• Dr Bryantt

    Message from the Superintendent


    As part of the Rightsizing ASD effort, a list of schools has been recommended for closure, consolidation, and repurposing, along with recommendations for boundary changes. These recommendations will be phased in over the next three years.

    I understand that hearing about potential school closures can bring up many emotions, especially as schools play a vital role in our communities. However, the district has reached a point where tough decisions are necessary to ensure we continue providing a high-quality education that prepares students for college, career and life. 

    Our community is changing. We have seen a decline in enrollment that mirrors broader trends within the Anchorage population. Additionally, more families are opting for different learning modalities, with correspondence school enrollment doubling over the past decade. 

    While our student population decreases, the demand for student support services is increasing. Schools with low enrollment face challenges in providing the same level of service that larger schools can offer. Specialty teachers, such as those in art, music, PE, and special education, must often travel between multiple schools, limiting the time they can dedicate to individual students. In elementary schools, combined classes are becoming more common, and smaller middle and high schools have reduced course offerings and access to sports and extracurricular activities.

    Meanwhile, our school buildings continue to age; the average age of an ASD facility is 37 years, with several needing critical upgrades and maintenance. In the past, state funding covered a significant portion of school facility costs, but since 2015, that support has diminished. The backlog of deferred maintenance has skyrocketed from under $170 million to over $1 billion, putting additional strain on our resources.

    Since April, we have been thoroughly researching each of our school buildings and closely analyzing data. I assure you that this process has been taken very seriously, with community and staff input helping guide the decisions we are making to support our students and staff.

    We encourage you to participate in one of the upcoming Community Conversations, where the district will discuss the recommendations and answer questions. 

    Together, we can navigate these changes and work toward a solution that best serves our students and the community.

     

    Community Conversations

      Why now?

      • School Kids

        The Anchorage School District (ASD) is initiating the Rightsizing ASD initiative due to pressing needs and changing community dynamics. 

        ASD’s infrastructure is aging; many buildings are over 30 years old and in need of critical upgrades and maintenance. As our buildings age, our population is decreasing. Demographic shifts in Anchorage include a decrease in working-age adults and fewer students enrolled in ASD over the past decade. 

        However, more families are opting for different modalities of learning, resulting in enrollment in ASD choice programs having grown over time. Most of ASD’s charter schools are housed in leased buildings with high rent payments or in buildings that are unsuitable in size or design to fully accommodate their growing enrollment.

        Our underutilized campuses present a major barrier that could be sustainably addressed with an intentional school consolidation plan. ASD is seeking community input to thoughtfully reimagine, redesign, and rightsize ASD to offer a world-class education tailored to future realities, conditions, and resources.


         

      Education service

      • student

         

        ASD’s students require more specialized services, beyond the education classroom, than in the past.

        Schools with low enrollment are challenged with providing the same level of service that can be supported at larger schools. Small schools see the following impacts across a district as large as Anchorage.

        • Specialty teachers (art, music, PE, and special education) and Specialists (speech, counseling, literacy coaches, occupational & physical therapists, speech language pathologists, etc.) spend significant amounts of time traveling to multiple schools, lowering the amount of time they can spend with students.

        • Combination classes in elementary schools have become more common. For instance, there may be only one 1st grade class and one 2nd grade class that are both small, so they are merged in order to make up a whole class. These combined classes make it more difficult for teachers to spend individual time with each student.

        • At middle and high schools, small enrollments end up reducing course offerings, the amount of times desired classes can be taught in a single day, and access to sports and extracurricular activities.

        • Schools with 3 or more sections per grade (3 first grade classes, 3 second grade classes, etc.) generally have more resources for students. 

        • Schools with less than 2 sections per grade will routinely see many or most of the challenges discussed in the preceding bullets.

        In addition, correspondence school enrollment has more than doubled in the last decade.


        54% Increase in intensive needs students

        118% Increase in correspondence students

      Aging facilities

      • The Anchorage School District operates and maintains 91 facilities; 84 schools and 7 operational facilities. The average age of district facilities is 37 years. There are 33 facilities over 50 years old, including 16 facilities that are 60 years or older.

        The State provided the bulk of the funding for school district facilities, by providing 60% - 70% reimbursement for school bonds, until 2015. Since January 2015, the State has not provided any bond debt reimbursement to the school districts. Deferred maintenance within the District’s facilities has increased during the past 10 years. In 2013, the District’s deferred maintenance was just under $170 million. In 2023, the deferred maintenance was just over $1 billion.

        One Billion dollar backlog on building maintenance
         

      Declining population

      • TeacherThe Anchorage working-age population has declined more than 17,000 residents (8.5% decline) in the last decade, and ASD student enrollment has declined approximately 6,450 students (13% decline). Birth rates among Anchorage residents since 2018 have continued to decrease among child-bearing adults and we have seen that this trend is common across the nation.

        The outward migration of residents in the Anchorage community is consistent in many boroughs across Alaska. According to the State, Alaska has lost more movers than it has gained every year since 2013. Twenty-one of Alaska’s 30 boroughs and census areas lost population over the year. Complete estimates for the state, boroughs/census areas, cities and census-designated places are available here.


        13% Decrease

      FAQs

      • How did schools get picked for the recommendation?

      • What factors were used in the evaluation?

      • How will I know which school my child will attend?

      • How will this affect class sizes at the receiving schools?

      • What about special programs, like Montessori?

      • What about charter schools?

      • How many ASD staff will be laid off?

      • Why is this a multi-year plan?

      • What is the timeline and next steps?

      • After Board approval, when will the changes take place?

      • Will Rightsizing ASD save money?

      • How can I get my questions answered or share my thoughts?

      Recommendations

      • SCHOOL RECOMMENDATION RECEIVING SCHOOLS
        Year 1    
        Bear Valley Elementary
        (69% capacity)
        Permanent Closure 121 students to Huffman Elementary
        104 students to Rabbit Creek Elementary
        80 students to O'Malley Elementary
        Lake Hood Elementary
        (39% capacity)
        Neighborhood School Permanent Closure

        Facility Repurposed for Charter School
        113 students to Turnagain Elementary
        62 students to Northwood Elementary
        Tudor Elementary
        (69% capacity)
        Neighborhood School and Montessori Program Permanent Closure

        Facility Repurposed for Special Program
        124 Montessori students to Denali Montessori
        179 neighborhood students to Lake Otis Elementary
        Year 2    
        Fire Lake Elementary
        (47% capacity)
        Neighborhood School Permanent Closure

        Facility Repurposed for Charter School
        40 students to Birchwood Elementary
        108 students to Eagle River Elementary
        2 students to Chugiak Elementary
        Nunaka Valley Elementary
        (63% capacity)
        Neighborhood School Permanent Closure

        Facility Repurposed for Special Program
        39 students to Chester Valley Elementary
        57 students to Russian Jack Elementary
        Wonder Park Elementary
        (66% capacity)
        Permanent Closure 103 students to Williwaw Elementary School
        78 students to Ptarmigan Elementary School
        Year 3    
        Baxter Elementary
        (74% capacity)
        Neighborhood School Permanent Closure

        Facility Repurposed for Charter School
        17 students to Chester Valley Elementary
        99 students to College Gate Elementary
        53 students to Scenic Park Elementary

      Timeline

        • April 2024
          • Rightsizing conversation begins
          May - October 2024
          •  Community outreach
          • School Board guidance
          • Thorough District analysis
          November 1, 2024
          • Recommended list released to public
          November 4, 2024
          • School Board work session on recommendation and decision-making process
          November 12-18, 2024
          • Community Conversations
          December 3, 2024
          • School Board discusses recommendation as non-action item
          December 17, 2024
          • School Board votes on Rightsizing recommendation

      Additional Information

      • Community Surveys

      • Board Presentations

      • Superintendent Update

      • Previous updates

      • Enrollment Trends