12/02/2025 School Board Recap

 

Key takeaways:

• Pro Forma Budget for FY27 Projects an $80 million general fund budget gap plus a $3 million transportation fund budget gap
• Goal Monitoring: 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency scores trending far below progress
• Board approves Romig Middle School renovation design, passed and funded by voters on 2024 School Bond
• Superintendent asks for community participation: Balancing Act Budget Workshop set for Saturday at 11 a.m. at Bartlett High School

 

On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, the Anchorage School Board held a work session at 4 p.m., followed by a Board meeting at 6 p.m. Board meetings typically take place the first and third Tuesday of the month. 

 

Work sessions, committee meetings, and Board meetings are open to the public. Meetings take place at the Education Center and can be watched live or on demand on the District’s YouTube Channel.

 

Anchorage School Board Resources:

Calendar of upcoming meetings

School Board meeting agendas

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Work Session Review

The Board Work Session agenda is available to review. A recording of the meeting is available for playback. 

 

The Work Session provided an overview on: 

1. Fiscal Year 2026-27 Pro Forma Budget 
2. OCEANS Academy Charter

 

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Fiscal Year 2026-27 Pro Forma Budget

ASD Presenter:

Chief Finance Officer Andrew Ratliff

 

The Pro Forma budget is a forecast that estimates how much revenue the District will receive under current statutes and how much it will cost to maintain the same level of services provided in the 2025–26 school year. The expense projections include expected changes in cost needed to keep offering those same services. By comparing projected income and expenses, the Pro Forma identifies any potential budget gap.

 

The Pro Forma Budget findings provide the first official look at the District’s general budget challenges for the next year and sets the foundation for the entire budget development process.

 

FY27 Preliminary Budget gap

General Fund Revenue	$588,460,335
General Fund Expenses	$668,749,712
General Fund Budget gap	($80,289,377)

 

How we got here

 

• The State Legislature approved a $700 permanent increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) last session. Along with the use of ASD’s emergency savings, this increase helped balance the budget for the current school year. While the $700 increase was much needed and goes directly into classroom services, the BSA is not inflation-proofed. Over time, the lack of inflation adjustment—creating a mostly flat BSA from FY17 to FY26—has led to ongoing underfunding. To hold the same value it had in FY11, today’s BSA of $6,660 would need to be approximately $8,102.
• Trend: The costs for labor, benefits, and nearly everything else goes up while revenue stays flat or goes down.
• State funding for DEED’s support to school districts has grown only 8% since FY17, while many other state departments have seen increases of 30–50%.
• ASD enrollment has fallen by nearly 7,000 students since FY16.

 

Key Revenue Projections

• + $9M  local property tax increase of  4%
• +$1M “e-rate” reimbursement for telecommunications
• - $49M No additional funding reserves are available (last year $49M was used from ASD’s reserve funds)
• - $15M decrease in state funding formula 
• -$1M decrease in federal revenue 

 

Key Expense Projections

• +$22M salaries, wages, and benefits/medical insurance
• +2M non-personnel expenditures including electricity/phone/internet

 

Transportation Fund Budget Gap

• The Pro Forma Budget projects a $3M deficit in the Transportation Fund. State transportation revenue continues to drop while costs keep rising, widening the gap each year.

 

Upcoming Dates in the FY27 budget process:

This Saturday: Public Budget Solutions Workshop – Dec. 6th

 

This event will take place at Bartlett High School from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will include a presentation from ASD and the opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about the budgeting process to participate in the Balancing Act online tool. The tool simulates balancing the 2026-2027 budget and allows you to submit your ideas directly to ASD leadership.

Dec. 16 Anchorage School Board Meeting 

This agenda will include a Board discussion to guide the Administration in building a balanced budget.

 

Presentation from this portion of the meeting 

 

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OCEANS Academy Charter

 

Guest Presenters:

STrEaM Academy teacher Michael Dickerson

ASD substitute nurse and teacher Beth Busk

Highland Academy teacher Simon Rose

 

The guest presenters returned for a continued discussion to answer questions from the Board on their vision for  OCEANS Academy, what they aspire to be an outdoor charter high school for grades 9–12. The presentation included details on instruction and learning models, a sample semester-long project, daily schedules, graduation plans, advanced course access, parent and volunteer engagement, budget and staffing models, transportation options, safety protocols, and commitments to equitable access and strong family engagement.

 

Presenters emphasized the new charter would be a high school and would not impact current Rightsizing pressures that mainly affect elementary schools. OCEANS Academy is designed to provide a new high school option in East Anchorage to all ASD families, including students who attend STrEaM Academy, an ASD K-8 charter school. The presenters reinforced that OCEANS Academy is intended to meet the increasing demand from ASD families for this type of program and will retain students and families seeking alternative educational options. 

 

The Board had questions on possible site locations for the school and Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt asked the presenters to secure a memorandum of understanding for a campus location prior to submitting their charter application. 

 

Presentation from this portion of the meeting 

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Board Meeting Review

Resources from this meeting:

 

The Agenda, as drafted, was approved by the Board. 

 

Recording

 

Reports

Student Representative Report

Student Representative Madison Arreola shared that the Student Advisory Board met on November 18 with delegates from middle and high schools across the District. During the meeting, students discussed how they show appreciation within their school communities, highlighting activities such as card writing, positive referral systems, gift bags, student and teacher of the month programs, finals-week snacks, service projects, gratitude trees, and principal appreciation events.

 

SAB also heard from Youth Philanthropists of Alaska, who are recruiting officers from each school.

 

In addition, members viewed school spotlights from Highland Academy, Goldenview Middle School, Service High School, and Mirror Lake Middle School, learning more about each school’s mission, mascot, and community.

 

Arreola also reminded students of the upcoming ASD Budget Workshop on December 6 at Bartlett High School.

 

School Business Partnership Report

School Business Partnership (SBP) Board Chair Hannah Meneses and Executive Director Colette Moring provided an update to the Board. Meneses shared that they ended the 2024–25 school year with 538 active partnerships, reflecting strong community commitment to supporting students. SBP helps schools and local organizations build meaningful, sustainable relationships by providing tools, guidance, and training, and by celebrating the impact of these collaborations through events such as the annual networking gathering and the Spirit of Tomorrow Awards. SBP also supports the Academies of Anchorage by helping streamline partner involvement across K–12 schools.

 

Moring shared recent partnership highlights, including monthly support for the District’s attendance cohort—providing coffee for parents, meals for staff, and UAA Athletics assemblies to celebrate improved attendance. SBP will also support this weekend’s budget workshop by providing pizza to encourage community participation. She emphasized that many positive things are happening across ASD thanks to dedicated community partners.

 

SBP update from the presentation

 

Goal Monitoring

The percentage of grade 3 students proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) on the state summative assessment (currently AK STAR) will increase from 32.4% in May 2023 to 46.4% in May 2028.

 

Goal overall progress: 

29.16% Far Below Progress

 

Priority Action Steps 

 

PRIORITY ACTION STEP	STATUS  (IN DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATION & TRAINING,IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING,REFINEMENT & SUPPORT, SUSTAINABILITY & SCALING)
R PASS 1: Strengthen Tier 1 instruction by ensuring consistent use of evidence-based, district-adopted materials and high-leverage instructional practices that support high levels of student learning through a structured, grade-level literacy focused instructional time for all K–5 students, grounded in adopted high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).	IN DEVELOPMENT
R PASS 2: Utilize a research-based MTSS fidelity framework to assess current systems, to ensure timely academic interventions, identify gaps in Tier 1–3 implementation, and adjust practices to ensure equitable access to academic and behavioral supports to improve outcomes for all students through consistent, data-informed implementation.	IN DEVELOPMENT
R PASS 3: Leverage the Professional Learning Community (PLC) structure across all divisions and schools to strengthen instruction and accelerate student learning, with a shared focus on data-driven practices that improve early literacy outcomes and increase 3rd grade reading proficiency on AK	IN DEVELOPMENT

The following ASD presenters were on the panel to answer questions from the Board:

 

Director of Assessment & Evaluation Deanne Carroll

Sr Director of Elementary Education Brenda Cheathon 

Director of Special Education Instruction Jason Hlasny 

English Language Learners Program Director Bobbi Lafferty

Director of Teaching and Learning Nicole Sommerville 

 

The discussion covered the following topics:

 

Processing and Interpreting the AK STAR Results

Administration presented district and school-level AK STAR results, focusing on implications for teacher training, student interventions, and curriculum adjustments. Leaders emphasized that AK STAR must be viewed alongside MClass (K–3 foundational skills) and MAP Growth data, rather than used as a stand-alone measure of student performance.

 

Results came in lower than anticipated. MAP and MClass projected proficiency rates roughly nine percentage points higher than what students ultimately scored on AK STAR. Staff noted that Alaska’s academic standards—and AK STAR scoring in particular—are highly rigorous; for example, a student generally needs to perform around the 70th percentile on the MAP Growth assessments to have a 50/50 chance of scoring proficient on AK STAR.

 

Foundational Skills vs. Reading Comprehension

A major theme was the difference between professional development for teachers in the area of early foundational skills and later comprehension skills.

 

• K–2 MClass assesses decoding, letter-sound knowledge, short-word reading, and oral reading fluency—without requiring comprehension.
   
• ASD has long invested in phonics and foundational skills, and performance in early grades reflects that strength.
   
• The disruption of COVID and the rollout of a new curriculum slowed progress in building comprehension instruction. ASD has rebuilt lost foundational skills and is now focused on strengthening comprehension instruction.
   

Alaska Reads Act

The Alaska Reads Act is still new, and staff cautioned that large-scale initiatives typically require 3–4 years of implementation with fidelity before gains appear. MClass has only been in place for three years, and this year’s third graders began kindergarten during the pandemic with limited early learning opportunities. More time is needed before evaluating the Reads Act’s impact on third-grade proficiency.

 

Concerns over likely loss of federal funding 

A major concern is the likely loss of Title I, II-A, and IV funding that pays for PLTE instructional coaches. These coaches support new teachers, paraprofessionals, long-term subs, and emergency hires; model lessons; and provide training across 55 elementary schools plus charters and alternative programs. Currently only 11 coaches serve the entire system. If funding ends, these positions will likely disappear, leaving significant gaps in teacher support and reading instruction improvement.

 

Understanding of AK STAR terminology

AK STAR provides students with a summative achievement level: Advanced, Proficient, Approaching Proficient, or Needs Support

 

How this relates to MAP data:

• Students near the 70th percentile compared to peers nationally are the most likely to be proficient on the AK STAR
• Students in the 50th–60th percentile bands have solid skills but still need targeted instruction to cross the proficiency threshold on the AK STAR. 

 

ASD’s overall distribution of proficient and non-proficient students is similar to national patterns, but the District aims to outperform national averages. Schools are identifying students near key cut points and designing interventions accordingly.
 

Professional Learning Communities and Instructional Consistency

PLCs remain a primary structure for collaborative planning and intervention design. Teachers review data, identify students near proficiency, and create targeted lessons. Principals focus on ensuring PLC strategies are implemented in classrooms.

 

Onboarding and Supporting New K–3 Teachers

Teacher turnover has created challenges as many teachers who were trained several years ago are now gone. Supports for new educators include the New Educator Symposium, districtwide professional learning days, building induction liaisons, Title-funded mentors, and an ASD lead focused on new-teacher support. However, the demands of the Alaska Reads Act and early literacy expectations mean new teachers need extensive training, and limited Professional Learning Teacher Expert (PLTE) capacity has forced the District to focus almost exclusively on new educators this year.

 

Challenges in Supporting Individual Student Needs

Administration noted that student mobility—how many schools a child attends—may impact reading progress more than teacher tenure. Differentiation is built into the curriculum, but large class sizes make individualization difficult. WIN (what I need) time provides structured intervention blocks, but limited minutes cannot fully offset high student need.

 

High-Dose Tutoring

The District launched high-dose tutoring for about 250 second and third-grade students using new funds available from the legislative increase to the BSA. These students receive tutoring in groups of three or fewer, 30 minutes a day, four days a week. Early mClass results will be shared with the Board. The tutoring is aimed at students with persistent reading challenges, not those near proficiency.

 

Alternative Curricula and School Variation

Schools using alternative reading curricula are included in District totals. Their performance varied—some did well, others not significantly better or worse than CKLA schools. Staff noted that outcomes reflect multiple factors, not curriculum alone.

 

Realism of the Interim Target

With an $80 million deficit, potential class-size increases, and potential loss of professional development funding, the Board questioned whether moving from 29% to 34% proficiency in one year is realistic. MAP and mClass projections show a possible outcome around 35%, but staff emphasized uncertainty. The District is focusing on Tier 1 instruction, PLCs, and targeted interventions while acknowledging resource constraints.

 

Presentation from this discussion

 

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Goal Monitoring: College, Career, Life (CCL) Ready – High School Graduation Rate – Report

 

A technical report was presented to the Board on the topic of CCL:

Board Goal: The percentage of students graduating College, Career, and Life (CCL) ready, as measured by 4-year graduation rates, will increase from 81% in June 2023 to 90% in June 2028.

 

Goal overall progress: On Target

 

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Guardrail Monitoring Report:

Lottery/Application based programs

 

The guardrail report is slightly different from Board goal monitoring as it focuses more on aspects that support the fulfillment of Board goals rather than student outcomes.

 

The Board discussion on the CCL Ready goal and Lottery guardrail reports will take place at the next Board meeting.

 

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Public Comment

Consent Agenda

The consent agenda as amended was approved by the Board. There was no Board discussion about the Consent Agenda items. 

 

Action Items 

ASD Memorandum #042 Romig Middle School 35% schematic design and supplemental educational specifications

This memo recommends that the School Board approve the 35% schematic design and supplemental educational specifications for Romig Middle School renewal project and authorize the Superintendent to use them as a guide for future capital improvements affecting the school and its campus. The funding for this project was approved by voters is April 2024.

The Board voted unanimously to approve Memo #042. The Board discussion is available for playback. 

 

Non-Action Items

Board discussion on non-action items is available for playback.

 

Superintendent Update

During his update, Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt recapped the Pro Forma Budget financial forecast discussion from earlier in the School Board Work Session. When speaking about ways to address the 80-million-dollar deficit, he said “We will get through this. But there is no painless path forward without immense sacrifice and trade-offs.”

 

Zooming Out

Dr. Bryantt reminded the community it’s been a dynamic year addressing funding uncertainties. During last year’s budgeting cycle the decision was made to spend down ASD’s fund balance to a statutory minimum in order to protect classrooms and programs, saying additional funding from the state was uncertain until a few weeks before school started. He called the $700 permanent increase to the BSA a historic and positive moment, however without the one-time $700 per student equivalent that came from ASD reserve funds, the cuts will be of great magnitude. The majority of funding goes to funding people.  

 

He said the North Star is protecting our progress when it comes to our Board goals.

 

Next steps

He noted the District has already implemented a proactive hiring freeze and community feedback will shape the recommendation that is presented to the Board.

 

He invited the community to the Balancing Act Workshop and information session taking place this Saturday at Bartlett High School.

 

A statewide issue

Dr. Bryantt said he will continue to fight for education however he must be realistic that the state is also struggling to develop a long-term fiscal plan. These issues impact all Alaska school districts, not just ASD.

 

He emphasized that this is not a status quo situation “unless there is a miraculous change in our revenue outlook.”

 

He closed by saying that ASD will weather the reality of a $700 per student cut by listening to the voices of the community to understand what trade-offs are supported.

 

School Board & Administration Comments/Communications

The meeting concluded with School Board and Administration comments and communications.

 

This report is from the ASD Administration and summarizes what was presented to the Board during each meeting. We hope that you find these updates valuable. As always, we welcome your feedback and thoughts at TeamASD@asdk12.org.