Anchorage School District

Anchorage teacher tells school board two behavior staff have quit since September

A Tyson Elementary teacher told the Anchorage School Board two behavior support staffers quit since she testified in September, and asked what's changed.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Nearly eight years after the quake, FEMA is still funding Anchorage school repairs

Nearly eight years after the 2018 quake, FEMA is still funding Anchorage school repairs. It has committed $41.7 million, and most projects are still open.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Follows: Nearly 8 years after the quake, FEMA closes out repairs at two Mat-Su parks

Police find no bombs after threats to five Anchorage schools; three campuses evacuated

Bomb threats were called in to five Anchorage schools Wednesday, and three evacuated. Police found no evidence of a bomb and believe the threats are unfounded.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Anchorage School Board will pick interim superintendent from within ASD, vote in November

Want to be Anchorage's interim superintendent? You'd better already work for ASD. The board is taking internal applicants only, through Oct. 30.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 16

Follows: ASD Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt says he will leave for Virginia district

Anchorage School Board votes to raze Abbott Loop, return Westpark on a nonbinding pledge

The school board will spend $3.96 million to knock down Abbott Loop and hand the city three properties. The Westpark payback is a pledge, not a guarantee.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago4 min read

Follows: Anchorage mayor's office wants closed Abbott Loop Elementary demolished, school officials say

Anchorage School District sues state retirement division and demands a jury trial

Anchorage School District sued the state retirement division Oct. 14, demanding a jury trial. It may relate to a 2024-25 outage that delayed retirement contributions statewide.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

ASD Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt says he will leave for Virginia district

Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt will leave for a Virginia superintendent job in early 2027, leaving Alaska's largest district to find new leadership during budget planning.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly members question plan to elect School Board by district

An Eagle River Assembly member wants most Anchorage School Board members elected by district. A board member pushed back. Voters could decide in April.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Anchorage mayor's office wants closed Abbott Loop Elementary demolished, school officials say

Anchorage's mayor wants closed Abbott Loop Elementary demolished for housing redevelopment, and the school district would need to authorize $4 million in demolition costs from a prior bond.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage schools list nearly $18 million in urgent repairs ahead of April bond

Anchorage schools have nearly $18 million in urgent repairs, from failing boilers to a Wendler roof that won't hold a shingle. A bond list comes Oct. 20.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Ethics board finds one line in school district bond video violated city code

The city ethics board says one line in a school district bond video was political activity. It recommended no further action; the bond failed in April.

by Alaska News1mo ago4 min readFrom Sep 23

Anchorage Assembly weighs selling Westpark school site for housing

Anchorage may sell the 53.8-acre Westpark school site in Southwest Anchorage for housing and give the money to the school district.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage child care fund board asks LaFrance to move pre-K money off cannabis tax

Anchorage's marijuana-tax child care board wants ASD preschool and an early literacy program off its tab next year. The rollover cash that covered them is gone.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 3

Anchorage schools model a $9 million budget gap for fiscal 2028

Anchorage schools project a $9 million fiscal 2028 gap after reserves and assumed energy relief. Officials say underlying cost growth is closer to $40 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Follows: Anchorage school district proposes splitting $32 million in one-time state money

Anchorage officials fail to agree on shared school-closure committee

The Assembly and School Board could not agree on giving both bodies votes on a school-closure committee. The existing board-led panel remains.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago5 min read

Follows: Assembly members seek equal vote on joint school rightsizing panel

Anchorage's school funding gap has shrunk to about $6 million

Anchorage's school funding gap for next year has halved to about $6 million, after the Legislature capped how much the local contribution can grow.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Students wait for the bus on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road

Kids wait for school buses on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road, where traffic runs 52 in a 45. The state is studying whether to build them a path.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Jul 1

Assembly members seek equal vote on joint school rightsizing panel

Three Anchorage Assembly members want a real vote on how the city closes schools, not the non-voting seat the School Board offered, as consolidation looms.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Two closed Anchorage school buildings head back to municipal hands

Two closed Anchorage schools, Abbott Loop and Campbell STEM, are set to return to the municipality, moving their fate from the School Board to the Assembly.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage school district proposes splitting $32 million in one-time state money

Anchorage schools will split $32 million in one-time state money, spending more than half this year and saving the rest to shrink a $40 million deficit expected next summer.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

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

Anchorage elementary schools drop pre-packaged meals for traditional food service

Anchorage elementary schools have dropped pre-packaged meals. The district says more students are eating lunch but has not released the counts.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage's school board says closures won't fix the budget; residents aren't so sure

Anchorage's school board says closing schools won't fix its budget — even as most residents, by the district's own survey, favor consolidation.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

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

Anchorage School District is launching a listening effort, opening with the $42 million shortfall it projects for 2028. Past rounds drew complaints.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage will ship contaminated concrete to Oregon after the state tightened disposal rules, adding $850,000

Anchorage's school board approved $850,000 to ship contaminated school concrete to Oregon after the state tightened its rules on disposing of banned PCBs.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

The road to Bear Valley Elementary would narrow, and won't fix the jam

The road to Bear Valley Elementary already backs up at pickup, so the plan is to make it narrower — which, the project admits, won't fix the jam.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Anchorage school board bets its emergency reserve on money that may not come

The Anchorage School Board will vote Tuesday on spending nearly all its emergency reserve to reopen 45 positions, betting on state money that isn't guaranteed until Aug. 31.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Anchorage day cares say a grant cut could force them to close

Anchorage voters dedicated marijuana taxes to child care. Now providers say a nearly 70 percent cut to operating grants could force them to close their doors.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly resolution seeks school-funding scenarios and deferred maintenance analysis

Anchorage Assembly ordered the administration to show by Aug. 31 how much it would cost to fully fund schools and which city services would be cut to pay for it, ahead of the October budget deadline.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Who pays when the state underfunds school construction debt?

Alaska's cities want the state to stop shortchanging school-construction debt payments and stick locals with the bill. But it's a request, and the money's far from guaranteed.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Anchorage child care fund squeezed by programs moved from alcohol tax

Anchorage's child care fund says two programs loaded onto it are starving its mission. The board wants them moved to the alcohol tax — which is shrinking even faster.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Anchorage budget trade-off: schools OR general government, not both, may be coming

Anchorage Assembly: model schools OR general government — not both. A committee member said the underlying situation is a fiscal cliff.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Anchorage School Board adopts class size policy under state mandate

Anchorage School Board voted unanimously to adopt state-mandated class size limits of 23 for elementary and 30 for middle and high school. • The board also adopted smaller evidence-based targets it cannot currently afford, requiring annual cost analysis to document the funding gap.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read

Anchorage zoning board to review variance criteria changes

Anchorage's zoning board will review Thursday a draft ordinance that would change how the city evaluates requests for relief from setback and other dimensional zoning rules, with a recommendation to follow to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readFrom Jun 2

Anchorage to issue $55.2M in bonds for roads, parks, fire equipment

Anchorage will issue $55.2 million in general obligation bonds in July for roads, parks, fire equipment, and transit, with annual debt service of $4.0 million paid by property taxpayers.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom Jun 1

Anchorage's alcohol tax can't fund everything it was promised to fund — and a board meeting Tuesday made the tradeoff explicit

Anchorage alcohol tax revenue is dropping to 5.2 million dollars for 2027. • The city must now choose between funding school preschools or emergency homelessness services. • School district preschools face potential cuts while the district manages a 90 million dollar budget gap. • Childcare providers are also asking for a share of the limited funds.

by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read

ASD projects $40M FY28 deficit — two months after voters rejected school bond and tax levy

Anchorage School District projects a $40 million deficit for fiscal year 2028 on top of $90 million in earlier cuts, after voters rejected a $12 million tax levy and $79 million bond in April.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read

Anchorage schools adopt regional nurse model, will pull nurses from schools with fewer medical needs

Anchorage schools will reassign nurses from schools with fewer medical needs to cover schools with students requiring tube feedings or diabetes management, responding to a shortage that left some schools without staff.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read

ASD claims state funding bill comes too late

Anchorage School District says a potential $37 million state funding increase tied to an August 31 revenue determination arrives too late to hire teachers before the 2026-27 school year begins.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read

Anchorage School District to receive $37 million from state education funding increase

Alaska Legislature approved a $144 million education funding increase, sending $37 million to Anchorage schools to help cover budget shortfalls from inflation and rising costs, plus a 4 percent annual cap on required local contributions.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read

Seven Western Alaska typhoon evacuees graduate from Anchorage schools

Seven students evacuated from Western Alaska villages after ex-Typhoon Halong in October 2025 graduated Monday from Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School after completing their senior year there.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read