Jharrett Bryantt
49:40 - 50:35
"the short of it is that ASD has a very small margin of error because over the past several years we've spent our reserves to be dangerously low, so we do not have $32 million to gamble."
“the short of it is that ASD has a very small margin of error because over the past several years we've spent our reserves to be dangerously low, so we do not have $32 million to gamble.”
- Speaker
- Jharrett Bryantt
- Timestamp
- 49:40 – 50:35
- Community
- Alaska News
- Location
- Anchorage
- Captured at
- August 4, 2026
From the transcript
So one of the reasons why we need to have this transparent discussion is because essentially this is a conversation around risk tolerance and an opportunity to make a difference for students immediately. So the risk here is that there is a possibility that the full $115 million will not come to fruition for the state. There is a possibility that ASD will not receive the full $32 million. That's why it's very prudent that we, if we were to take a risk and allocate additional funds for positions, that we do not overspend, because the short of it is that ASD has a very small margin of error because over the past several years we've spent our reserves to be dangerously low, so we do not have $32 million to gamble. But I want to applaud the efforts of Member Lessens and Member Blakeslee that have put together a very thoughtful, calculated risk assessment that I think is worth deliberating tonight.
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