Anchorage teachers say losing building subs cost them prep time and safety

Anchorage teachers told the school board Tuesday what a year without building substitutes has cost them: prep periods, breaks, and in some schools, absorbing property destruction and physical injuries themselves.

The district eliminated the positions in its current budget while closing a $90 million deficit. Building subs cover classrooms when a teacher is pulled away, and without them, staff say the work falls on whoever is left.

Susan Ritter, who has taught life skills at West High School for 20 years and writes her students' individualized education plans, described a job that has expanded past teaching. "I am a clerical worker and I am a teacher," she said. Her request to the board was blunt: "Bring back our building subs. They were taken away from all the high schools last year. We need them back."

Herper Kushner, a behavior support teacher at Tyson Elementary and a former Navy police officer, said the loss has meant staff going without preparation time or breaks while handling escalating situations. "Our staff are experiencing property destruction, physical injuries, verbal aggression, and repeated crisis situations," Kushner said.

Bruce Scheltz, a substitute who rotates among six or more schools, asked the board to restart the program for the second quarter and beyond.

The board voted 5-2 later that night to restore $3.7 million for substitutes, tutoring, credit recovery and health services. Nothing in the measure guarantees the building substitutes come back.