Pat Higgins
Board Member · Anchorage School Board
26 articles · 20 transcripts · 14 clips
Affiliations
Assembly shelves salary commission pick after questions over his firm's city contract
Anchorage's mayor picked a consultant for the panel that sets officials' pay. Then his firm's $86,899 city contract came up, and the Assembly shelved the pick.
Anchorage Assembly delays Missing Middle housing vote again, this time to Dec. 1
The Anchorage Assembly scheduled its Missing Middle housing vote for a Friday at noon, then unscheduled it. It's now Dec. 1, the second delay in four weeks.
Anchorage passes surveillance rules, rejects new limits on plate reader searches
The Assembly wrote police plate reader and crime center rules into code 11-1, but left the 14-day data limit in police policy and rejected new search limits.
Alcohol tax advocates ask Anchorage to put more into prevention and treatment
Groups behind Anchorage's alcohol tax say it put nothing into substance misuse treatment in 2025 or 2026, with none planned for 2027. They want a change.
Anchorage School Board approves $7.5 million transfer to cover student nutrition deficit
Anchorage schools served more meals, but meal revenue fell nearly $8.9 million short. The School Board moved $7.5 million from the general fund to cover it.
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.
Anchorage School Board votes to raze Abbott Loop, return Westpark on a nonbinding pledge
“I don't think Abbott Loop Community Council has really signed on to this the way it's going forward”
Anchorage School Board asks Assembly to reject electing most members by district
“I'm not going to support trying to say don't let the public decide anything else again.”
Anchorage School Board backs public school scholarship groups under new tax credit
The Anchorage School Board voted 7-0 to back scholarship groups for public school students under the new federal tax credit, with guardrails against vouchers.
Anchorage School Board spends $3 million on classrooms, deepening next year's deficit
Anchorage's school board voted to spend the $3 million on students this year. Next year's hole grew to $9 million and 20 fewer teaching jobs survive.
Anchorage teachers say losing building subs cost them prep time and safety
Anchorage teachers told the school board what losing building subs cost them. The board restored $3.7 million — without promising the subs come back.
Spend $3 million on students now, or save it for next year's hole
Anchorage's school board is deciding whether to spend $3 million on tutoring and staff this year or bank it against a deficit projected above $45 million.
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.
Anchorage band teacher tells school board he now teaches 330 students a day
Anchorage band teacher Dan Whitfield teaches 330 students daily after the district cut a part-time director position, leaving classes of 45 to 83 students with no jazz band or extra help.
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.
The Anchorage School Board pledges no more closures next year, but one member says the last three were never explained
“we give them a I'm just kidding maybe type statement. I think we're making a serious mistake, and I absolutely oppose it.”
Anchorage School District adopts a single English curriculum for grades 6 through 10
Anchorage adopted one English curriculum for grades 6-10 on a 6-1 vote. The selection committee itself split 6-5, and one board member questioned the process.
An Anchorage board member proposes a one-year pause on school closures
An Anchorage School Board member proposed pausing school closures for a year, barring emergencies. The board hasn't voted, and a $40M shortfall remains.
Anchorage board won't reopen a school it may not have fully closed
Anchorage School Board rejected a motion to reopen Campbell STEM Elementary with new state money, but revealed the school may not be legally closed yet, creating a potential opening for reversal.
Anchorage School Board balks at a $2.8M curriculum buy members hadn't seen
Anchorage School Board members got handed a $2.8M curriculum bill at a summer meeting and basically said: first we're hearing of it.
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.
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.
Anchorage schools adopt regional nurse model, will pull nurses from schools with fewer medical needs
“You're gonna, it's gonna have a negative impact morale, it's gonna have issues with nurses, it's gonna have some concerns with parents out there that really want to make sure that their kid has any problem they're taken care of within it.”
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.
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.
Anchorage budget crisis mirrors national school funding squeeze
Anchorage School District approved closing three elementary schools and cutting over 500 staff positions to address a $90 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027.
