‘It’s a crying shame’: Hundreds of ASD staff displaced

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Anchorage School District is preparing to displace hundreds of educators this upcoming school year, with the district announcing Wednesday that 185 staff members will be displaced.

Those displacements and job cuts were the result of a lack of state funding for education, the district shared in a letter to ASD families earlier this week.

Brian Lyke, a West High School English and Drama teacher, said he is one of the staff members being moved and lamented the decision.

“It’s a crying shame, and I don’t think it has to happen,” Lyke said in an interview Wednesday.

The district further stated on Wednesday that job cuts were made following close coordination with school principals, as the district considered things such as “seniority, program needs, and student schedule interest.”

Lyke, who has been teaching at West for the past three years, has been working on growing the drama department. He said his position was one of the jobs that hit the chopping block this year.

“My students were shocked when I shared the news with them. Their parents were furious, because of how hard we’ve worked to build something here. And that’s all, just thrown into the fire,” Lyke said. “This isn’t what’s supposed to happen right now. I feel rude to them to have to burden them with this reality right now.

“I really wrestled with whether or not to tell them until after the performance.”

Lyke told Alaska’s News Source his students were getting ready to perform Hadestown at the Alaska Performing Arts Center next week.

“I’m really pleased to be part of the program that is elevated, validated as an example of the best of what Anchorage School district can do, the example of our kids singing their story, sharing their beautiful song of hope, and I don’t know if God has a sense of humor or something,” Lyke said.

Lyke told Alaska’s News Source that he was informed last week of his displacement and formally received an email on Monday. In that email, it stated, that final displacement finalizations would occur on April 23rd and placements would come after that. Additionally, he said, the district told him to pick his top choices of what school he would like to be transferred to.

“I said, ‘What do I have to say to stay at West? I mean, can I put West as my first, second, third, fourth, and fifth choice?‘” Lyke said.

Lyke said he is asking that people contact the state legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy urging them to value and prioritize education.

Currently, House Bill 69 — which would increase the base student allocation (BSA) by $1,000 to $6,960 — is in the Senate after it passed the House 24-16 last month.

According to Senate Education Chair Löki Tobin, the Senate Education Committee crafted a committee substitute to present that she said includes the extra $1,000 BSA.

“We believe a $1,000 is a reasonable and significant increase as well as one that we will continue to receive strong support,” Tobin said.

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, previously voted no against the House bill.

“I voted the way I did on HB 69 because I am not confident the legislature can sustainably fund it. I have supported a permanent increase to education funding in the past and continue to do so, but we need to be able to sustain that funding for more than just a few years,” Stapp said.

Alaska’s News Source reached out to the governor’s office for comment, but his press office said he was unavailable for an interview.

Last year, Dunleavy vetoed a bill that also included an increase to the BSA. He backed up his veto by saying that it lacked educational reforms that were offered in past education bills.

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