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Dillingham City School District starts the year with a new superintendent

Avery Lill/KDLG

Jason Johnson is the new superintendent for the Dillingham City School District. 

Some changes are on the docket for Dillingham city schools this year. According to Johnson, the school is looking to expand offerings for at-risk students, grow the special education program, and incorporate more cultural activities into the curriculum.   

“One of the huge things we’re pushing is some cultural initiatives this year to do more locally relevant things for the kids," he explained. "We’ve put a district-wide goal in place to use our professional development days in direct response to the cultural standards for Alaska. So, we’re really excited about what that’s going to look like and the new opportunities that’s going to bring for the students.”

By next year, he also hopes to have a language revitalization app available to help students learn Yup’ik.

"I'm really excited to work for a school board who's really supportive of a new direction as far as supporting our students through culture, supporting our at-risk students and bringing new programs into the building" he said. "I am so thankful to have a team that's worked so hard already in the first weeks to build a future here." 

Johnson came to Dillingham from the Andrew K. Demoski School in Nulato, Alaska, where he worked as principal and a coach. He began teaching in the region in 2014. He has also taught in the Dominican Republic and served in the Indiana National Guard.

Contact the author at isabelle@kdlg.org or 907-842-5281.

Izzy Ross is the news director at KDLG, the NPR member station in Dillingham. She reports, edits, and hosts stories from around the Bristol Bay region, and collaborates with other radio stations across the state.