So You Want to Serve on the Anchorage School Board!
A primer for those who’ve never served on the Board nor run for public office
Prepared by Tam Agosti-Gisler, revised August 2016
Disclaimer: This is not an official Anchorage School District nor Anchorage School
Board approved document. It is simply a guide to offer ideas and suggestions for thoseseeking a seat on the Anchorage School Board. Always check with the Alaska Public
Offices Commission (APOC) and Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) to learn if candidate
requirements have changed.
What is the role of the School Board?
• The Board is the policy-making body of the Anchorage School District (ASD). The
powers granted to the Board are set forth in Titles 10, 14 and 29 of the Alaska Statutes.
School Board policy governs District activities by outlining goals, standards, andprinciples that guide or prescribe actions and that encourage or constrain behavior byDistrict employees, students and others in their interactions with the District.
• Board policies establish goals, standards, and principles that have policy-levelsignificance for the governance of the District but should leave to the Superintendent
the authority and responsibility to adopt administrative rules and regulations to
implement Board policy. In other words, the Board GOVERNS and the Superintendent
MANAGES.
• Board members have only two employees - the Superintendent and the Board
Secretary. They do not have the direct responsibility to hire or fire other ASD
employees, but they must approve all personnel changes and hires.
• Board members’ most important constituents are the STUDENTS of the Anchorage
School District. Everything a board member does and every vote she or he takes should
consider what is in students’ best interest and if it is in line with the ASD mission
statement: The ASD educates students for success in life.
How often does the Board meet?
• The Board meets twice a month on Mondays for a work session, an executive session(if there are agenda items), and a regular session. The work session begins at 4 pm andends at 6 pm (with a focus on students and staff occurring from 5:30 to 6). The
executive session is held before or during a dinner break from 6 to 7 pm. (NOTE: Allmeals are paid for by individual board members, not by the ASD.) The regular meeting
begins at 7 pm and generally ends around 9 pm (potentially later during budget times orwhen public testimony numbers are high). There are no board meetings in the month of
July. If a holiday falls on a board meeting Monday, the meeting is usually moved to a
Thursday. At times, a special meeting will be called in order to address items needingboard attention.
• Board members serve on one or more of three committees of the Board which meet atleast monthly: Governance (policy); Finance (budget and audit) and Communications

(legislative affairs and communications). The committee chair may choose to schedulea meeting before the work session on a board meeting date or on a separate date as
proposed by the committee chair. Committee meetings normally last 1-2 hours.
Occasionally, the Board President may designate an Ad-hoc Committee to address a
specific need or issue and ask for Board members to chair and/or serve on it.
Are there trainings or opportunities for Board member’s professional growth?
Yes! • Throughout the year, there are local trainings on requested topics (governancevs. management role, Robert’s Rules of Order, Open Meetings Act (OMA), ethics,
school finance, etc.) as well as conferences in which Board members are invited toparticipate. The Alaska Association of School Boards offers webinars and resources on
their website entitled “Making the Most of your First Year: What New School Board
Members Want to Know” at http://aasb.org/first-year-members/ There are Board
service guidebooks for check-out in the Board library housed in the Board secretary’s
office located in the Superintendent’s office suite.
• September - Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB) Fall Boardmanship training,
usually in Fairbanks; NOTE: The Board rep to AASB usually attends.
• October - Council of Great City Schools (CGCS) annual conference, location moves
around the country (Thurs-Sun) NOTE: The Board rep to CGCS usually attends.
• November - Alaska Association of Schools Boards (AASB) annual conference, inAnchorage (Thurs-Sun) NOTE: The ‘New Board Members Boot Camp’ and the‘Experienced Board Members’ Session on Thursday are both highly recommended.
• December - AASB Winter Boardmanship Academy, usually in Anchorage• February - AASB Leadership/Legislative Fly-in, Juneau, (Sat-Tues) NOTE: Thetraining offered on how to work with legislators is highly recommended. There is also a
March AASB Spring Academy in Juneau that members may choose in lieu of the
February event.
• March or April - National School Board Association (NSBA) annual conference,location moves around the country (Fri - Mon)
NOTE: Board members choose to attend either CGCS or NSBA, but not both unlessthey personally cover expenses.
• Once a year there is a 1 to 2-day Board Retreat, usually on a Friday/Saturday at theend of May or beginning of June. At the retreat, Board members and the Superintendent
review their Board Norms and Code of Conduct, the ASD Mission, Vision, Values andStrategic Plan. Board members also complete formative self-evaluations quarterly andan annual summative self-evaluation. Additionally, the Board completes annual
evaluations of their two employees.

What are other Board responsibilities?
The ASD is divided into seven areas. Board members sign up to focus on the schools
and programs as well as community councils in one area. These are rotated each year
in order for board members to become familiar with a new area. An example of one
area is:
Chugiak/Eagle River Area schools
Alpenglow Elementary School
Chugiak Elementary School
Chugiak High School
Eagle Academy Charter School
Eagle River Elementary School
Eagle River High School
Firelake Elementary School
Gruening Middle School
Homestead Elementary School
Mirror Lake Middle School
Ravenwood Elementary School
Ursa Major Elementary School
Ursa Minor Elementary School

Chugiak/Eagle River Community Council
Birchwood
Chugiak
Eagle River
Eagle River Valley
Eklutna Valley
South Fork (Eagle River)

Board members also sign up to represent the Board in different local, state andnational organizations. Representation may or may not rotate on an annual basis.
ASD Student Advisory Board (SAB) - monthly meeting during school year
Anchorage School Business Partnerships (SBP) Board of Directors - monthly meeting
during school year, September retreat
School Based Community Health Centers - quarterly meeting
Anchorage Chamber of Commerce - weekly meeting with attendance based on
education topics
Chugiak/Eagle River Chamber of Commerce - monthly meeting
MOA Budget Advisory Commission - monthly meeting
Federation of Community Councils (FCC) - monthly meeting
Association of Alaska School Boards (elected position, serve a term) - quarterly meeting
Council of Great City Schools - annual conference
National Black Caucus NSBA - annual meeting at conference
National Native American/Alaska Native Caucus NSBA - annual meeting at conference
ARISE (CITC collective impact group - must be invited by the group)
90% by 2020 (United Way collective impact group - must be invited by the group)

What else?
There is a fair amount of reading and communication with the public.

● Each board member is expected to read all provided materials prior to each meeting.
Each has access electronically to BoardDocs@ on which all agendas, documents and
RFI (requests for information) responses are posted. (Printed copies may also berequested from the Board Secretary.)● Each board member has an ASD email and “phone number.” (Calls are routed to amessage system and show up in a member’s email box as an audio file.) Emails thatare addressed only to one board member should be responded to in a timely manner,with a copy sent to the Board President and Board Secretary. Emails sent to the entire
Board may be responded to as long as the Board member includes a statement thathe/she is responding as an individual and not for the entire board, and a copy of the
response is sent to the Board President and Board Secretary. (See Board Code of
Conduct document for specifics.)● Each board member has an ASD mail slot located the Board Secretary’s officelocated in the Superintendent’s office suite and is expected to check it periodically andrespond to any letters addressed solely to the member.
● Board members are also invited to emcee musical concerts throughout the year aswell as officiate at graduations. Sign-up lists are shared with the board to split theseduties.
What salary can a Board member expect?
• Salaries are set by the Municipality of Anchorage’s Commission on Salaries andEmoluments. Currently, Board members earn $21,476 plus benefits and the Board
president earns $25,310 plus benefits.
• Board members do not have offices in the ASD Education Center, but often use
Room150 or other meeting spaces to conduct business in addition to the Board room
used for work sessions and regular meetings.
• Registration fees, travel, hotel and per diem are paid for one out-of-state conference
and one legislative trip to Juneau per year. Registration fees for the AASB conference inAnchorage are also covered by the ASD.
• Board members personally cover all of their other expenses, such as mileage andphone. A laptop will be provided during board meetings if needed.
OK, if you’re ready to take on the responsibilities of being an Anchorage
School Board member, here are some ideas on how to get elected:● File your intent to run for office with Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC).
https://myalaska.state.ak.us/apoc/form/Registration/LetterOfIntent/Filings.aspx● The Letter of Intent permits you to make campaign expenditures prior to declaring
with the Division of Elections or filing for office with the municipal clerk. If it is less than
18 months before the election, the Letter of Intent also permits you to accept campaign
contributions.
● Attend a training class offered by the APOC on required forms and reports to file. The
APOC Anchorage Office is located at: 2221 E. Northern Lights, Suite 128, Anchorage,
AK 99508, Phone: 276-4176●Your name and address will appear on all public documents, any communication by
the campaign – including emails, and in all campaign disclosure statements, e.g., Paidfor by (your name) for School Board, (plus full address). Determine if you will use yourhome address and phone number for your campaign or rent a mailbox and obtain acampaign phone number.
● Complete and file your Public Official/Legislative Official Financial Disclosure Form
(POFD/LFD) https://myalaska.state.ak.us/apoc/form/POFD/Filings.asp
Disclaimer: Always check with the APOC and Municipality of Anchorage to learn if
requirements have changed.
Suggestions on handling finances:● Make a proposed budget and determine how much you will personally contribute.
(Learn the rules for this at your APOC training!)● Determine if you will hire a campaign manager or act as your own manager. Sign acontract if you hire one.
● Determine if you will hire a campaign treasurer or ask a financially savvy friend to do
the job.
● Set up a campaign bank account and if appropriate, give your campaign treasurer
access.
● Set up an on-line Paypal (or similar service) account to receive credit card donations.
● Get a credit card reader for accepting credit card donations on smart phone/iPad.
● Order fundraising envelopes or develop your own form, buy envelopes and get
address labels.
● For all donations $50 and over, you must collect the occupation and employer of thedonor in addition to their full name and address. $50 is cumulative for a calendar year. •● Accept no cash donations over $100 per year per individual, no corporate donations,and no anonymous donations● There is a limit of $500 per year cumulative for each person. However, if yourcampaign spans over two calendar years, donors may give up to $500 in each calendar
year.
● Learn the APOC rules concerning out of state donation limits, personal loan limits,and no loans within 30 days of the election.
Disclaimer: Always check with the APOC and Municipality of Anchorage to learn if
requirements have changed.
Filing information:● File your Declaration of Candidacy with the Municipal Clerk at the City Hall during thetwo-week period at the end of January, beginning of February. Bring a printed andsigned copy of your POFD/LFD previously filed with the APOC. Follow the MOA website
to learn who your opponents are up to the 5 pm deadline.
● File a Candidate Registration with the APOC within 7 days (for municipal office) after
filing a declaration of candidacy or a nominating petition.
https://myalaska.state.ak.us/apoc/form/Registration/CandidateRegistration/Filings.aspx● The Candidate Registration provides your campaign contact information, designates
your campaign committee, and your campaign depository.
● Until your registration that designates a Treasurer or Deputy Treasurers is filed, only

you, the candidate, may accept/expend campaign funds. Anyone who touches any
donation, even a spouse, or someone at the door of a fundraiser, must be registeredwith APOC as a deputy treasurer.
● You may amend registrations as needed, and once registered, you must filecampaign disclosure reports for the duration of your campaign.
● If you as a School Board candidate anticipate spending/receiving less than $5,000,
including any personal funds you may use, you may file a Municipal/Judicial Exemption
Form. The Exemption Form exempts you from filing campaign disclosure reports for theduration of your campaign.
● However, if you as an exempt candidate exceed $5,000 in financial activity you must
immediately file a Candidate Registration and file each report due after the change instatus, disclosing all activity from the beginning of the campaign on your first report.
Disclaimer: Always check with the APOC and Municipality of Anchorage to learn if
requirements have changed.
Other ideas for promoting your name and campaign ideas:● Design a campaign logo, if desired.
● Design a campaign flyer, if desired.
● Design a campaign webpage, if desired.
● Design a Facebook page for your campaign, if desired. It is suggested that yourcampaign Facebook page and your personal Facebook pages are separate. Don’t
forget to add the campaign ‘paid for’ disclaimer to the Facebook page
● Order campaign buttons featuring logo, if desired.
NOTE: Check with APOC about ‘paid for’ disclaimer requirements before anything is
printed or any Facebook page is launched.
Ideas for running a campaign:● Gather a group of supporters who will assist you in your campaign. Organize a
Google doc sign-up list with fields to host a ‘meet and greet’, host a fundraiser, post ayard sign, help construct large sign supports, put up/take down signs, wave campaign
signs on Election Day, etc.
● Organize a fundraiser. Ask others to host a ‘meet and greet’, do one in your own
home or in a supporter’s home. Note: Save receipts for refreshments as those
expenditures count as a host’s campaign contribution unless your campaign reimburses
the costs. If you use a donated business location, that counts as a campaign
contribution.
Disclaimer: Always check with the APOC and Municipality of Anchorage to learn if
requirements have changed
Tips for dealing with campaign funds:● Set up a spreadsheet with donor’s name, address, email, phone, check #, donation
amount, profession and business name. (Know APOC requirements for all donations

over $50 or for cash donations.)● Photocopy each check before depositing. Photocopy cash donations and label withname and date. Download on-line donation receipts.
● Give all expenditures receipts/check copies to treasurer on a weekly basis.
● Ascertain your treasurer is filing necessary APOC reports throughout the campaign as
you are ultimately responsible.
● Promptly send a thank you (letter or postcard) to each donor.
● Meet with groups wishing to consider supporting your campaign.
● Pick up checks!
Disclaimer: Always check with the APOC and Municipality of Anchorage to learn if
requirements have changed.
Ideas if you choose to use campaign signs:● Determine if you will have large campaign signs, yard signs or bus signs printed
according to your budget (and decide how many of each).
● Reserve People Mover sign placement well in advance.
● Determine design and order signs.
● Find places for large signs. Ask friends and property owners.
NOTE: Inform yourself of MOA/State of Alaska sign rules on the Muni website as there
are many illegally placed signs during each campaign.
● Purchase wood and construct sign supports. Purchase sandbags to hold signs inplace because wind is not your sign’s friend.
● Find volunteers and a truck to pick up and set up signs.
Hint: Choose sign colors that are visible from afar and contrast with the snow and frozen
ground. Secure permission before placing signs. Bring a hammer!

Information if you choose to purchase bus sign placement:• Decide sign placement on left, right or backside of bus; number of buses and number
of weeks which run Monday through Sunday. The price varies on the placement.
• You are not allowed to choose specific bus routes.
• Reserve space well in advance.
• Deliver signs to the MOA bus barn off Tudor.
Disclaimer: Check with the People Mover to learn if procedures have changed.
Tips if you choose to wish to make media buys:● Determine if you will run 1-minute radio ads and/or 30-second TV ads according to
your budget. NOTE: Some stations only allow 30 second radio spots.
● Hire a professional to produce the ads.
● Recruit supporters to record and/or appear in campaign ads and ask for signed media
release forms. NOTE: You may not film on ASD property.
● Hire a professional to place media buys for you.
● If you are working with a professional, determine if you want robo-calls made andflyers mailed out that use the professional's phone and mail lists.
● Determine if you will purchase newspaper ads or have a sticker placed on the front
page. Reserve space far in advance.

Hints for public forums and use of email:● Apprise yourself of ASD rules concerning restrictions or prohibition of campaigning in
ASD schools and the use of ASD emails. The ASD Superintendent will send all
declared candidates this information, or you may call the Superintendent’s
administrative assistant.
● Attend community council meetings and ask the president in advance for permission
to introduce yourself.
● Attend all public forums for school board candidates to which you are invited. (AEA,
ConocoPhillips CAP, HALO, Community Councils, Chamber of Commerce, Bartlett
Club, etc.)● Practice, in advance with your core support team, how to answer questions in 30
seconds to 1-minute.
● Prepare a short 1-minute introductory and closing statement.
On Election Day:
• Vote and remind your supporters to vote too!
• Get a group of sign wavers at major instructions to remind people of your name!
• Head to Election Central after the polls close with a group of your supporters. If it will
occur, it is normally held at the Dena’ina Convention Center or the Egan Center.
• Be prepared for media interviews if you win.
• Thank your supporters and celebrate a good campaign!
• Get ready to roll up your sleeves and go to work!
What’s next?
If you win your race, you will be sworn in to the Anchorage School Board at the first
board meeting AFTER the Assembly meets and certifies the election results. (If theelection is contested, prepare for a delay.)● If you haven’t already been attending board meetings, begin, even before you’re
officially seated and learn the current issues.
● Get in touch with School Board secretary (Katy Grant, grant_katy@asdk12.org) toobtain the new board member checklist.
● The Board president will contact you to set up your orientation.