Page 608 – Must Read Alaska

Prosperity map: Alaska GDP grew in fourth quarter of 2022

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April 1, 2023

Prosperity map: Alaska GDP grew in fourth quarter of 2022

Real gross domestic product increased in 46 states and the District of Columbia in the fourth quarter of 2022, with the percent change in real GDP ranging from 7.0% in Texas to –4.3% in South Dakota, according to statistics released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Gross domestic product is a calculation of the total market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a jurisdiction’s borders. The United States has the highest GDP in the world, at $20.89 trillion, followed by China at $14.72 trillion, and Japan at $4.9 trillion. Russia is far down the World Bank’s GDP list, coming in 11th at $1.7 trillion.

Alaska’s GDP increased by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, among the higher range of all 50 states for the quarter. But annually in 2022, Alaska saw a real GDP decrease of -2.4%, the lowest in the nation. Across the nation, the annual rate was 2.1% growth.

Real GDP increased in 15 of the 23 industry groups for which the agency prepares preliminary annual state estimates. Professional, scientific, and technical services; information; and real estate and rental and leasing were the leading contributors to the increase in real GDP nationally.

Professional, scientific, and technical services increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia. This industry was the leading contributor to the increase in 13 states and the District of Columbia, including Colorado and New York the states with the seventh and eighth-largest increases.
The information industry increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia. This industry was the leading contributor to the increase in eight states including Texas, the state with the fifth-largest increase.
The real estate and rental and leasing industry increased in 43 states and the District of Columbia. This industry was the leading contributor to the increase in six states including Idaho and Florida, the states with the first and third-largest increases.
The mining industry decreased in 28 states. This industry was the leading contributor to the decreases in Alaska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, the states with the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth-largest decreases, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis report released on Friday.

Personal income growth fourth quarter 2022.

Personal income, in current dollars, increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia in the fourth quarter of 2022, with the percent change ranging from 15.3% in Massachusetts to –2.5% in Colorado. Alaska’s personal income grew 6.1%. For the entire year, current-dollar personal income increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia.

Facebook murder: Two young adults, one juvenile indicted for brutal killing of elderly Alaskan in Klawock

Suzanne Downing

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March 31, 2023

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Facebook murder: Two young adults, one juvenile indicted for brutal killing of elderly Alaskan in Klawock

A Ketchikan grand jury has indicted two young adults and one 17-year-old on multiple charges Thursday for the death of 80-year-old Lincoln Peratrovich on March 21 in Klawock on Prince of Wales Island, 56 miles from Ketchikan.

Alaska State Troopers found Peratrovich, known locally as “Bingo,” dead in his Klawock mobile home.

Moses Scott Blanchard, 22, and Blaise Andrew Dilts, 21, are being charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, and first-degree burglary. Gonzalo Sanchez, 17, is being charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and first-degree burglary.

The men reportedly told investigators they had read a Facebook post stating Peratrovich had catcalled at a 13-year-old girl, and had chased her with an ax. The young men then beat Peratrovich to death with their hands, feet, and objects from around the house.

Another version of the incident was that Peratrovich talked to the girl and invited her to come inside for a bite to eat, while he was chopping firewood wood next to his home, but he continued to chop wood when she continued on her way.

The men told investigators they didn’t know if the allegations posted on Facebook were true. But comments on the Facebook post about the victim had urged violence against the elder.

“My uncle has been killed over gossip,” wrote Pamela Huteson on Facebook.

On March 21, after 1 am, the door to Peratrovich’s trailer was broken in. The three men reportedly entered and assaulted Peratrovich, while he was in bed.

Sanchez was arraigned Friday. Dilts and Blanchard are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Ketchikan Superior Court.

All the defendants could face up to 99 years in custody as a maximum sentence. All are in custody and held on the same bail amounts- $500,000 100 percent cash performance and $100,000 appearance bail with 10 percent to post.

Peratrovich family is well known in Southeast and around Alaska. Frank Peratrovich, who died in 1984, was the mayor of Klawock, and also served in the territorial legislature. Frank’s brother Roy married Elizabeth Peratrovich; the two would fight for civil rights for Alaska Natives and Elizabeth Peratrovich Day is now a nationally recognized day of honor on Feb. 16.

In 2009, the late Lincoln Peratrovich and the Shakan Kwann Tlingit band of rural residents sued the Secretary of Interior Kenneth Lee Salazar, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Villas, and chairman of the Federal Subsistence Board Tom Toward over a matter relating to subsistence fishing. His case was consolidated with the famous Katie John case, which became a pivotal case for Alaska Native subsistence rights.

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Money mules: O’Keefe shows how ActBlue gets massive political donations from elderly, fixed-income Democrats

Suzanne Downing

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March 31, 2023

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Money mules: O’Keefe shows how ActBlue gets massive political donations from elderly, fixed-income Democrats

Journalist James O’Keefe, who parted ways with Project Veritas earlier this year and started O’Keefe Media Group, has rolled out his first project: Research shows that the behemoth Democrat fundraising platform known as ActBlue is using senior citizens who clearly don’t have the means to make large political donations, but are somehow mysteriously donating thousands of times a year and in many cases tens of thousands of dollars to Democrat candidates.

ActBlue acts like a fundraising clearinghouse for small-dollar donations. Every year it has to report to the Federal Election Commission where it got each and every dollar. The dollars go through ActBlue, and are funneled to various Democrat candidates or Democrat causes.

Nearly all Democrat candidates use the ActBlue fundraising mechanism, which is tied to the Democratic Party.

“We are a mission-based organization, which is why only Democrats and progressive organizations (not Republicans) can use our tools to fundraise,” the organization says on its website.

What O’Keefe was able to determine by combing the ActBlue donor lists is that some elderly, fixed-income donors are making thousands of donations a year. They tend to be people who can say they have made one or two donations, but no more.

When O’Keefe interviewed them, they had no idea that they were being used by what may be a program that uses their identities as mules for funneling dollars to candidates.

ActBlue has experienced significant growth in recent years. From 2004 to 2007, the platform raised $19 million. In the 2005-2006 campaign cycle, ActBlue raised $17 million for 1,500 Democratic candidates, with $15.5 million going to congressional campaigns. By August 2007, ActBlue had raised $25.5 million.

In the 2018 midterm elections, ActBlue raised $1.6 billion for Democratic candidates, with notable politicians such as Conor Lamb, Beto O’Rourke, and now-former Democrat Kyrsten Sinema benefiting from the platform.

In 2019, ActBlue raised approximately $1 billion, bringing in $420 million between January and mid-July 2019 from 3.3 million unique donors, dispersed to almost 9,000 Democratic campaigns and organizations.

One woman was listed by ActBlue as having given $18,000 to the campaign of Joe Biden for president. She was shocked by the revelation and said that she would certainly have made such a donation, had she had that kind of money, but she did not have that level of disposable income.

In 2020, ActBlue set multiple fundraising records, raising $19 million in the week following the death of George Floyd, and then breaking that record with $20 million raised on June 1.

Over half of the donations in the week following Floyd’s death went to non-political charitable causes, with one ActBlue page devoted to a bail fund for violent protesters that raised over $1.5 million from over 20,000 donors.

ActBlue also broke the single-day fundraising record when over $30 million was donated in the day following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020.

In 2022, ActBlue raised $20.6 million on the day the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

What is surprising is the number of individual donations from people who told O’Keefe that they had only made a couple of small donations.

Kyle Corrigan, a private investigator in Wisconsin, also discovered people in his state had been used as fundraising mules for ActBlue.

Peltola votes against lowering energy costs for Alaskans

Suzanne Downing

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March 31, 2023

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Peltola votes against lowering energy costs for Alaskans

Voting with hardline Democrats in Congress, Rep. Mary Peltola said the Lower Energy Costs Act just was not quite right for the country. She voted against H.R. 1, which passed anyway.

H.R. 1 addresses persistent high inflation that is caused in part by high energy costs and returns America to energy independence, as it was under the administration of Donald Trump. It does this by:

– Increasing domestic energy production
– Reforming the permitting process for all industries
– Reversing anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden administration
– Streamlining energy infrastructure and exports
– Boosting the production and processing of critical minerals

The bill:

– Prohibits President Biden from banning hydraulic fracturing
– Repeals all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas, including LNG
– Prevents liberal states from blocking interstate infrastructure projects
– Repeals President Biden’s $6 billion natural gas tax that would increase energy bills for families
– Rolls back President Biden’s $27 billion EPA slush fund for Democrat special interests
– Disapproves of President Biden’s canceling of the Keystone XL pipeline
– Requires the Department of the Interior to resume lease sales on federal lands and waters
– Repeals harmful royalties and fee increases imposed on energy production that drive up prices for families
– Ensures parity in energy revenue sharing for states with onshore and offshore energy development
– Requires publication of the 2023-28 offshore oil and gas lease sales plan/sets deadlines for future 5-year plans

On Fox’s Faulkner Focus on Friday, Sen. Dan Sullivan praised H.R. 1 said he and his colleagues are working on a similar bill in the Senate, “to bring more American energy to Americans by American energy workers, the best workers in the world.”

“Republicans are prioritizing the American people over the Democrat’s radical climate agenda. On his first day in office, President Biden started the war on American energy. He has revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, imposed a moratorium on oil production on federal lands, directed agencies across the Federal government to impose punitive and burdensome regulations, and made us more reliant on China. Predictably, gas prices skyrocketed to the highest levels in American history. People are counting on us to improve their quality of life. H.R. 1 delivers on that promise and will ensure America continues to lead the world at reducing emissions. I commend the passing of this package, which will boost energy production, lift regulatory burdens for the construction of more energy infrastructure, cut China out of our critical materials supply chains, and lower costs across the board. H.R. 1 is how we build a better and more secure future for all Americans,” said House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state.

But for Alaska’s Rep. Peltola, it was just another partisan bill. She said that the country needs to transition to a renewable-focused economy. She said H.R. 1 does not resolve permitting issues, of which she did not specify. She said that “we need a roadmap to the future that lowers costs for Americans, not another partisan bill that adds to the national debt.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had a different take than Peltola: “In House Republicans’ Commitment to America, we promised the American people that we would work to reduce energy costs and make it easier and more affordable to build in the U.S. I’m proud to say that H.R. 1, the Lower Costs and Energy Act, will deliver on that promise by increasing energy production and instituting comprehensive permitting reform to speed the construction of critical infrastructure in our country. As our nation continues to recover from the highest inflation in generations, this bill will help stimulate our economy and bolster our national security while making us more competitive on the world stage against Russia and China. I am grateful for the leadership of Leader Scalise, Chairman Westerman, Chairwoman Rodgers, and Chairman Graves who all played a crucial role in getting H.R. 1 across the finish line. The need for permitting reform is something that Republicans and Democrats alike can get behind, and I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to do right by the American people and swiftly take up this bill.”

The Lower Energy Costs Act is a rebuke of President Biden’s war on affordable energy. If it reaches Biden’s desk, he will certainly veto it.

Four Democrats voted in favor of the bill, and one Republican voted against it. It passed 225-204. It will now be sent to the Senate, where it may be sidelined in a hostile committee, as the Senate is run by Democrats.

What did Alaska’s delegation say about the indictment of Donald Trump?

Suzanne Downing

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March 31, 2023

120

What did Alaska’s delegation say about the indictment of Donald Trump?

As of Friday morning, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is the only member of Alaska’s congressional delegation to release a statement regarding the indictment of former President Donald Trump:

“The indictment of a former president and current candidate for the White House is unprecedented and will almost certainly do lasting damage to our polarized nation. Both local and federal prosecutors have previously declined to bring charges. Any criminal indictment of a former president should involve a serious crime with credible, airtight evidence. From numerous press reports, this sealed indictment fails this test. Now, a local partisan prosecutor, well known for being soft on violent crime, has moved our country into banana republic territory – a sad day for our nation. The American people will see through this abuse of the rule of law.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment in 2021, when he was already out of office, has issued no statement but has a press availability scheduled for Friday during the Arctic Encounter Symposium, which is a Murkowski power-orbit gathering taking place at the Dena’ina Convention Center this week.

Rep. Mary Peltola issued no remarks about the indictment. She was scheduled to be on a panel at the Arctic Encounter this morning in Anchorage.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi said that this is how the system works, and Trump can now prove himself innocent in a court of law: “No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.” She was scorched by conservative commentators who pointed out that people in America are innocent until proven guilty.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said “The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American. The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”

DeSantis continued, “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote, “[Manhattan D.A.] Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election. As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump. The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.”

Win Gruening: Juneau Assembly — will they ever draw the line?

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

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March 30, 2023

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Win Gruening: Juneau Assembly — will they ever draw the line?

By WIN GRUENING

Watching local Assembly meetings can be depressing when, without a demonstrated need, significant action is taken that completely bypasses public opinion. It happened when the CBJ Assembly funded a million-dollar Vote-By-Mail center that hasn’t measurably increased voter turnout. Ditto when the Assembly jammed through mandatory real estate sales disclosures (since repealed). Recently, the Assembly approved $6.3 million towards a new $42 million city hall project that was rejected by voters in October.

Then, last week, assembly members appropriated $5 million more for the proposed Capital Civic Center project. The arts and culture component of this project (previously called the New JACC) was soundly rejected by Juneau voters in 2019. So it was cleverly re-packaged with voter-approved Centennial Hall convention center improvements and re-named the Capital Civic Center. Since then, costs have gone out of sight.

Presumably, the appropriation would leverage federal grant funding and wouldn’t be expended until sufficient overall funding is secured. That may take years, if ever, but, by then, who knows how the $5 million will be spent. With less than one-half of the Capital Civic Center’s estimated $75 million price tag secured to date, almost 90% originates from CBJ funding sources. Remember when New JACC boosters originally promised it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime?

Proponents of the Capital Civic Center project argue that it’s an essential facility that Juneau residents support. Yet, evidence of such support is lacking. Shortly after inception, two of Juneau’s premiere arts and cultural organizations, Perseverance Theatre and the Juneau Symphony, conspicuously avoided committing to using the facility, if built. More recently, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s endorsement of the project has changed to specifically support funding for Centennial Hall improvements, which does enjoy general community backing.

Assembly members hardly discussed the impacts of squirreling away millions of dollars for a project that has no valid feasibility study. No one knows how much it will cost to operate the facility or the subsidy it will require to keep the doors open.

The priority of this project is startling given that it lacks a broad-based community survey, any credible financial basis, and is beyond the scope for a town our size, capital city or not. With Juneau’s precipitous drop in working-age and school-age population, why would the CBJ Assembly commit millions of dollars for this without voter approval or even considering more appropriate, less expensive options?

Instead, Assembly comments chastised the community to “step up” to contribute to the project and included a statement that our community was “a privileged place where we can invest in all of our priorities.” With almost $30 million of municipal funding now spent or committed to this project, when will the Assembly draw the line?

The one lone voice of reason came from Assembly Member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs. In opposing the ordinance, she argued many projects deserved funding ahead of this one, pointing out that deferred maintenance for schools and other public buildings won’t be addressed if funds continue to be diverted to this project. Yet the Assembly continues to prioritize new construction when commercial office vacancies are growing and public buildings that potentially could be repurposed remain largely underutilized.

The real question, however, is who actually pays for all this largesse?

According to Jeff Rogers, Juneau Finance Director, the city was projected to end the fiscal year in June with an estimated $30 million in unrestricted fund balance, well above necessary levels. This year, many residential property owners were hit with double-digit percentage increases in property tax assessments (my own 2023 residential assessment increased 22% following a 10% increase in 2022). This comes on the heels of previous large increases in commercial property assessments. With burgeoning property and sales taxes now overflowing city’s coffers, the Assembly is free to fund more pet projects the public may view as excessive or unnecessary without interference from skeptical voters.

Assembly members could correct this imbalance by substantially lowering the millage rate, thereby giving property owners much-needed tax relief. But, given City Hall’s spending appetite, it’s doubtful that will happen.

Perhaps, it’s time for Juneau voters to seriously consider a municipal spending cap or, at the very least, a percentage cap on property tax increases.

The Assembly isn’t playing with Monopoly money, and, ultimately, the Juneau taxpayer will foot the bill.

After retiring as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in Alaska, Win Gruening became a regular opinion page columnist for the Juneau Empire. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is involved in various local and statewide organizations.

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Alex Gimarc: Get out and vote out the Assembly clown car

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

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March 30, 2023

25

Alex Gimarc: Get out and vote out the Assembly clown car

By ALEX GIMARC

As reported by Must Read Alaska, the Anchorage Municipal election is approaching its last full weekend of voting, and the turnout so far has been underwhelming.

While some may argue that this is in line with previous elections, it is still concerning for those who believe that our town can do better with a more engaged and active electorate. It’s important to note that anyone can track their ballot through the Municipal Clerk’s office.

Rather than seeing this low turnout as a problem, we should view it as an opportunity. This opportunity was created by Assemblyman Chris Constant and his Clown Car colleagues, who redistricted the Assembly last year in response to the creation of a second Assembly seat for downtown Anchorage. Unfortunately, Constant made the two downtown seats virtually bulletproof in terms of electing leftist candidates, by taking liberal precincts from surrounding districts and replacing them with more conservative ones. As a result, East Anchorage, West Anchorage, and Midtown have all become more conservative.

However, instead of seeing this as a negative development, we can view it as a gift from the current administration. By recognizing the imbalance in the current Assembly, we have the chance to use our votes to help restore balance and representation to our community. It’s time to take advantage of this opportunity and make our voices heard by casting our ballots in the upcoming election.

Although there are only two Anchorage School Board seats up this time around, recent foolishness from the School Board including the ongoing controversy on Critical Race Theory, equity, sexual grooming of children, and awful testing results give us an opening to replace at least one of Margo Belamy’s merry band of culture warriors — Andy Holleman, who is campaigning against parental rights advocates, calling them noise from a small group of right wingers.

When they hired a new superintendent from a Houston school district that the State of Texas just took over for incompetence, they also presented an opening.

When that unqualified Superintendent arrived, his first act was to ensure the school bus system was broken for the first months of the 2022 – 2023 school year. He then pivoted smartly and attacked one of the few schools in the entire district performing well, the Family Partnership Charter School, much to the distress of parents whose kids go there and are doing well. But at least candidate, incumbent Andy Holleman, got his woke-equity hire bingo card completed.

Funny how when you ignore incompetence and qualifications, you end up with unqualified incompetence. Who knew?

We also have the Trojan Horse that is Prop 14 on the ballot, which is a promise to dedicate marijuana taxes to child care and early education. The carrot here is a decrease in the tax rate from 12 – 10%.

The stick is the dedicated spending, as additional revenue will be needed to cover whatever marijuana tax revenue is being spent on today. Yes, that all but guarantees yet another property tax increase.

Finally, we have the yearly Anchorage School District attempt to pass a school bond for building maintenance. Given the performance of ASD over the year since voters rejected the last school bond, I would suggest they haven’t earned an additional penny, as their priorities have changed from public education to the entire wokester / racialist agenda. There are only so many brain cells and hours of the day available, when you prioritize foolishness, there is not a lot of time or resources left over to teach our kids and grandkids how read, write, and do math, Andy Holleman’s protests notwithstanding.

We have a great opportunity in front of us. All we have to do is get off the dime and turn out to vote. With seven of 12 Assembly seats, two of seven School Board seats, 15 bond and other propositions on the ballot, we have the ability to get the attention of elected politicians who have pointedly chosen not to listen to the public.

This will be fun. Let’s get to work.

Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.

Breaking: Trump indicted

Suzanne Downing

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March 30, 2023

247

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in New York. The case against him has to do with supposed hush money paid to a porn worker during his 2016 campaign for president.

A Manhattan grand jury issued their recommendation after investigating payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump will be the first former president to face criminal charges.

CNN and the New York Times were the first out with the news, although the details are scant.

“A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to five people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race and forever mark him as the nation’s first former president to face criminal charges,” the Times reported moments ago. The indictment has not yet been announced but prosecutors will ask him to surrender to face arraignment on charges that are unknown, even to the media.

Not long after the leak of the indictment, Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media company, “They only brought this Fake, Corrupt, and Disgraceful Charge against me because I stand with the American People, and they know that I cannot get a fair trial in New York! These Corrupt Democrat Prosecutors, all from poorly run and very dangerous Democrat run cities, are not going to choose the Republican Nominee, or the next President of the United States!”

Kari Lake, who ran for Arizona governor but lost, wrote, “This is a dark moment in the history of our Nation. The Radical Left and their weaponized criminal justice system have crossed all legal & ethical lines in an attempt to destroy the 45th & 47th President of the United State of America Donald J. Trump. It only makes him stronger.”

Arizona Rep. Paul Goser wrote, “The Regime occupying our country and systematically killing America is most afraid of President Donald J. Trump. Period. He’s our guy. This is third world politics from a Soros DA who needs to be investigated. This is clear and brazen political persecution. I proudly stand with Donald J. Trump.”

This story will be updated.

And now, the rest of the Family Partnership Charter School story

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

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March 30, 2023

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And now, the rest of the Family Partnership Charter School story

By DAVID BOYLE

As the legendary radio newsman Paul Harvey used to say, “And now the rest of the story.”

More information has been gathered regarding the change of the Family Partnership Charter School to a correspondence school since the initial story about the dispute.

Anchorage superintendent recommending ending Family Partnership Charter School’s charter

Previously, we reported that parents testified at the last school board meeting that the FPCS principal did not attend the March 20 Anchorage board meeting which had the school’s charter on its agenda. We’ve learned that Principal Jessica Parker could not attend because she was attending a Family Partnership Charter School board meeting that same night.

Contrary to testimony at the last school board meeting, cited in our article, Parker appears not to have coordinated on the ASD superintendent’s letter to the school regarding changing the school from a charter to a correspondence school.

Some parents also testified at the March 20 board meeting that the principal had received notification four days before the FPCS Board was notified.

New information indicates that Parker only received notification of this letter the same day as the FPCS board.

The Family Partnership Charter School has the most students of any school in the Anchorage School District — more than 1,700. It is a very successful school with proficiency test scores in reading and math 60% and 40% respectively, much higher than the average scores in Anchorage public schools

This school is so popular that there are more than 500 students competing for 100 slots in the next lottery. Parents recognize the Family Partnership Charter School provides curriculum choices which they can tailor to fit their child’s needs.

Today, parents of FPCS students can choose from four pathways to tailor their child’s education. These include a virtual school; a home school; a hybrid of ASD, University of Alaska Fairbanks, home school; and total private schools.

Despite its success in educating students, the FPCS has a very dysfunctional board, the Academic Policy Committee, which sets policy for the school. According to information we’ve recently received, the board is divided into two camps- one that favors keeping the current curriculum choices and another that wants to remove the private content providers.

Those who want to keep the current successful charter school curriculum choices also want to keep the current principal.

Those who want to change the curriculum by removing the private content providers oppose the principal.

Additionally, further board dysfunction is stoked by one member whose teacher spouse was not retained. This board member is pursuing a lawsuit against the principal and the Anchorage School District.

The district attempted to help the charter school board by sending representatives from the Alaska School Board Association. Its recommendation was to fire the entire board. That was unacceptable to the board, so it dismissed the ASBA.

In the last year, eight board members have resigned. In the last two months the board has met 12 times, including two regular meetings and 10 special meetings.

Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt has promised to keep the same curriculum for the Family Partnership Charter School as long as it follows state law.

He has also promised there will be no change to student allotments, which now start at $4,200 for elementary FPCS students.

Bryantt has promised that the principal, dean of students, and the business manager will be retained.

Bryantt promised that all funds will remain with the school. There is one problem with this promise: The FPCS charter states that, “Upon termination, charter school shall immediately return any unused funds to the District.”

These promises are set forth in the FAQs at this link.

The entire issue of transitioning the Family Partnership Charter School to a family correspondence school rests on trust in Superintendent Bryantt, who has made some big promises to seal the deal with the ASD School Board.

The ASD Board meets on April 3 to vote on the superintendent’s recommendation.

Can the Anchorage community trust Bryantt to keep his promises to parents and their children?

David Boyle is the education writer for Must Read Alaska.

Prosperity map: Alaska GDP grew in fourth quarter of 2022

Facebook murder: Two young adults, one juvenile indicted for brutal killing of elderly Alaskan in Klawock

Money mules: O’Keefe shows how ActBlue gets massive political donations from elderly, fixed-income Democrats

Peltola votes against lowering energy costs for Alaskans

What did Alaska’s delegation say about the indictment of Donald Trump?

Win Gruening: Juneau Assembly — will they ever draw the line?

Alex Gimarc: Get out and vote out the Assembly clown car

Breaking: Trump indicted

And now, the rest of the Family Partnership Charter School story

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