Anchorage School Board to consider new budget that restores teacher positions and program cuts

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An education funding bill passed by the legislature on Wednesday is giving new hope that deep cuts in the Anchorage School District budget can be restored.

The legislature passed HB 57 Wednesday afternoon. The legislation includes a $700 boost to the per-pupil funding formula known as the BSA.

Wednesday evening saw an emergency meeting of the Anchorage School Board’s Finance Committee, where Finance Committee Chairperson Kelly Lessens proposed a budget that reverses most staffing cuts to teachers, nurses, and librarians but also restores popular programs like Ignite for gifted learners and all middle and high school sports, as well as immersion programs.

The proposed ASD budget document presented at the Finance Committee meeting is based not on a $700 increase to the BSA but a $560 increase, which the administration says may be a more realistic number by the end of the session. ASD Superintendent Jharret Bryantt called the figure a calculated risk of what the district might actually receive.

“This does not deal with the full extent or capability of the bill (HB 57),” said School Board Finance Committee Chairperson Kelly Lessens at the Wednesday meeting. “This is looking at truly stopping some of the bleeding. This is a first look at what we might do, an initial allocation of some of what might pass in the state operating budget.”

Governor Dunleavy has not said whether he will sign the bill, but it does include many of the provisions he asked legislators to include. School Board President Andy Holleman said there is strong support for education funding in the legislature.

“We feel like certainly there is a strong push from the legislature to do something significant,” Holleman said. “Whether or not it stays at $700 is hard to say; there’s still a funding bill at the end. But what I’ve heard from several people in the legislature is this is something they believe they can make happen, whether the Governor chooses to cooperate or not.”

Holleman said an $700 increase to the BSA essentially matches what the district is spending now. Holleman said the figure doesn’t mean there will be “extra” money if it does eventually pass, but it does mean most staffing levels and programs would be able to stay the same next school year.

“We basically are looking to try to step back to where we were this year,” Holleman said. “We’re not assuming right now that the $700 will hold. We’re looking more at revising the budget based on a $560 number with the hope that $700’s coming, so not everything will happen right away.”

Holleman said restoring displaced teachers will be a priority, acknowledging the stress that budget cuts have caused, particularly on staff. He said ASD Human Resources is working on a plan that will bring staff back to their original schools.

The revised budget will be presented to the Anchorage School Board at its upcoming meeting this Tuesday, where Holleman said they will vote on it. Holleman said if the full $700 increase does come to pass, or even if the amount is lowered, the district will revise the budget again.

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