Respect can be powerful, The Frontiersman
- Shaw honored as Title 1 Distinguished School, The Frontiersman
- Anchorage School District website
- Under Wraps: Wasilla High School sculpture covered after concerns voiced, The Frontiersman
GUEST:
- Dr. Deena Paramo, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District superintendent
PARTICIPATE:
- Call 550-8433 (Anchorage) or 1-888-353-5752 (statewide) during the live broadcast (2:00 – 3:00pm)
- Send e-mail to hometown@alaskapublic.org before, during or after the live broadcast (e-mails may be read on air)
- Post your comment or question below (comments may be read on air)
HOST: Kathleen McCoy
LIVE BROADCAST: Wednesday, June 6, 2012. 2:00 – 3:00 pm (Alaska time)
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