Proposed grant would add cultural specialists at every elementary school

What happened

The district is proposing to accept year two of a three-year Sealaska Heritage Institute grant, which would fund 2.5 Indian Cultural Specialist positions. The $216,558 in grant support is intended to ensure every JSD elementary school has a dedicated full-time specialist; the item is listed for a first reading, not as an adopted decision.

Why it matters to families

The grant expands culturally responsive, place-based K–5 writing instruction and adds direct academic and cultural support for Alaska Native and American Indian students. The packet says the positions would be grant-funded, with no new general-fund staffing obligation.

The evidence

The Oct. 27 board packet, agenda item 8.4 (pp. 81–82), describes the Year 2, 2026–27 agreement with Sealaska Heritage Institute. It says the grant will fund 2.5 FTE Indian Cultural Specialists at $216,558, alongside existing positions, so every JSD elementary school can have a full-time specialist; the agenda schedules the grant acceptance for first reading.

The source