5/05/2026 School Board Recap

 

Key takeaways:

 

• Students are eating more vegetables 🥦🥕
  Student Nutrition leaders share updates on the Wellness Initiative, including a 30% increase in vegetable consumption among students.
• 7-period middle school schedule for 2026-27 school year has positive impact on teacher positions
  District leaders discussed the staffing impact on continuing the 7-period middle school schedule next year that will maintain a 34 pupil-teacher ratio while restoring teacher positions.
• Staffing and hiring updates continue across ASD
  Human Resources provided updates on staffing displacements, layoffs, and ongoing hiring efforts as the District prepares for the 2026–27 school year.
• One-time funds from Legislature possible
  Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt signaled one-time funds may become available and weighed the pros and cons of investing in more teacher positions versus saving for the looming FY28 budget.
• The Anchorage School Board welcomed new members
  Members Dave Donley and Andy Holleman concluded their service and newly elected Members Rachel Blakeslee and Paul McDonogh were officially sworn in.
• Update on the Campbell STEM court case
  The Superintendent shared an update regarding the Campbell STEM Elementary School court case.

Reminder: The Anchorage School Board will hold a Special Meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 10 a.m. 

During this Special Meeting, the Board will discuss next steps for the FY27 budget, including a new resolution directing the Administration to revise the proposed FY27 budget should the Alaska State Legislature approve and fund a $700 increase to the Base Student Allocation before June 30, 2026. The discussion will also focus on closing the structural deficit and planning for a balanced FY28 budget.

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On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Anchorage School Board held a work session at 4 p.m., followed by a Board meeting at 6 p.m. 

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. 

Student Nutrition Update

 

Wellness Initiative Update

Presenters: 

Marci McGill, Senior Director of Student Nutrition, Anchorage School District

Dr. Juliana Cohen, Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Center for Health Innovation Research and Policy at Merrimack College

Katie Cueva, ScD, MAT, MPH. Research Assistant Professor University of Alaska Fairbanks

Presenters shared an update on the ASD Wellness Initiative. The initiative has been ongoing since 2019 and focuses on:

• At least 20 minutes of seated lunch time (typically within a 25–30 minute lunch period)
• 30 minutes of recess
• Additional movement breaks throughout the school day

Presenters shared updates on both the Student Nutrition service as a whole as well as schools participating in the Wellness Initiative.

Districtwide / Student Nutrition systemwide

• 13 additional Community Eligibility Program (CE) schools added this year, meaning more than 22,000 students with free meal access
• School meal participation up 20% over three years
• Nearly 3.6 million meals projected this year
• Improved meal quality and access at 57 elementary schools through new meal service model contributing to increased entree, fruit & vegetable consumption 

Wellness Initiative-specific

• Approximately 30% increase in entrée consumption
• Approximately 30% increase in vegetable consumption
• Increased fruit and milk consumption
• 30 fewer hunger-related nurse visits annually
• Improved focus, behavior, and attention reported by teachers

Presentation from this meeting

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Budget and Legislative Revenue Bill Recap

 

Presenters:

 

Deputy Superintendent Sven Gustafson

Chief Human Resources Officer Martin Lang 

Chief Financial Officer Andrew Ratliff

 

 

Middle School Update

Deputy Superintendent Sven Gustafson shared that ASD will move forward with the plan to continue a 7-period schedule at middle schools next school year.  This plan allows the District to use a one-time funding strategy to maintain a 34 Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR). Extending for an additional year would allow the planning time needed if the District decides to switch to a 6-period schedule in the 2027-28 school year. 

 

Gustafson shared the impacts of maintaining the 7-period day will positively impact the middle school program in the following ways:

 

• Added 26.6 FTE for middle school staffing
• Filled 22 positions with displaced employees
• Filled 6 positions from middle school layoffs
• Restored 10 core content teacher positions
• Restored 11 elective teacher positions
• Returned 8 teachers to full-time status

These added middle school positions had a positive ripple effect for staffing beyond middle school, resulting in nine high school and two elementary school teacher positions retained.

 

 

Spring Staffing Update

 

Chief Human Resources Officer Martin Lang shared an update on staffing, saying the fiscal year 2027 budget reduces ASD’s staffing positions by 500, nearly 10% of ASD’s current workforce, and likely the most significant reduction in ASD history. 

 

On April 13, ASD held a Rightsizing priority staffing event, where 73 employees displaced due to a school closure were matched with a new school placement for next year.

 

Lang shared ASD will hold on any further staffing related to Campbell STEM while the current court injunction is in place.

 

On April 17 notifications were sent to multiple bargaining units:

◦ 24 ACE layoffs (late March) 

◦ 3 ACE displacements 

◦ 43 TOTEM displacements (may result in layoff- waiting until later in the school year to see if other positions become available) 

◦ 56 AEA layoffs

◦ 203 AEA displacements 

 

On April 29 ASD held its spring staffing event. This event resulted in the following actions: 

◦ Placed all remaining AEA Rightsizing staff not placed during the priority event

◦ Placed 189 AEA displaced staff 

◦ Facilitated 49 AEA voluntary transfers

 

Current Status

 

After the staffing event, remaining vacancies allowed ASD to recall additional laid-off AEA employees in some content areas. Seven content areas remain frozen to outside hiring because of remaining layoff obligations. As future resignations create vacancies, ASD will follow the recall process to fill these positions. AEA staff who are laid off have recall rights for up to three years under the collective bargaining agreement.

 

All other AEA content areas are now open to transfers and external hires.

 

Lang closed by announcing a new teaching preparation program, Green-to-Teach, a certificated teacher pipeline recruitment program that supports military-to-education transition. ASD is partnering with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) to pilot the program in Alaska for service members, veterans, and their spouses.

 

 

Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt and Chief Finance Officer Andrew Ratliff closed the Work Session by sharing a Legislative update.

 

Dr. Bryantt shared one-time funds from the Legislature are likely. He asked for support from the Board on a plan on how those funds may be used, sharing teachers are the most urgent need in the moment for FY27, with the tradeoff of a looming $40M deficit forecasted going into FY28. He specified the plan should detail how to best use potential teacher positions for next year. 

 

Ratliff gave an overview of bills and budgets that include education funding and/or benefit education.

 

Bill #	Title/Topic	Status
HB263	State Operating Budget	Passed by House, moved to Senate
SB214	4 State Capital Budget	Passed by Senate, HFIN amendments
HB261	Education Funding	House Finance - amendments
HB78	Defined Benefit	Awaiting Gov action
SB278	Local Contribution by School Districts	Senate Education
HB28	"Mini-bus" Education Bill	Passed by House, moved to Senate
SB20	CPR Education	Passed by Senate, moved to House
SB23	Civics Education	Passed by Senate, moved to House
SJR28	Supporting J-1 & H-1B VISA Programs	Passed by Senate, moved to House
SJR29	Constitutional Amendment: Education Fund	House Finance - amendments

 

 

Presentation: Middle School, Spring Staffing and Legislative Update

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Board Meeting Review

 

Resources from this meeting:

 

The Agenda as amended was approved by the Board. 

 

Adjournment of 2025-26 School Board - Sine Die

 

Two members ended their service and were adjourned from the Board, Members Dave Donley and Andy Holleman. 

 

Oath of Office of New School Board Members

 

Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Henderson was present to administer the oath of office to swear in the newly elected Board members Rachel Blakeslee and Paul McDonogh.

 

Voting on the Slate of Officers

 

The following positions were nominated, accepted and elected:

 

President, Member Carl Jacobs

 

Vice President, Member Kelly Lessens

 

Clerk, Member Margo Bellamy 

 

Treasurer, Member Rachel Blakeslee

 

Community Reports

 

Board Conference and Committee Reports

 

The Board reorganized committees; President Jacobs shared the new committee chairs: 

 

Communications Chair: Member Margo Bellamy 

 

Finance Chair: Member Rachel Blakeslee

 

Governance Chair: Paul McDonogh

 

Chairs had the opportunity to provide comment.

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Goal Monitoring

 

Guardrails #4

Superintendent will not operate elementary schools without mental health services.

 

Interim Guardrail 4.1 

The number of elementary schools with at least 0.5 full time equivalent (FTE) for mental health services will increase from 41 schools in Fall 2021 to 58 schools in Fall 2026. *Due to rightsizing we now have 55 elementary schools. 

 

ASD Administrators available to answer questions:

 

Senior Director of Mental Health and Student Supports Dr. Dianna Beltran

 

Director Intensive Behavior Supports Alison Lovelace

 

Guardrail #4 Presentation

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Superintendent Update

During his update Dr. Bryantt provided an update on where ASD is at with the Campbell STEM Elementary School litigation. 

A Superior Court judge has issued an order directing ASD to pause further actions related to the closure of Campbell STEM Elementary School while the case moves forward. ASD is complying with this order.

 

This matter is now part of an active legal process.

 

The decision to close Campbell STEM was made by the Anchorage School Board as part of a broader plan to address a nearly $90 million budget deficit and protect classroom instruction and extracurricular opportunities across the District. As part of that decision, the Board reviewed enrollment trends, facility needs, and all known and available funding sources.

 

For transparency and public access, court documents related to this case are available on ASD’s website. 

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Public Comment

 

Consent Agenda

 

The consent agenda as amended was approved by a vote of 7-0.

 

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Action Items

 

ASD Memorandum #149 - Revisions to BP 5041 Health Education (Second Reading)

 

The Board voted 7-0 to approve an amendment to postpone memo #149 to the next regular meeting on May 19, 2026.

 

ASD Memorandum #161 - Personnel Report

 

The Board voted 7-0 to approve an amendment to postpone memo #161 to the next regular meeting on May 19, 2026.

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Board & Administration Comments

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

 

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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. Have a great day.