Weeks before the start of the new school year, Anchorage School District Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt issued a scathing letter to staff and families on Tuesday, sharply criticizing state and federal leaders over what he described as a “coordinated failure of leadership” that is forcing widespread layoffs and service cuts across Alaska’s largest school district.
In the letter, Bryantt announced that ASD had begun issuing more layoff notices and reassignments district-wide, attributing the disruption to “unstable decision-making, delayed funding, and systemic negligence” from both Juneau and Washington, DC
“This letter is not just an update. It is a warning, and a call to action,” Bryantt wrote. He signed the letter, “In solidarity and resolve.”
According to Bryantt, ASD is reeling from a combination of a federal funding freeze and recent state budget increases that were trimmed back in a move he apparently did not see coming.
On July 3, the US Department of Education froze nearly $46 million in federal grants to Alaska schools, including more than $14 million earmarked for Anchorage. The abrupt freeze, Bryantt said, strips funding from essential services, which he describes as after-school programs, special education, English learner services, and Alaska Native student services.
He then blamed Gov. Mike Dunleavy for vetoing some of the massive increases that legislators had passed in education funding.
The administration is also pursuing regulatory changes through the State Board of Education that would cap how much local governments can contribute to their public schools, potentially draining millions more from Anchorage classrooms.
“This is not a coincidence. It is a pattern,” Bryantt said. “These decisions reflect a coordinated failure of leadership that disregards the will of Alaskans and jeopardizes the foundation of our public schools.” It seems that no one is smart enough to lead but Bryantt.
Bryantt detailed how ASD had already eliminated 42 central office positions, cutting over $30 million in salaries and services, drawing down reserves below policy minimums, and increasing class sizes. Even these measures, he said, were insufficient to absorb the latest wave of cuts.
“These are not abstract policy outcomes. They are real people. These are real losses. And students will feel the difference when they walk into school in August,” the superintendent warned.
Bryantt’s letter was sent with the Aug 2 special session in mind, where he hopes the Legislature will override the governor’s vetoes.
“This is what happens when systems fail students,” Bryantt wrote. “We are not just managing a crisis. We are resisting the slow dismantling of public education in Alaska.”
The letter concluded with a rallying cry to the Anchorage community, vowing that the district “will not be silent” in the face of what he called reckless governance decisions.
