Anchorage officials fail to agree on shared school-closure committee

The Anchorage Assembly and School Board failed Friday to agree on a new committee that would give both bodies voting power over school-closure planning.

School Board President Carl Jacobs and Assembly Chair Anna Brawley proposed adding six voting Assembly members to the district's existing rightsizing committee. The Assembly split 5-5 on holding another meeting before December, and the School Board rejected the proposal 1-5.

The existing committee remains in place. It is led by the School Board and includes one Assembly liaison and community members.

District attorney Lee Baxter told both bodies that the seven-member School Board has "plenary exclusive and non-delegable authority over school district operations." That means the board makes the final decisions even if Assembly members participate in the planning.

"I am so tired of getting mired in procedural mess when we all know what needs to happen," Assembly Member Erin Baldwin-Day said. The two bodies are next scheduled to meet Dec. 4.