Anchorage schools will open a new listening effort with a $42 million shortfall

Anchorage School District will open a new community engagement effort by talking about the $42 million shortfall it projects for fiscal 2028.

Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt presented the effort, called ASD Listens, to the school board. He traced it to last spring's failed bond and levy propositions, after which the district worked with Alaska Survey Research to collect comments from voters about why they voted as they did and what the district could do better. Input will come through a values survey, periodic polls and community conversations.

A February board recap projected $42 million in 2027-28 and $30 million in 2028-29 if state funding stays flat, after balancing a $90 million shortfall for fiscal 2027. In May, Chief Financial Officer Andrew Ratliff put the FY28 gap at about $44 million without new legislative money, and roughly $97.2 million if the district spends $50 million in one-time funds on current programs.

The district has run engagement rounds before, including a Balancing Act online tool and community workshops in late 2025 on the FY27 budget. Participants argued those did not meaningfully shape final budget decisions, and that cuts followed anyway. District officials describe those choices as constrained by structural deficits and flat state funding.

Bryantt told the board his intent is for the effort not to be "a tactical band-aid on really deep-rooted problems," and not to be just a survey.