Alaska Commissioner of Education
| Alaska Commissioner of Education | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Nonpartisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $159,432 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $1,792,867,300 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | Serves at pleasure of Board |
| Authority: | Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 27, Section 10 |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by State Board of Education & Early Development |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Alaska Commissioner of Education
Deena Bishop | |
| Other Alaska Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Attorney General•Comptroller•Education Commissioner•Revenue Commissioner•Agriculture Director•Insurance Director•Natural Resources Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Regulatory Commission | |
The Alaska Commissioner of Education & Early Development is a state executive position in the Alaska state government. The commissioner is the principal executive officer of the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, which manages the state's public school system.
Current officeholder
The current Alaska Commissioner of Education is Deena Bishop (nonpartisan). Bishop assumed office in 2023.
Authority
The education commissioner's authority is based in statute, which establishes the commissioner as the principal executive officer of the Department of Education & Early Development.[1] Technically, the Board of Education and Early Development, which is also appointed by the governor, is at the "head" of the department.
Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 27, Section 10
| There is at the head of the Department of Education and Early Development a Board of Education and Early Development. The commissioner of education and early development is the principal executive officer of the department. |
Qualifications
Like all principal executive officers in the Alaska government, the commissioner of education must "furnish corporate surety bonds in the instance and amount required by law," the cost of which is paid by the state.[2] Additionally, the commissioner must have "at least a master's degree with five years of experience in the field of education since receiving it, with at least three of the five years in an exclusively administrative position."[3]
Alaska Statutes, Title 14, Chapter 7, Section 145
| (b) The commissioner shall be appointed without regard to political affiliation and shall have at least a master's degree with five years' experience in the field of education since receiving it, with at least three of the five years in an exclusively administrative position. |
Appointments
According to Alaska law (AS 14.7.145), the commissioner of education is appointed by the Board of Education & Early Development, subject to approval of the governor.[3] However, a separate statute, AS 39.05.030, provides that the governor appoints the head of each "principal executive department" and that each executive serves at the pleasure of the governor.[4]
Alaska Statutes, Title 14, Chapter 7, Section 145
| (a) The board shall appoint the commissioner of education and early development subject to the approval of the governor. The commissioner shall be the principal executive officer of the department.
... (c) The commissioner serves at the pleasure of the board... |
Alaska Statutes, Title 39, Chapter 5, Section 30
| (a) Each principal executive officer serves at the pleasure of the governor. |
Term limits
There are no term limits for the office of education commissioner. The officeholder serves at the pleasure of the Board of Education & Early Development.
Vacancies
Alaska law does not prescribe any particular procedure for dealing with vacancies. It is the Board of Education & Early Development's responsibility to appoint a new education commissioner, subject to approval from the governor.
Duties
As the principal executive of the Department of Education & Early Development, the commissioner's duties are to execute the responsibilities of the department. According to statute, those duties include administering state schools, a state historical library and operating school facilities.[5]
Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 27, Section 20
| The Department of Education and Early Development shall
(1) administer the state's program of education at the elementary, secondary, and adult levels, including, but not limited to, programs of vocational education and training, library services, and correspondence courses, but not including degree programs of postsecondary education; (2) administer the historical library; and (3) plan, finance, and operate related school and educational activities and facilities; |
State budget
- See also: Alaska state budget and finances
The budget for the Department of Education and Early Development in Fiscal Year 2025 was $1,792,867,300.[6]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The Alaska Commissioner of Education's salary is bound to a range determined by statute; it must be no less than Range 28 of the Alaska executive branch employee salary schedule nor more than Range 30.[7]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $159,432, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $141,160, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the commissioner received a salary of $141,160, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the commissioner received a salary of $85,248 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the commissioner received a salary of $85,248 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the commissioner's salary was increased to $141,156, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the commissioner's salary was increased to $137,712, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the commissioner was paid an estimated $136,350, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the commissioner was paid an estimated $135,000, according to the Council of State Governments.
Historical officeholders
There have been 27 Commissioners of Education since 1917.[18]
| List of Officeholders from 1917-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | |||
| 1 | Lester D. Henderson | 1917-1929 | |||
| 2 | Leo W. Bruer | 1929-1931 | |||
| 3 | William K. Keller | 1931-1933 | |||
| 4 | Anthony E. Karnes | 1933-1940 | |||
| 5 | James C. Ryan | 1941-1951 | |||
| 6 | Everett R. Erickson | 1951-1953 | |||
| 7 | Don M. Dafoe | 1953-1959 | |||
| 8 | Howard A. Matthews | 1959 | |||
| 9 | Theo J. Norby | 1959-1962 | |||
| 10 | William T. Zahradnicek | 1963-1967 | |||
| 11 | Clifford R. Hartman | 1967-1971 | |||
| 12 | Marshall L. Lind | 1971-1983 | |||
| 13 | Harold Raynolds, Jr. | 1983-1986 | |||
| 14 | Marshall L. Lind | 1986-1987 | |||
| 15 | William G. Demmert | 1987-1990 | |||
| 16 | Jerry Covey | 1991-1995 | |||
| 17 | Dr. Shirley J. Holloway | 1999 | |||
| 18 | Richard S. Cross | 1999-2000 | |||
| 19 | Dr. Shirley J. Holloway | 2001-2003 | |||
| 20 | Roger L. Sampson | 2003-2007 | |||
| 21 | Barbara Thompson | 2007-2008 | |||
| 22 | Larry LeDoux | 2008-2010 | |||
| 23 | Michael Hanley | 2011-2016 | |||
| 24 | Susan McCauley (interim) | 2016 | |||
| 25 | Michael Johnson | 2016-2022 | |||
| 26 | Heidi Teshner (acting) | 2022-2023 | |||
| 27 | Deena Bishop | 2023-Present | |||
Recent news
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Contact info
Address:
801 West 10th Street, Suite 200
Juneau, AK 99811
Phone: (907) 465-2800
Fax: (907) 465-4156
See also
| Alaska | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 44.27.010," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.050," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Alaska Legal Resource Center," "Alaska Statutes 14.07.145," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.030," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 44.27.020," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Office of Management and Budget, "Department Totals - FY2025," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.20.080," accessed June 1, 2011
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ Alaska State Library Historical Collections, "Alaska Commissioners of Education-Chief State School Officer," accessed July 27, 2013
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