Juneau school staffing gaps hit gifted, support programs
Published 11:30 am Saturday, September 12, 2026
Two districtwide Teaching and Learning specialists — one from the gifted education program and one from the English learner services — were moved into Auke Bay Elementary classrooms this fall as the Juneau School District worked to cover teaching vacancies.
A Sept. 2 district staffing report says the two teaching and learning employees were involuntarily assigned to Auke Bay while administrators continue recruiting permanent replacements. District officials cautioned that positions listed as vacant do not necessarily represent classrooms without teachers because some are being covered through temporary transfers, contractors, retired educators or employees awaiting certification.
The temporary moves have helped keep regular classrooms staffed, but they have reduced personnel available for other student programs. JSD reported Tuesday, Sept. 8 that it currently has no teachers working in its Talent Enrichment and Development program, which serves gifted students, after receiving no qualified applicants for two full-time openings.
The district hopes the reassigned TED teacher can return to the program by mid-September.
Rather than continue seeking applications for the two remaining full-time positions, JSD split the equivalent workload into smaller jobs in an effort to attract candidates: two half-time positions and five positions at 0.2 full-time equivalent. The report says assessments, learning plans and services can proceed once staff are in place.
TED is the district’s program for students identified as gifted. JSD policy calls for those students to receive differentiated instruction and individualized learning plans developed with participation from teachers, parents, and students. The program is designed to provide work beyond the regular curriculum, including higher-level and creative-thinking instruction.
English learner services are operating with two full-time teachers while the third employee covers a regular classroom vacancy. Those teachers are completing beginning-of-year screenings at elementary schools, and the district said it has a tentative plan for providing services with the reduced staffing. Administrators also hope to return the third teacher to the program by mid-September.
Another 12 teachers are working under emergency certificates, including three in general education and nine in Student Services. Teaching and learning officials said principals are being provided support for mentoring and training the three general education teachers, while the department is working with Student Services to assist the other nine.
JSD’s Student Services department said certified special education teachers have been paired with its emergency-certified teachers to provide supervision and help with case management. Special education staffing otherwise entered September closer to full strength, with one adaptive physical education teacher opening and all other special education teaching positions reported filled.
Paraeducators are another area of need. Interviews and placements were underway for 10 open positions as of the Sept. 8 board report.
Student Services also has an administrative vacancy after Nicole Boghosian resigned at the beginning of August. Federal special education grant funding is expected to support additional paraeducators, another Student Services administrative assistant, and contracted assistance for an assistive technology coordinator, though final approval was still pending when the report was prepared.
The district cautions against treating its official vacancy total as a count of unstaffed classrooms. Teachers hired but awaiting Alaska certification continue to appear as vacant in the staffing system, as do some jobs held by eligible retired teachers rehired under state law. Student Services contractors can also occupy positions officially recorded as vacant.
When a traditional hire cannot be made, JSD can also divide a full-time position into smaller assignments, sometimes allowing existing teachers to take on additional duties during preparation periods. The district calls the practice “fractured FTE.”
Superintendent Shawn Arnold’s September report identified substitute teacher availability and specialized classified support among the district’s critical coverage areas entering the school year. The district is also reviewing contracted special education services as it works through staffing needs.
Staffing will continue to change as recruitment and placements are completed, the district said. Its Sept. 2 report describes the figures as a snapshot rather than a fixed vacancy count.
