UCSD Board of Education receives

OUTSTANDING BOARD AWARD FOR 2006

by the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB)

ANCHORAGE -- The Unalaska City School District earned top honors with the Outstanding School Board Award for 2006 by the Association of Alaska School Boards. At the group's annual conference Nov. 9-12 in Anchorage, Beth Betts, president of the Copper River School Board, took individual honors with the Outstanding School Board Member Award.

"The Unalaska City School Board ranks high when it comes to growth in student achievement, education leadership, community engagement and participation in state and national education efforts," said Carl Rose, AASB Executive Director. "The community is fortunate to have such a dedicated and talented board leading its public school system."

The Outstanding School Board Award was accepted by the entire Unalaska board, including President Tammy Fowler Pound, Juanita Lewis, Sonia Handforth-Kome, Rick Kniaziowski, Melanie Magnusen and student representative Robyn Burt. Superintendent Darrell Sanborn, who was honored as the 2007 Superintendent of the Year by the Alaska Association of School Administrators, joined his board at the AASB conference, which was attended by more than 300 school leaders from around Alaska.

Betts, of Copper Center, has served on the Copper River School District Board of Education since 1999. She is an active advocate for public education in the halls of the State Capitol. The district's students were among the top performers in the state in 2005-06 when measured for math and language skills. Betts is now the President of the AASB Board of Directors.

"The youth and families of the Copper River School District are fortunate to have a dedicated and insightful leader like Beth Betts in a key policy position," said Rose.

Founded in 1954, the AASB is a non-profit organization that serves 53 school districts with a wide variety of services, from legislative lobbying and research to training for new board members. Since passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the organization also has launched the Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE) to bolster public involvement in the lives of children. The AASB Consortium for Digital Learning was established this year to organize the distribution of $5 million in state grant funds for the purchase of laptop computer technology in Alaska public schools. AASB is governed by a 15-member board elected from all regions of the state.