3/17/2026 School Board Recap

 

Key takeaways:

• Goal Monitoring Discussion on College, Career, Life Ready and Math Proficiency
• School Board approves adoption of tentative agreement: Teamsters Local 959, Bus Drivers & Attendant Employees
• Superintendent addresses questions from the Board on the timeline and public notice of school closure decisions
• Board postpones approval of Rightsizing moving costs to the next meeting 
• Motion to rescind the closure of Campbell STEM Elementary School fails 

 

On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 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

 

Work Session Review

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

Goal Monitoring: CCL - Pathway Concentrators Grade 12

The Work Session included a Goal Monitoring discussion that was put on hold during previous Board meetings in order to focus on the budget discussions.

Board Goal:

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

Interim Goal 3.2 CTE Concentrator Status

The percentage of students earning “CTE Concentrator” status by the end of their senior year will increase from 23.3% in June 2023 to 90% in June 2028.

Goal overall progress: 

Far Below Target

 

Priority Action Steps 

PRIORITY ACTION STEP	STATUS  (IN DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATION & TRAINING,IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING,REFINEMENT & SUPPORT, SUSTAINABILITY & SCALING)
Implement a GPA-Based Academic Support System for High School Students, with an early focus on 9th grade.	IN DEVELOPMENT
Implement an Early Warning and Response System for Off-Track and At-Risk High School Students.	REFINEMENT & SUPPORT
Strengthen secondary school attendance culture through relationship-centered practices, consistent messaging, and staff-led outreach strategies focused on students with high absenteeism.	IN DEVELOPMENT
Expand Access for ALL Students to Career-Connected Learning through the Academies of Anchorage.	IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING
Implement a districtwide 8th-to-9th grade transition strategy that includes scheduling 9th graders in College & Career Exploration and Financial Literacy coursework, supported by Freshman Academy structures and guaranteed experiences.	IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

 

ASD presenters:

 

Director College, Career, Life Ready Cindy Chaput

Senior Director Teaching & Learning Sean Prince

Director Career Technical Education Devon Roberts 

 

Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt opened the discussion by emphasizing that students who complete CTE concentrator pathways graduate at significantly higher rates, making this an important indicator for tracking progress toward the District’s graduation goal.

A “CTE Concentrator” is defined as a student who earns at least two credits within a specific CTE program of study beyond the freshman College & Career Exploration experience.

Key Discussion Takeaways:

Strong connection to graduation rates

ASD students who complete a CTE pathway graduate at rates exceeding 94%, reinforcing the importance of this work as part of the District’s broader graduation strategy.

Where are concentrator students?
Most earn concentrator status at their comprehensive high school, with about 74% at the Big 8. King Tech supports the broader system, and additional pathway development is underway at Steller and Polaris.

Student access 

• Participation in CTE courses is increasing among Special Education and English Language Learner students, and most CTE courses are designed to be accessible. However, gaps remain across schools, with some reporting 10–15% concentrators, while others report 20–30%.

• Limited scheduling flexibility can prevent students from accessing CTE pathways in scenarios where students have credit recovery needs or are taking support courses.

   

Reduced Budget impacts

• The FY27 budget is expected to reduce access to CTE programming due to fewer staff (FTE), fewer course sections, and larger class sizes. Loss of support roles and limited counseling capacity may further impact access.
• Budget constraints may limit “guaranteed experiences” and other early pathway supports for 9th-grade students.
• Despite financial constraints, CTE remains a priority and a key strategy for improving graduation rates, and the District will continue adapting to maintain and expand access where possible.

Implement a Districtwide 8th-to-9th grade transition strategy

• Early exposure is viewed as a key lever to improving participation in CTE pathways.

• The College & Career Exploration and Personal Finance course is one way to increase awareness of CTE opportunities early in high school. 

Implement a GPA-Based Academic Support System / Early Warning Supports

• The District is focused on  freshman on-track strategies, GPA monitoring, and early warning systems to reduce the number of students needing credit recovery later in high school.
• Extended School Year (ESY) and Summer School have proven highly successful programs for keeping high school students “on track” to graduation.
• These efforts are intended to improve both graduation rates and access to opportunities like CTE.

Presentation:

Outcome Monitoring January 13, 2026 College, Career, Life Ready “CTE Concentrator Status”

 

Guardrail #2: Culturally Diverse Workforce

Superintendent will not operate without a plan to develop a qualified, diverse, and culturally responsive workforce

Board President Carl Jacobs noted this guardrail is considered reviewed and due to time constraints Board members can email additional questions.

Presentation:

Guardrail #2: Culturally Diverse Workforce

---

Board Meeting Review

Prior to the approval of the agenda School Board Member Dave Donley motioned to move the Superintendent’s update ahead of agenda approval, in order to address concerns about the public notice and timeline related to recent school consolidation decisions. The School Board approved the motion with a vote of 5–1.

Superintendent Update

Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt provided a timeline of events related to the school consolidation proposal in response to Board questions about public notice and process.

• On February 9, the School Board directed the Administration to develop a school closure proposal.

• The Board set a deadline of February 14; the Administration presented the proposal on February 13, one day ahead of schedule.

• This resulted in an 11-day public notice period, during which 148 individuals signed up to testify and approximately 300 written comments were submitted.

• The Board subsequently approved the proposal.
   

Dr. Bryantt emphasized that the Administration acted at the direction of the Board and that only the Board can speak to the rationale for the timeline. He also noted that school closures were not included in the original FY27 budget proposal and were added following Board direction.

 

 

The Agenda as presented was approved by the Board by a vote of 5-1. 

Reports

Student Representative Report

Student Representative Madison Arreola reported that the Student Advisory Board (SAB) recently passed resolutions related to ASD parent activity passes and revisions to foreign language credit-by-choice policies at the middle and high school levels.

 

The next SAB meeting is scheduled for March 24 and will include discussion of budget cuts and their impacts on individual schools.

Arreola also noted a recent District-wide student walkout in response to budget cuts, with particularly strong participation at Polaris K–12. 

 

---

Goals & Guardrail Monitoring

Math Proficiency - Student Achievement, Grades 3-8 MAP Growth Assessment

 

Board Goal:

The percentage of grade 8 students proficient in mathematics on the state summative assessment (currently AK STAR) will increase from 34.5% in May 2023 to 41.5% in May 2028.

 

Interim Goal 2.1:

The percentage of grade 3–5 students at or above the math benchmark* on interim adaptive assessments (MAP Growth) will increase from 51.2% in Spring 2023 to 65% in Spring 2028. 

Goal overall progress: 

Below Target

 

Interim Goal 2.2 

The percentage of grade 6-8 students at or above the math benchmark* on interim adaptive assessments (MAP Growth) will increase from 54.1% in Spring 2023 to 65% in Spring 2028. 

Note: * Benchmark as defined by 40th percentile. Typically, 60% of the overall student population performs at the 40th percentile or above.

Goal overall progress: 

Below Target

 

Priority Action Steps 

PRIORITY ACTION STEP	STATUS  (IN DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATION & TRAINING,IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING,REFINEMENT & SUPPORT, SUSTAINABILITY & SCALING)
M 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 in grades K–8 and Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II (AGA), with a focus on coherent, standards-aligned instruction and conceptual understanding.	COMMUNICATION & TRAINING
M 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
M PASS 3: Leverage the Professional Learning Community (PLC) structure across all divisions to strengthen instruction and accelerate student learning, with a shared focus on data-driven practices that improve 8th grade math proficiency on AK STAR.	IN DEVELOPMENT

 

ASD presenters:

Curriculum Coordinator Amanda Barr 

Senior Director Elementary Education Helena Batman

Senior Director Assessment & Evaluation Chris Optiz

Director Elementary Teaching & Learning Nicole Sommerville 

Senior Director Middle School Education Joe Zawodny

 

Key Discussion Takeaways

Overall Performance & National Context

• AK STAR is considered highly rigorous.
• MAP Growth is a nationally normed assessment, meaning results compare ASD students to peers across the country.
• Updated post-COVID national norms impact comparisons; students nationwide are growing at slower rates.
• ASD students are currently performing slightly above national averages, which is a positive indicator despite being below internal targets.
• A notable increase of 10 percentage points in students entering at benchmark in grades 3–5 is largely influenced by new national norms, not solely instructional changes. 

 

Strengthen Tier 1 Instruction

• The District is prioritizing strong core instruction as the primary driver of improvement.
• High-performing classrooms consistently demonstrate:
  • Strong, daily Tier 1 instruction
  • Effective use of every instructional minute
  • Alignment to high-leverage practices grounded in research
• Sixth grade performance remained relatively consistent after the shift to middle school.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) 

• ASD’s focus is on grade-level access with supports, so students can accelerate learning.
• Administrators say there’s more work ahead, but are seeing strong progress in expanding equitable support, especially for some student subgroups:
  • English Language Learners (ELL) demonstrated notable gains, linked to expanded language development supports
  • Alaska Native/American Indian students are benefiting from relationship-based supports and improved attendance

 

Leverage the Professional Learning Community (PLC) structure

• Learning is strengthened through shifts in teacher instruction. Senior leadership is focused on:
  • Feedback cycles following “learning walks”, a system-level practice to monitor the quality and implementation of instruction
  • Use of common formative assessments
• Variability is more pronounced between teachers than between schools, reinforcing the importance of systemwide instructional consistency.

 

Testing Participation Rates

• Overall participation rates remain strong (above 90%) in neighborhood schools.
• Lower participation is concentrated in some charter and alternative programs, particularly correspondence schools.

 

Budget Impacts & System Constraints

• Budget reductions are impacting:
  • Staffing levels
  • Instructional supports
  • Curriculum coordination capacity 
• The Administration emphasized focusing on what is within control, including:
  • Prioritizing classroom teachers
  • Simplifying initiatives
  • Maintaining focus on core instruction moving forward
     

Presentation from this discussion:

Outcome Monitoring February 3, 2026 Math Proficiency Interim Goal 2.1 & 2.2 MAP Growth 3-5 & 6-8

 

---

 

The following technical report was also introduced by Dr. Bryantt to the Board for future discussion:

 

Reading Proficiency - Student Achievement, Grades K-2 mCLASS DIBELS 8 - Technical Report

 

---

Public Comment

More than 35 community members signed up for public comment, with most expressing concerns or opposition related to the FY27 budget and the Rightsizing vote. Testimony included questions about the public process, the timing of recent or planned bond-funded improvements, and broader impacts such as boundary and redistricting changes tied to school closures.

Consent Agenda

A motion was made by Member Donley to suspend Robert’s Rules in order to reconsider the decision to close Campbell STEM Elementary School. The motion was seconded by Member Pat Higgins. After discussion, it was determined that Robert’s Rules did not allow for reconsideration of the decision. Instead, the appropriate motion was to rescind the prior action, which required a two-thirds majority (four votes with six members present). The motion to rescind the decision to close Campbell STEM Elementary School failed on a 3–3 vote.

The consent agenda, as presented, was approved unanimously by the Board. 

Action Items

ASD Memorandum #143 - Adoption of Tentative Agreement: Teamsters Local 959, Bus Drivers & Attendant Employees

The Board voted anonymously to approve Memo #143. 

ASD Memorandum #142 - Approval of Transfer for Rightsizing Moving Costs

The Board voted 5-1 to postpone ASD Memorandum #142 to the next meeting on April 6, 2026.

The Board discussion is available for playback. 

Non-Action Items

There was no discussion on the Non-Action Items listed on the agenda.

 

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 welcome your feedback and thoughts at TeamASD@asdk12.org.