The Department of Education in Alaska places stringent measures on anyone seeking certificated positions of employment in K-12 classrooms. 

 

Contingent of an offer of employment with LKSD, teachers are expected to obtain a valid State of Alaska teaching license. 

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Teacher certification is your professional responsibility. You should take care of this before you move to Alaska. When a complete application packet has been received by the State of Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) Teacher Certification Department, a yellow card is sent to you verifying that they have processed your application.

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The yellow card should be submitted to the Personnel Office in HR in Bethel. Your actual teaching certificate (which includes a district copy) will not be mailed out from DEED until your fingerprints have cleared, which can take up to four months. 

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Once your certificates are received, the district original must be submitted to the Personnel Office for your file. In the meantime, the yellow card will suffice as evidence of certification. Your certification begins on the date that DEED sends your yellow card. If you do not have your yellow card by your first contract day, you may still begin teaching as a substitute teacher. Your salary will be at your certified rate for up to 20 days as a substitute, however the state does not allow TRS credit until you are certified. 

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We encourage you to visit the department of education's website where you will find a thorough and comprehensive explanation of the steps as part of the application process. However, we've laid out the highlights for you below as a brief overview.