ASD previews rightsizing, plans to offer repurposed school space for commercial childcare

Anchorage — Anchorage School District leaders said Sept. 26 they will publish recommended school consolidation and repurposing proposals on Oct. 7 and that part of the district’s “rightsizing” work will prioritize converting underused elementary schools into commercial child‑care sites and more space for choice programs.

The district described a multi‑year approach to repurposing school buildings, offering one‑time capital renovations for operators and a preference structure for slots. “We started with Kids’ Corps International and Head Start,” the district’s rightsizing presenter said, adding the district plans to pilot a lease and request‑for‑bids process that would reserve portions of repurposed facilities for employees and critical personnel. Under the model described at the meeting, the district would reserve roughly 25 percent of available slots for Anchorage School District employees, 25 percent for municipal employees or first responders, and the remaining 50 percent for the community.

District staff described recent consolidations as part of the same effort. Staff said Baxter Elementary absorbed Nunaka Valley Elementary and that the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School (ANCCS) moved into the Lake Hood Elementary facility, increasing enrollment and freeing some lease dollars for charter programs such as Rokashullah (named in staff remarks) to redirect funds toward instruction. Abbott Loop Elementary, closed in an earlier phase of rightsizing, is being tracked to measure outcomes for students who attended closed schools; district staff told the joint meeting they are seeing comparable growth for those students relative to peers.

The district described an ITB (invitation to bid) model similar to a prior project with KCI: operators would bid to run commercial child‑care in district space, and capital funding from grants or the municipality could defray renovation costs. The district plans to begin issuing ITBs in the spring following a winter renovation cycle for identified sites; staff said some early renovations are planned this winter for Fairview Elementary to house Head Start and related classrooms. That project, the district said, was supported by an ACE‑type grant and will guarantee classroom space to an early‑childhood operator while reserving point‑based admission preferences for economically disadvantaged families and ASD employees.

District officials said part of the rightsizing and repurposing strategy is to reduce underutilization in large elementary facilities and to provide more space for high‑quality choice programs that have long wait lists; Rokashullah was mentioned as an example of a charter program that reduced rent costs by relocating into district space. Staff also said rightsizing will involve boundary adjustments intended to balance enrollment where neighboring schools are unevenly filled. The district plans to bring staff recommendations to the school board and public in early October and noted that commercial child‑care conversions will be multi‑year efforts given lease terms and renovation timelines.

Questions from assembly members focused on transportation and local access: Member Brawley and others asked whether repurposed choice programs would increase traffic and whether neighborhood preference models would be used. Staff said they were locating more choice programs into neighborhood facilities and exploring transportation logistics but had not committed to a new lottery or neighborhood‑preference model; principals and operators would still need to balance immersion program constraints and charter requirements.

The district asked municipal partners to coordinate on child‑care site selection, including the potential for a municipal interest in offering workforce‑driven slots (the district mentioned 24‑hour child care for first responders as an item the municipality had requested be included in solicitations). ITBs for commercial child‑care will depend on the number of available classrooms and renovation needs; staff estimated ITBs would be issued in the spring following board approvals and renovation planning.

No formal board action was taken at the joint meeting; the district said it will publish its recommended list of closures, repurposings and boundary adjustments on Oct. 7 and will post additional materials on the FY27 budget development page.