Nome cuts school funding by $500K, forcing layoffs and larger classes

The Nome Common Council voted to contribute $2.7 million to Nome Public Schools in fiscal year 2027. That is $500,000 less than last year, a reduction administrators say has already triggered staff cuts and will shrink classroom support next school year.

"We've already cut positions that are important to our students, families, and staff to meet our target deficit amount," district administrator Carrie Irons told the council. The reductions span administrators, teachers, and aides as well as a counselor, mental-health clinician, school psychologist, instructional coach, nurse, and the gifted and talented program. Larger class sizes, fewer electives, and thinner support services are expected to follow.

Council member Greg Smith said federal funding "is a lot less than it has been," forcing the city to absorb shortfalls elsewhere. A council meeting packet separately referenced $500,000 waiting for reinvestment, the same amount as the school cut, though the council did not publicly connect the two.

Nome's annual contribution combines the state-mandated minimum with a voluntary local addition. The squeeze isn't unique to Nome; municipalities across Alaska are weighing how much they can give above the floor while lawmakers in Juneau debate whether to raise the state's flat Base Student Allocation, which hasn't kept pace with inflation.