Haines schoolAfter hiring a new Kindergarten and High School English teacher, the Haines School District is fully staffed for next year.

The school board approved the new hires at its Tuesday evening meeting. Kindergarten teacher Sarah Vosz has taught in the small Alaska village of St. Mary’s for the past five years. English teacher Alex Van Wyhe is set to graduate from University of Alaska Fairbanks this May with a Master’s Degree in education.

The school board also approved a $500 expenditure to help pay for the fourth grade’s annual field trip to Skagway and Whitehorse. The students will learn about the Klondike Gold Rush and visit the Beringia Interpretive Center.

The board briefly discussed the state standardized tests, which were canceled last week due to problems connecting to the testing vendor’s online server in Kansas. School Board President Anne Marie Palmieri said the data from last year’s Alaska Measures of Progress, or AMP, tests would have limited usefulness, since they won’t be able to compare it to the previous assessments or the new exams to come.

The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for May 10.