By DAVID BOYLE
The Anchorage School Board is heading into the new school year with a sudden windfall — an extra $10 million — after lawmakers in Juneau overrode the governor’s partial veto of a boost to Alaska’s Base Student Allocation. The move restores the full $700 per-student funding increase, up from the $560 the district had cautiously built into its budget.
With classes starting in just over a week, the board moved quickly Tuesday to channel part of the unexpected funds into classrooms, approving $3.7 million for 20 new teaching positions.
Additional allocations include $230,000 for elementary school support, $60,000 for middle schools, and $160,000 for high schools, with decisions on the remaining millions expected at the next meeting.
The rest of the windfall will likely be addressed at the next board meeting, but Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt used Tuesday’s session to pivot to a more sobering topic: the district’s lawsuit against the federal government over millions in withheld funds.
The shortfall, he said, has already forced painful conversations with staff.
“We had to notify dozens of employees that they might not have a job in a few weeks,” Bryantt told the board. “We literally had to contact people to let them know they would be laid off in 90 days — while they’re on cruise ships in the middle of summer. How devastating is that to the morale of our employees?”
Don’t you wonder how Superintendent Bryantt feels about low-income parents when their PFDs are used to fund K-12 education? How about those single parents that need their PFDs to pay their utility bills, pay for school supplies, and rent? There is no such opportunity for them to cruise. Now that is “devastation” to morale.
Now the district has kicked the can down the road and has a huge budget hole for next school year. The district estimates that it will have at least a $65 to $75 million deficit for next fiscal year. Some of this will be due to labor contracts that are coming due for renewal.
Low-income parents, and all parents, can expect an even lower PFD because the ASD employees need to cruise to maintain their morale.
Get ready for the old “Raise the BSA” round 2 next legislative session. At least the education cartel will be able to recycle its signs.
And get ready for an even lower PFD.
David Boyle is the education writer for Must Read Alaska.
education cartel AKA unions……
When about 13.5% of voters are enough to affirm these proven criminally incompetent school board members (Bellamy and Lessens), we get these stupid decision like hiring a proven criminally incompetent superintendent (Bryantt) who shouldn’t surprise anyone with these thoughtless and moronic decisions, letters and comments. It’s just more of the same from his last job. The only difference is Texas had a competent enough State Board of Educating to intervene and take over his mess in Houston. We have no such competence at the state level — commissioner, DEED or legislature.
As bad as these people are, voters who don’t participate (74.62% did NOT vote in the Muni election) are the real cause for this mess. Why can’t we require a quorum of voters or leave these offices vacant? Students and the general public would be better without a school board or superintendent at this point.
With respect, Insider, all we know about election results and voter participation is what we’re told by unelected officials who work for the Municipal Clerk, who in turn works for the Assembly, who in turn gives Anchorage’s education industry whatever they want, whenever they want it.
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Are you being mean to Boy Jharett just because of some article like: “Houston schools taken over by Texas state agency, but Anchorage’s superintendent got out just in time”?
(https://mustreadalaska.com/houston-schools-taken-over-by-texas-state-agency-but-anchorages-superintendent-got-out-just-in-time/)
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You know education-industry folks excel at one thing, eating their own, so is it possible Anchorage’s education industry might be only one qui-tam lawsuit, only one forensic audit, away from collapse?
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Now the question is: how do you motivate students and parent/taxpayers to exploit its vulnerabilities, collapse it, tug on something that’ll unravel the whole nasty mess …then rebuild it?
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Probably no right or wrong answer …your thoughts?
Morrigan,
Flee, take your kids and run away from this corrupt institution called publick edscrewcation as fast as your legs will carry.
Do it for the children, do it for civilization.
Morrigan, you make excellent points all around.
Muni Elections are opaque and there is plenty of opportunity for fraud. Hard to separate fact from fiction. I tend to think the number of non-participating people is understated, if anything. So I’m sticking to low voter turn out as a root cause.
It made national news around the time Bryantt was hired at ASD that the State of Texas had to intervene to rescue the Houston Independent School District from self-inflicted demise. All sources point to gross mismanagement as the root cause and after two intense years, things seem to be moving in the right direction: https://www.k12dive.com/news/houston-isd-reports-zero-failing-schools-2024-25-takeover-texas/756881/ To be fair, that was likely not entirely Bryantt’s fault, but he ran the “office of talent” where he was the one deciding who would staff the place and his selections were largely responsible for failure. This was his only experience in administration and he still doesn’t meet ASD’s qualifications for superintendent except for checking the woke box — it should be telling that the ASD School Board thinks that checking the DEI woke box is all that’s needed.
Having a front row seat to “education-industry folks…eating their own” … in my experience, the top administrative education folks only seek and destroy people with integrity who ask questions and stumble on to serious problems. If you are willing to sell your soul to NEA / AEA and participate in their schemes, they will support you and even give you funding. If not, they will slander you and eliminate any chance of working as an educator. They have no problem wasting vasts sums of your tax money fighting you in court and they even have a playbook to make lawsuits costlier than most anyone can muster.
We’d all be better if it could be reformed vs collapsed, but it seems less and less like that’s possible with all the corruption and illegal activity — comically, hidden in the budget reports are all the un-recovered expenses from staff p-cards like booze, vacations (cruises?) and even massages. As bad as that is, the problems specific to ASD are mostly top-down: politically nefarious and ignorant school board (I’m exempting Donley from that comment); inexperienced, unqualified and incompetent superintendent; teacher union interference; administrative bloat (both in number and compensation); no motivation toward measurable student success. How are teachers supposed to succeed at teaching in this environment? It is amazing so many actually teach our children amid this mess!
We hear the metrics about Alaska being near-last in student test scores. That’s not necessarily helpful considering it is a moving target related to all other states, but the exasperatingly low test scores are a more objectively measurable issue. Not saying that tests are a perfect metric either…. but since we can measure with tests, what about some legislation at the state level that ties funding to test score outcomes like this: the aim point would be for 75% of students to score 75% on tests and that would result in the district receiving funding equivalent to that average per-student funding the in the US. For anything less, funding would be cut, administration would be cut commensurate to funding and the worst performing teachers would need to find other work. For outcomes greater than 75%/75%, additional resources would be available to the best performing teachers. For the highest funding levels like we see now, we would need 98% of students scoring 98% or better. Yes, you’d have the age old problem of what is being tested and how are the tests constructed etc, etc. I’m sure Dunleavy has better ideas seeing how he was a successful educator and school board member before becoming senator and now governor. Here are Dunleavy’s ideas: ‘https://gov.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/Education-Excellence-V14.pdf Why won’t our state legislators listen to his ideas? We should vote them all out!
Focusing on funding and test scores will not bring back the huge number of amazing teachers who have taken early retirement because they are not willing to play ASD’s stupid games. And in the aftermath of collapse, there is way too much money and power in unions for there to be any hope of rebuilding. Although I’m not completely anti-union, teacher unions would ruin every attempt at rebuilding.
Alas, I still think it goes back to voters — at least on the local level. If our state took over ASD like Texas did HISD, everything would be in the hands of the former superintendent, now state commissioner, who worked hand in hand with the board that set up a lot of this failure. More voter participation = different school board = no more Bryantt = top down reform. None of that is quick while people have the attention span of TikTok. How do we get voters to pay attention and engage with educating our children in ways that produce intelligent thinking citizens instead of just lining the pockets of greedy people who happily exploit our children with stories of teachers getting laid off while on cruises?
Thank you for an excellent, thoughtful reply, we’ll be re-reading it for some time to come.
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Your last question’s profound.
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Let’s say it goes back to voters at the local level. What gets their attention, persuades them to engage and, oppositely, what drives voters to apathy, discourages engagement?
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Don’t have to look far to see all sorts of strategies for voter education and outreach, none of which seem to be in play here.
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So, maybe we’re at the point where the same worn-out campaign phrases punctuated with some variation of “they bad, we good, send money”, plus the lack of charismatic or even empathetic candidates actually combine to induce voter apathy.
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Throw in what looks so much like evidence of systemic election-system corruption, maybe voters feel like they’ve lost from the start so they go to Plan B, home-schooling and biting the tax bullet.
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The path to solution may be as simple as a Fibonacci sequence, More voter participation = different school board = no more Bryantt = top down reform?
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Okay, here’s your assignment: What term(s) preceding “More voter participation” complete the sequence from its origin?
Reduce our 1000$ PFD which should have been 3800$ to what freaking 0$.This is just plain stealing from Alaskans.
So sick of these corrupt politicians!!
Getting ready to move. Believe me Im not the only one moving out of State!!
Legislators cannot balance a budget! Need to not spend if we do not have it.
Don’t forget, it all started with bill Walker. He was the first PFD thief.
and never forget Geissel and her POMV plan to fulfill walker’s wet dream.
Good choice. If you can’t make a go of it in Alaska without a government handout, maybe you should live somewhere less expensive.
A constitutional royalty split between state and citizens, does not equate a hand out. Medicaid and ebt cards that’s a hand out. If you can’t make it without ebt and medicaid, one should get a job instead of asking for government hand outs.
What government handout?
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Oh… do you mean the PFD? Not a government handout. Not even close.
You do absolutely nothing to earn or deserve it. So, it’s a handout.
It is deserved the same way a private land owner who leases their mineral rights deserves the lease payments. That I occupy land in Alaska as a legal resident means I deserve it.
No different than a landlord deserving rent payments on a house they have paid off already.
But, you probably do not get that concept because you are too wrapped up in your own delusions of grandeur.
cB. The PFD is the purest form of socialism in the universe.
No, it is not.
And, anyone who claims it is socialism does not know what socialism actually is.
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But, tell you what. How about you explain your logic and reasoning on that. Perhaps I am ignorant and need your guidance.
Superintendent Bryantt is an unqualified hire (by ASD requirements) and clearly has no vision of the community. Tone deaf even for the Texan he is.
Until we start firing the people who do this, and whatever manager approved it, nothing will change.
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I am getting very tired of hearing how the schools are so poverty stricken, but then seeing this type of fiscal abuse.
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And, why is it the schools always need bonds approved, and the police and firefighters need bonds approved to buy equipment, and the parks need bonds to provide public access, and the roads need bonds for improvements, but there is never a bond floated to assist the vagrants?
I’d say they are pretty much out of touch with the normal working person. Worked my whole life and I can’t afford a “cruise”. I can barely afford to attend family weddings and funerals.
If you can’t make a go of it in Alaska without a government handout, maybe you should live somewhere less expensive.
What does that have to do with Debi’s comment? At no point did she say she needed government assistance to live in AK. Did you actually read what Debi wrote?
If you can’t make a go of it in Alaska without a government job maybe you should live somewhere less expensive like Whidbey (& half our Gov “servants”) do.
The worst Alaskans are people that make good $ here then spend it outside … imo.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
I am not a resident but Alaska is 49th of 50 states in K-12. Money does not correct poor education. I also am not a resident of Mississippi but their state education department is raising test scores by getting back to basics. Of course, they have less interference from labor unions.
I think if you look into our legislators, you’ll find that there is a lot in common with family members in the school districts, I think they are padding pockets.
Wish I could afford a cruise, guess not with ASD taking the majority of my dividend.
If you can’t make a go of it in Alaska without a government handout, maybe you should live somewhere less expensive.
If you can’t read and understand people’s comments, you should keep your comments to yourself.
I think you are asking a bit much from our dedicated leftists on MRAK, of which Whidbey is one of the more prolific providers of irrelevant comments. Never let reality get in the way of a good rant.
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This is just one of a handful of comments from Whidbey that assumes anyone bringing up the cost of living is incapable of making it without government handouts. I guess Whidbey is unfamiliar with the idea that someone can choose where they want to spend (or invest) their wages, and saying they cannot afford a cruise means they do not see it as a good use of their money.
“…approving $3.7 million for 20 new teaching positions.” West Tank Farm! That works out to $185,000 per teaching position for 180 days which is roughly 39 weeks. Pretty good salary and benefits if you can get it since the top tier B72 Step 20 listed teacher’s base pay is $100,155.
See ‘https://www.asdk12.org/cms/lib/AK02207157/Centricity/Domain/4621/ASD%20AEA%202024-2025%20Tentative%20Agreement.pdf
The contract also states: Contracted members serving a school term of 140 full-time or PART-TIME instructional days or more shall be credited with a year of teaching service. So you don’t even have to teach the full 180 instructional days to get credited for a year of teaching service.
You must subtract the other funds mentioned, $450K from the $3.7M and the district also put about $500K into the charter school funds per the funding formula. I neglected to put that $500K into the article. So, subtract about $1M from the $3.7M. And you are correct re the top salary for a teacher in ASD today is $100,155. But you must also include the benefits cost which is about 60% of the salary. Thus, the top salary and benefits for a teacher in ASD would be about $160,000. BTW, the district uses $110,000 to budget for a teacher in its budget docs.
I know jealousy when I see it, and it isn’t pretty.
Teachers on our street have really nice houses, take vacations and have a nice car for everyone in their family, even their kids.
I am not jealous ….. I am annoyed that poor people are having their PFD money taken by Democrats so teacher’s kids can have new cars (& go along on the cruise)
It isn’t pretty when I see it.
Why can’t Dems push for an AK income tax dog, instead of taking money from the states poorest people?
Are they cowards? Too stupid to accomplish it? Or just plain greedy?
George. Can you spot the logical fallacy in your post?
Ah yes, it’s all about the PFD. It can’t be sacrificed even for the purpose of educating the State’s children. The pull of that new Big Screen TV is just too great. Poor old Jay Hammond must be turning in his grave.
If the children in the State (NOT the State’s children) were actually getting an education, perhaps your statement may be useful. However, hovering near the bottom in education ranking among the states is a pretty good indicator that money is not the issue.
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Continuing to do the same thing, despite undesirable results is the hallmark if idiots, not educators. Your advocating for it… well… Make your own conclusions.
You are obviously operating under the mistaken assumption that more money solves the education issue. It’s the only thing the legislature can come up with. No accountability, just give them more money. Perfect example of that definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Remember your government doesn’t need you. We don’t pay income tax or state sale tax and the only thing to steal is PFD.
If we all leave, they will rejoice and vote themselves all of Alaska.
Almost there anyway
The majority of that $10M is going to further administrative bloat, and likely fat raises for upper management. We simply MUST change the way governments do the people’s business.
Just how do you propose we fix “stupid”?
A constitutional royalty split between state and citizens, does not equate a hand out. Medicaid and ebt cards that’s a hand out. If you can’t make it without ebt and medicaid, one should get a job instead of asking for government hand outs.
Which makes sense. But not in Alaska, apparently. Lisa got an exception for Alaska, so Alaskans are not expected to work for their EBT and Medicaid.