• ASD is looking at closing schools in order to right-size district infrastructure. ASD has approximately 5,000 fewer students than we had 10 years ago, but hasn’t significantly reduced the infrastructure.

• ASD currently has 18 schools operating at < 65% capacity and 19 schools operating at > 95% capacity. Click here to view the enrollment numbers.

• There are initial cost savings when schools are closed and students merge with other schools, but the state formula provides more funding for smaller schools, so ultimately the decision to close a school is not purely financial.
• The biggest impacts of closing a school, and combining multiple schools, are increased instructional and operational efficiency at larger schools and more opportunities for students:
  • Increases the efficient use of specialized services
  • Increases operational efficiency for school and support staff

• Elementary school services challenged by small student body & faculty size include:

  • Art
  • Music
  • Physical Education
  • Library Services
  • Literacy Coaching
  • School Counseling
  • Health Services
  • SpED teachers & related services (OT/PT, speech pathologists,psychologists, etc.)
  • English Language Learner resources
  • Other special services
• Secondary school services challenged by small size include:
  • Course offerings
  • Master schedule viability (class section delivery times that work for busy students)
  • Sports and extracurricular activities
  • Special services as identified in the elementary listing above
• ASD’s immersion programs are NOT being recommended for cuts.

Campus closure conversations started before the pandemic due to declining enrollment and budget concerns. Yes, closing schools will save money. However, the main objective is to right size the Anchorage School District’s facilities due to declining enrollment.

Each elementary school that is closed would save the District approximately between $300,000 – over $800,000 per year, depending on what happens with the building. School closures are being recommended not only to balance the FY24 budget, but also to address the continuing downward trend in enrollment. Enrollment is trending down by about 2% each school year. The closures will save the District approximately 4 million dollars but will also provide efficiencies in staffing the remaining schools.

Closures recommended in round one would occur after the end of the 2022-23 school year, and staff and students would relocate to new campuses for the start of the 2023-24 school year.

The Anchorage School Board will make final decisions about school closures in December 2022.

The process for consideration included identifying low-utilization schools where student bodies could be combined and staff service levels could be enhanced or made more efficient.

The criteria included:

• Current and desired level of service based on enrollment
• Enrollment decline- Pandemic was a catalyst for parents to try a variety of educational opportunities and many families chose not to return. It has affected districts nationwide by about 3%.
• School condition and age
• Prior investment
• Boundaries
• Pedestrian function (Four of the recommended schools are located in an area where the schools are not separated by four-lane arterial streets. It is an effective national practice to have one school in a major arterial box in order to balance neighborhoods where there are a couple schools.)
• Transportation
• Special programs
• Future growth
• Alternative use

• Zones
  • North of E 88^th Ave will go to Kasuun
  • South of E 88^th Ave will go to Trailside
• Student counts as of February 22
  • 143 students will go to Kasuun
  • 33 students will go to Trailside
  • 20 students who previously had a zone exemption will return to their neighborhood school; these folks were contacted by Principal Edwards. 

One main factor was to combine schools in neighborhoods where there is a dense concentration of low-utilized schools. Four of the recommended schools are located in an area where the schools are not separated by a four-lane street. It is effective national practice to have one school on a major roadway in order to balance neighborhoods where there are a couple of schools.

Teachers will follow the students. Class sizes are not anticipated to increase based solely on school closures.

Transportation will be provided to those eligible, and that is being factored into the metrics for each site.

Pedestrian function was an important factor. It is effective national practice to have one school on a major roadway in order to balance neighborhoods where there are a couple of schools.

There are a variety of services and programs offered across ASD. Some services are required by law and some programs and services were school site decisions.  ASD must look at each one separately.

ASD is considering more options to include additional closures, repurposing, consolidation, reconfiguration, campus start and end times, and more. Community feedback is critical to every step of our process. It will be part of the decision process.

Take the Survey

Town Hall Meetings

Town hall meetings for the recommended campus closure locations will be held Nov. 2 through Dec. 1. District leaders from general education, special education, and transportation will be present to answer questions.

Town Hall Meeting Information

• ASD’s Virtual program enrollment has reduced significantly as students move back to our school buildings. It is time to reduce the size and cost of this program while continuing to offer virtual learning opportunities for some students.
• Middle School teachers have additional “team time” in their weekly schedules, compared to either elementary or high school students. Changing Middle School to 5 planning periods per week saves 24.2 FTE for the district, reducing overall cost by $2.9 million.
• The staff is looking at other models to optimize middle school learning, while reducing nearly $3 million in additional costs.

• ASD maximized federal relief funds known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), to maintain class size this school year.
• The amount of funds is equivalent to the cost of a Pupil to Teacher Ratio (PTR) increase of 10. The projected FY 24 deficit assumed that these teacher positions were moved from ESSER funds to our district’s operational funds.
• +5 increase to PTR reduces 273.5 teacher full time equivalent (FTE) for a savings of $32.2 million. This is roughly equivalent to the amount of unallocated State Bond Debt Reimbursement (SBDR) funds discussed in substitute memo #24 discussed at the 9/14/22 finance committee meeting.
• These charts below were developed to provide the community with an estimated value of maintaining class sizes. The Administration is not currently recommending any PTR changes for next school year.

If the entire immersion program were cut, which was never recommended by the Administration, it would have saved over $2 million. Instead of cutting the program, the Administration originally recommended capping 3 of the newer immersion programs at elementary school, retaining all middle school immersion currently in effect, and changing the way immersion was delivered at high school by allowing students to take AP classes and take classes at universities.

The district has proposed making modifications to Immersion programs to bring the class sizes in line with other classes which would make the costs of the program similar to other classes. In addition Closing and repurposing six schools, District Administration and School Staff Metric reductions, IGNITE, and moving 6^th Grade to Middle School. Other options include the use of Fund Balance, state one-time funds, increasing the Pupil to Teacher Ratio (PTR), as well as additional reductions the staff is currently analyzing.

Closing and repurposing six schools, District Administration and School Staff Metric reductions, IGNITE, and moving 6^th Grade to Middle School. Other options include the use of Fund Balance, state one-time funds, increasing the Pupil to Teacher Ratio (PTR), as well as additional reductions the staff is currently analyzing.

• Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media: "Anchorage School Board recommends closing Abbott Loop Elementary among other preliminary budget cuts" Published: December 19, 2022
• Lauren Maxwell, KTUU: "Anchorage School Board votes to keep Abbott Loop on closure list and hears plan to make-up snow days" Published: December 19, 2022
• Emily Goodykoontz, ADN: "Anchorage School Board green-lights closure of Abbott Loop Elementary, among other cuts" Published: December 19, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "As Anchorage School Board members weigh budget cuts, most proposed elementary school closures are looking unlikely this year" Published: December 18, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Now facing a $48 million deficit, Anchorage district and school board officials look at cuts and closures ahead" Published: December 11, 2022
• Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Anchorage School District budget deficit drops to $48M" Published: December 11, 2022

• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "At Anchorage’s Klatt Elementary, staff and parents worry about transition for low-income and special education students if school closes" Published: November 25, 2022
• Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Somber ASD townhall for possible closure of Abbott Loop Elementary" Published: November 22, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Anchorage School District proposes moving 6th grade to middle school to reduce costs" Published: November 16, 2022
• Georgina Fernandez , KTUU: "Eliminating the immersion program is a cost too high, some ASD parents fear" Published: November 9, 2022
• Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Emotions run high at first ASD town hall for possible school closures" Published: November 4, 2022
• Lauren Maxwell KTUU: " Proposed school closures raise questions for students and staff at Northwood Elementary" Published: November 4, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "In East Anchorage, families and neighbors reckon with the potential closure of a beloved elementary school" Published: November 4, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Anchorage School District recommends program cuts and consolidations, plus repurposing plans for closed schools" Published: November 3, 2022
• Rebecca Palsha, KTUU: "School closures, outsourcing sports, cuts to orchestra and band, immersion — ASD braces for dramatic cuts" Published: November 2, 2022
• Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Anchorage School Board discusses more options to cut costs in district" Published: November 2, 2022

• Kelly Lessens and Carl Jacobs, ADN: "OPINION: The fate of more than 6 schools is at stake this November" Published: October 23, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Shock and heartbreak for parents and teachers as Anchorage begins to process school closure recommendations" Published: October 20, 2022
• Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Shock, sadness expressed by parents, teachers at Anchorage schools facing closures" Published: October 19, 2022
• Tim Rockey, KTUU: "Six Anchorage schools could face closure next school year" Published: October 18, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Anchorage School District recommends closing 6 elementary schools amid budget crisis" Published: October 18, 2022
• Katie Anastas, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage: "Anchorage School District considers closing schools to help fill budget gap" Published: October 8, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "School closures likely as Anchorage School District reckons with a budget crisis" Published: October 8, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Anchorage School Board allocates almost $60 million in one-time state funding" Published: October 5, 2022
• Katie Anastas, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage: "Anchorage parents, students ask school board to keep funding for language immersion programs" Published: October 5, 2022
• Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Packed Anchorage School Board meeting unveils revisions to fiscal year budget" Published: October 5, 2022
• Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Leaky roofs and a looming deficit" Published: October 1, 2022

• Katie Anastas, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage: "A variety of factors created the $68M budget shortfall" Published: September 26, 2022
• Shannon Cole and Lex Yelverton, KTUU: "Cuts and closures loom for Anchorage School District" Published: September 20, 2022
• Fernandez,Georgina, Alaska Public Media: "ASD facing deficit, taps principals for budget feedback" Published: September 14, 2022
• Anastas, Katie, Alaska Public Media: "Anchorage School District braces for tough decisions on budget cuts" Published: September 08, 2022
• Krakow, Morgan, ADN: "With looming budget deficit, Anchorage School District faces potentially tough calls" Published: September 07, 2022