By REP. KEVIN MCCABE
Alaska’s education system is at a crossroads. Declining enrollment and increasing financial pressures demand difficult decisions from parents, school districts, and the state. Without aggressive action on multiple fronts, including closing and consolidating under-attended schools, we risk diminishing educational opportunities for students while continuing to strain state resources.
During debate on HB69, I will be offering an amendment aimed at reducing the number of school districts from 54 to 30 by 2027. While some may resist this change, the reality is clear: The current system is unsustainable. Consolidation of school districts—and the resulting reduction in administrative overhead—is one necessary step toward improving efficiency and ensuring that education dollars are directed where they belong: into classrooms, teachers, and student services.
I want to outline why district consolidation is necessary, address some of the key concerns, and present a path forward for improving efficiency without sacrificing local control. Surveys I have seen show that more than 80% of Alaskans feel we need to consolidate our districts so this is important to Alaskans.
Over the past 25 years, some estimates suggest that Alaska has lost approximately 4,056 students, with Fairbanks alone accounting for about 2,812 of those losses. This decline, coupled with ongoing budget shortfalls, has forced many districts to consider closing schools and consolidating programs. While some consolidation has already occurred at the school level, we have yet to seriously address the inefficiencies at the district level.
Lets face it: Alaska’s falling birth rate is hitting us hard, shrinking our student numbers year after year, and it’s high time we stop pretending this won’t force our hand. Fact is unless and until we further develop our resources, our population growth rate, including birth rate, will continue to decline. Fewer kids means fewer desks to fill, and if we don’t consolidate districts, we’ll be stuck with a patchwork of half-empty schools, wasting money on overhead instead of teaching the next generation.
Smaller districts often lack the resources to offer advanced coursework, specialized programs, or extracurricular activities that larger districts can provide. They also suffer from often huge administrative burdens that consume scarce funding—money that should be spent on improving the education outcomes for our children.
My research suggests that consolidating districts could reduce total administrative costs by 10 to 20% annually. These savings could be reinvested directly into classrooms, addressing the persistent achievement gap in our schools. With Alaska’s K-12 achievement scores averaging a C- (or worse, depending on the metric used) nationally, we cannot afford to continue diverting precious resources away from instruction.
But this is not just about money; it is about priorities. We must find efficiencies and summon the will to prioritize the focus on our children’s educational outcomes rather than the bureaucratic bloat of the education-industrial complex.
Beyond cost savings, consolidation offers an opportunity to expand and improve education across the state. Larger districts can provide a wider range of courses, including Advanced Placement and career training programs, which prepare students for both college and the workforce. Historically, many rural schools have been unable to offer these opportunities due to staffing and funding limitations. However, with Alaska’s ongoing investments in high-speed broadband access to village schools, we now have the infrastructure to support efficient longer-distance administration and high-quality remote learning—regardless of physical distance. The opportunity is here; we just need the political will to seize it.
I understand that consolidation raises concerns, particularly for rural communities. Increased travel distances, loss of local identity, and fears about reduced community involvement are valid considerations. That is why my amendment includes key safeguards to minimize disruption:
- Geographic Considerations: Merging districts will prioritize proximity to ensure reasonable travel distances for parents, students, and staff.
- Public Input: At least five public hearings per affected district will be required, ensuring that communities have a voice in the process.
- Rural Education Protections: Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) will remain a critical part of the system to preserve educational access in remote areas.These measures will ensure that consolidation is accomplished thoughtfully and with direct community involvement at every stage.
Alaska’s 54 school districts far exceed the number found in states with similar populations. The entire state of Hawaii is one school district. Many states facing declining enrollment have successfully consolidated districts, improving efficiency while maintaining strong local education systems. Nationally, the average student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, while in Alaska, it is 18:1—suggesting that we have room for efficiency gains without negatively impacting student outcomes. Moreover, the trend nationwide has been toward administrative consolidation, ensuring that resources are focused on students rather than bureaucracy.
We cannot ignore the financial and educational challenges ahead. By engaging all stakeholders—parents, educators, and lawmakers—we can develop a plan that balances efficiency with the need to preserve community identity. Consolidation is not about taking away local control; it is about shifting local control to parents and principals closer to schools while ensuring that every student, regardless of location, has access to the best possible education.
The goal is a smarter, more sustainable system that prioritizes student success over administrative waste. I remain committed to working with all stakeholders to make that vision a reality and have hope that this common-sense amendment will resonate with every member of the Alaska House.
Rep. Kevin McCabe serves District 30 (formerly called District 8), the Big Lake area.