Video Clips

Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.

Jim Anderson

“even though your revenue, you don't have a gain in revenue, you have those core staffs at those schools that are no longer competing against every other school and the same amount of money.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

1:05

Jim Anderson

“we all know that everyone in Anchorage does not watch school board meetings. Back in 2022, although we started right-sizing as part of the budget process, we did really engage with the community and the board on, on the reality is that it wasn't just about money, it was about the levels or education levels of service in the efficiencies within the district.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:09

Jim Anderson

“So there is a measure of financial gain especially in an era where we have less money nearly every year.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

1:03

Rachel Blakeslee

“many seem to believe that school closures are the thing that will solve these massive budget deficits that we've faced year after year. It is the idea that if ASD would just close some more schools, we'd be done with it, this conversation of the deficit.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:56

Jharrett Bryantt

“I've also met people that share your perspective, that they feel that school closures are the panacea for major financial issues. But I was also interested by the many comments I saw in the post-bond survey where people in the open responses were very forthright that it's less about the school closures generating a huge influx of revenue”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:53

Jim Anderson

“71% of the community supported closing and combining schools. What we also see though, and we've seen it during community conversations, town halls, other surveys is people do recognize that a better education level of service is important.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:59

Paul McDonough

“I think the president and the board did a really good job at articulating the large picture challenges. That right-sizing has faced and the ways that this committee is empowered to push through those challenges, especially the ways that we've defined the guiding principles and the scope of work to be much more focused on instructional opportunities, which is, I guess, our word for the superintendent saying levels of academic service. Where we're trying to predominate that right-sizing this year is going to be more studied with the basis of getting good services to kids, less than the savings of some budget result.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:35

Jim Anderson

“There is, there is a money piece on the first year or two, that's true. By year 5, it's really probably not about the money at all.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:16

Margo Bellamy

“that whole education piece around the benefit of closing and consolidating. It's not just about money.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:47

Rachel Blakeslee

“I think there's just this heavy focus that school closures mean closing the deficit, and that is not what it means.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:16

Margo Bellamy

“that educational piece needs to be front and center because for me personally, it's about the quality of service that we can give to every kid.”

Anchorage School Board: 8/26 ASD School Board Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting · Aug 26, 2026

0:29

Tim Powers

“The legislature has already appropriated this money in the budget cycle this last year. We did use a sole source justification, Section 040 exemption for this procurement. KTO has unmatched infrastructure. They already possess the technological setup, the broadcast equipment, and the institutional knowledge and have a working agreement with the legislature that's spanned for over a decade already. It's impractical to put this out for competitive bid.”

Alaska Legislature: Joint Legislative Council, 8/25/26, 11am · Aug 25, 2026

0:23

Sara Hannan

“I'm going to object for purpose of discussion and ask Chief Technology and Outreach Officer Tim Powers to provide information and take questions. We also have in the room with us Justin Shoman, who is President and General Manager of KTOO Public Media, and he is available if we have other questions.”

Alaska Legislature: Joint Legislative Council, 8/25/26, 11am · Aug 25, 2026

0:36

Tim Powers

“KTOO, who has provided longstanding public service in broadcast of the legislature by means of gavel-to-gavel coverage of the House and Senate floor sessions and committee meetings. They are essential for transparency for the legislature, for the public in this state, and due to the loss of federal funding last year, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut, KTO approached the legislature to secure funding to provide this service continuing.”

Alaska Legislature: Joint Legislative Council, 8/25/26, 11am · Aug 25, 2026

0:15

Tim Powers

“Transitioning to a new vendor would require costly duplication of infrastructure and risk disruptive delays to service that the public relies on. Because this contract value exceeds $50,000 in a single fiscal year, Council action is required to approve the contract.”

Alaska Legislature: Joint Legislative Council, 8/25/26, 11am · Aug 25, 2026

0:10

Sara Hannan

“Hearing and seeing no questions, I'm going to remove my objection. Ms. Geary, please call the roll on the motion.”

Alaska Legislature: Joint Legislative Council, 8/25/26, 11am · Aug 25, 2026

0:09

Sara Hannan

“Yes. Chair Hannon. Yes. 8 Yeas, 0 nays. With 8 yeas and 0 nays, the motion has been adopted.”

Alaska Legislature: Joint Legislative Council, 8/25/26, 11am · Aug 25, 2026