Board sets FY27 budget timeline; rightsizing decision aimed for Nov. 18

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Finance committee members on Aug. 28 discussed the FY27 budget timeline and a compressed rightsizing process, with the goal of giving the board clearer options for balancing the FY27 budget before late fall. Committee Chair Kelly Lisonbee said the committee will brief the board on the timeline and encouraged earlier public-facing tools to help the community engage with tradeoffs.

Administration presented a draft schedule and recommended a shortened window for school-closure decisions of about six weeks, saying the district would announce required closures in the first week of October and aim for a pre-Thanksgiving decision. “Our recommendation is gonna be a very shortened window for rightsizing or at least for the school closure piece to limit it to, 6 weeks,” said Jim Anderson, chief operating officer.

Why it matters: board members said an earlier, clearer timeline and a pro forma that incorporates rightsizing choices will help the district present understandable budget-cut options to the public and the legislature and will improve the board’s ability to make informed choices. Members discussed aligning charts and data with legislative finance division histories and holding town halls or targeted outreach to explain budget trade-offs.

Details and next steps: administrators said they will deliver a pro forma and a separate board guidance memo; the committee asked that rightsizing decisions be integrated into the pro forma so the district can model financial impacts. The committee identified the board’s second November meeting (listed in the meeting as Nov. 18) as the target decision date for closures and utilization questions. Committee members also asked administration to hold a third potential budget action meeting as a back-up depending on legislative timing and public testimony needs.