Lower Kuskokwim School District
Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD), or Bethel Public Schools, is a school district headquartered in Bethel, Alaska. it is the largest rural school district in the state, with 4,300 students. Employment and teacher demographics. In 2017 it had about 300 certified teachers, with about 20% being Alaska Natives, the highest percentage of any Alaskan school district. The district, as of 2017, pays for the education of prospective teachers, sending them to University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF); the district pays all of a student's costs if they go to UAF; the LKSD board also offers scholarships  for students attending other universities. The stipulation is that students who get the scholarships are obligated to teach at LKSD, with one year of teaching per year of scholarship. In 2013 LKSD began requiring teachers without university degrees to work towards getting them, and in 2017 it set a ten-year deadline for doing so. Most of its non-certified teachers taught in rural schools. According to Alaska state law a person without a university degree may still become a full-time teacher if he/she has fluency in a native language of Alaska. The district prioritizes hiring teachers with  Yupik language skills and has a preference for local teachers. In the period 2007-2012 it had an annual teacher turnover rate of 15%, or 60-70 teaching jobs, lower than many rural school districts though higher than urban ones. Schools. Bethel schools. Regular: Other: