By DAVID BOYLE
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued his budget vetoes on Thursday and added an $500 to the Base Student Allocation, the school funding formula. He reduced the Legislature’s budget $700 BSA increase to the more sustainable $500 increase, considering the downward pressure on oil prices.
The Anchorage School Board called an “emergency” meeting to discuss the impact on its FY26 budget, which was based on a $560 BSA increase. The reduced BSA will only have an impact of $4.3 million, yet the superintendent was outraged and threatened to take the governor to court.
This $4.3 million is only 0.7% of the operating budget ($594 million). That amount should be able to be found in the district’s seat cushions.
But the superintendent said that we have an “education emergency.”
Superintendent Bryantt seems to have a great knowledge of Alaska law and whether the statute (HB57) takes precedence over the operating budget (HB53). He threatens to take the case to the Alaska Supreme Court to decide the question of precedence.
He needs to be reminded that the Permanent Fund dividend amount question was decided by the Alaska Supreme Court a few years ago. Even though the law stated that the dividend shall be a certain percentage, the court decided that the Legislature had appropriation powers and could decide the dividend amount according to its own whims.
One wonders what the district’s litigation would cost and if it would increase student achievement.
Rep. Alyse Galvin, founding member of Great Alaska Schools-funding arm of the AEA, testified that, “We are at risk of systemic collapse.” She’s been at that for years and this is just another “the sky is falling” remark to activate parents.
The president of the Anchorage Education Association (teachers’ union), Corey Aist, said, “Some kindergarten classes will have upwards of 30 students”. He also stated that this is the 4th year that the ASD has more than 400 resignations.
He failed to mention why these teachers are leaving the district. He noted that there would be 62 elementary school position vacancies next year. Most importantly, he did not state if these vacancies were in the classroom.
He made no mention of his union’s going-in position to raise his members’ salaries by an astounding 15% for one year. With less BSA monies, some of his goals may not be met.
Rosalyn Grady-Weich, NAACP-Anchorage education chair, said, “This reduction in the BSA will disproportionately hurt black, brown, and indigenous students”. She had no data to prove her assertion. She said, “It will eliminate Equity and replace it with a system where only the privileged thrive.”
She seems to be stuck in the pre-integration days of the 1960s.
She then charged that the governor wanted to dismantle public education. She had no proof to back that up as well. Just opinions and anecdotes.
Superintendent Bryantt spoke the truth when he said, “For ASD my commitment is to keep as many jobs as I can”.
Board president Jacobs attacked Gov. Dunleavy, saying that there is a lack of leadership in Juneau. It’s unfortunate that the real lack of leadership appears to be in the ASD Board, with its refusal to reduce the non-classroom funding such as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Community Engagement department which costs $724,122.
Here’s another department that could be reduced, Mental Health. For FY26 it has 15.3 FTEs and costs $2.1 million.
The Technology department has 111 FTEs at a cost of more than $27.5 million.
Finally, board member Bellamy asked the $64,000 question: What if we do nothing?
The answer was utterly amazing. The district’s CFO responded saying the district would find the money somewhere. There might have enough in the fund balance, he said.
And just like that, the budget problem was solved.
Superintendent Bryantt, however, had to get the final jab in at Gov. Dunleavy. He said, “My key take away is that we need to ensure we never have leaders that will ever do this to Alaskan children again.”
He finished by saying that the commissioner and the governor have shown a lot of recklessness and cruelty, in his opinion.
Rather than bemoaning this “dramatic’ decrease in funding and kicking the can down the road until next year, they could actually do what they were hired or elected to do, which is to lead.
I will close by saying to the superintendent, “Real leaders lead and solve problems. They don’t hide behind victimhood.”
David Boyle is the education writer for Must Read Alaska.
The Super for ASD really has a mouth on him for lacking the degree in which he holds his position. They have around $90 million in a rainy day account why not use that to cover the couple million.
Because bureaucratic grifters don’t like it when only those who are legally in control of the purse strings are in control of the purse strings.
Indeed, when pushed they always seem to find some coins under the cushion
Maybe he should forfeit some of his pay if his so determined to make a difference for others. Nothing like spending other people’s money.
Ha haha ha ha ho hi haha!!😆
The budget has gone up year after year! Yet, the student’s attendance and grades have plummeted! I say that there has to be a serious deep dive into the mismanagement of the funds handed over to the Anchorage School District!
“AUDIT AUDIT AUDIT!!!”
Nobody, and I mean nobody, does the Washington Monument strategy better than ASD.
Geez, Big Mike. No money for LGBTQ classrooms, drag show presentations, transgendering classes, BLM and ANTIFA courses, and man-made global warming classes.
No wonder you piss off so many lefties and Democrats. You are cutting them off at the legs, or wherever.
(Excellent Job!!!)
He’s fit the school boards DEI hire requirement and wasn’t even qualified for the position. He came from the worst school district in TX because he felt scorned from losing an open school board position and applied here. How unfortunate to be stuck with this loser.
Here’s a thought: Live within your means.
And in other news, nearly every Anchorage taxpayer melts down over Jharrett Bryantt’s inability to produce a workable budget, increase student test scores, close underutilized schools or even keep schools open when it snows. I’ve been in Anchorage since 1973, this guy is easily the worst super that this town has had during that time period. Why is he not sitting out on the curb in front of the Ad building with a cardboard box of his personal possessions from his desk on his lap?
Mr. Bryantt is a child and should have never been hired for this job.
Why do all the leftover scum end up here in Anchorage? Rather than watch these radical Marxists push the panic button on taxpayers and state funds, we parents need to push the panic button on LGBTQ infiltrators like this POS school superintendent.
He and Constant should really get their emotions under control. Maybe they could have a relaxing weekend in San Francisco together.
The new Hillsdale high school should save them a ton of money, lol.
“……The reduced BSA will only have an impact of $4.3 million, yet the superintendent was outraged and threatened to take the governor to court……..”
A $4.3 legal bill is barely enough to defend oneself from a disturbance of the peace rap.
Seems he has learned from his brethren Chris (throw-a-fit) Constant. Those two think a like. Must have something in common.
Might be fun to find out the whole story behind Boy Bryantt bailing out of Houston just before the State took over the school district where he was “executive officer of talent”.
(https://mustreadalaska.com/houston-schools-taken-over-by-texas-state-agency-but-anchorages-superintendent-got-out-just-in-time/)
.
If all it takes is a 0.7% budget gap to put Boy Bryantt on tilt, what’ll it take to push the boy into a career-ending tantrum, and how can we make it happen?
.
Boy’s on thin ICE anyway, no?
.
Remember: “the Anchorage School superintendent released an announcement saying the Anchorage schools will not only not cooperate with federal authorities, they won’t even allow them on campus. In essence, Superintendent Bryantt was saying Anchorage schools are sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.”?
(https://mustreadalaska.com/alaska-fbi-is-rounding-up-illegals-anchorage-school-superintendent-bryantt-is-ready-to-rumble)
.
Could the 0.7% budget gap, the Houston backstory, chilled over ICE, be just what it takes to run the fool out of town, back to Houston, who cares where, just not here?
.
Sure and would you not love to see the north end of this southbound omadhaun, David Boyle?