Anchorage School Board votes to reverse cuts
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - While state education is still being discussed in Juneau, the Anchorage School Board made a move to restore previously approved major cuts at Tuesday’s meeting.
The reversal is in response to HB 57, which has made its way through the legislature, and as of Tuesday, includes a $700 increase to the Base Student Allocation.
“Essentially, passage of [School Board] Memo 153 will avoid laying off any certificated staff, would reverse the displacements that have been started, that displacement process, and it would allow the administration to actually move to external hires in critical strategic areas,” School Board Member Kelly Lessens said during the meeting.
On Wednesday, the Anchorage School District provided more information about what the revised budget would mean. In a prepared statement, the district said:
“The revised budget allocates $39.8 million in anticipated revenue to restore more than 200 teaching positions, prioritize instruction and student support, and preserve critical programs such as IGNITE, immersion, school libraries, elementary counseling, athletics, and summer learning. This action reflects the District’s commitment to protecting classroom experiences and educational opportunities—even amid financial uncertainty."
While an increase of that size would reduce the cuts that ASD is facing, member Kelly Lessons said it doesn’t fund everything and still includes cuts of roughly $23 million.
Board members also emphasized that it is a temporary fix, and that they’ll be facing another deficit next year if more more funding isn’t allocated to the BSA.
“This has been a really difficult year and we’ve already lost some fantastic educators along the way,” said Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt after the memorandum passed. “And at least today’s bold leadership moment from the board means that we can hold on to as many educators as possible.”
The district said in a Wednesday statement that betting on funding that has not yet been approved is “a calculated but necessary risk” based on the strong bipartisan support for HB 57, which has yet to be signed by the governor.
“With this revision, ASD can begin reversing displacements, reassigning staff, and reinstating programs to better meet the needs of students in the year ahead,” the statement said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has until May 19 to sign the bill, veto it, or do nothing and let it pass into law.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
