The Anchorage School Board on June 12 directed district administration to prepare a list of potential additional budget reductions and authorized a hiring freeze after Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s line-item veto reduced the statutory Base Student Allocation (BSA) funding that the legislature approved this spring.

Superintendent Doctor Bryant warned the board the information was "hot off the press" and said the Legislature’s override had put a $700 BSA increase into law but the governor funded only $500, leaving districts statewide with about $200 per student to find. "This is an education emergency," Bryant said.

The board’s action requires the administration to produce a menu of possible reductions prior to the board’s second meeting in December, so the board can deliberate if the Legislature does not successfully override the veto by the board-set deadline tied to the next legislative convening. The board also voted to authorize the superintendent to implement a hiring freeze on selected positions "as a result of Governor Dunleavy’s veto of the FY26 base student allocation," a measure the superintendent said he expects to use to limit harm to classroom jobs.

Why it matters: Anchorage district staff estimate the governor’s action creates roughly a $200-per-student reduction for ASD, equivalent to about $4,300,000 in additional cuts beyond the district’s May budget revisions. Board members and public testifiers said that shortfalls at that scale would force difficult choices — including program reductions, fewer extracurricular activities and possible school consolidations — and could worsen an existing staffing and turnover crisis.

Board discussion and votes
Board member Lisonbee moved the primary directive asking administration to compile potential additional reductions; Member Higgins seconded. After an amendment to clarify the list should include "additional potential budget reductions," the amendment passed unanimously. The underlying motion to direct administration then passed with one board member recorded as opposing (final roll-call recorded six yes, one no).

Board members debated the speed and scope of reductions. Several members urged deliberate fact-finding and public engagement to avoid hasty cuts that would be legally or operationally infeasible, while others pressed for earlier action to realize savings at the start of the school year. Member Donnelly moved a substitute motion to immediately eliminate the district’s middle-school extra planning period and cut five assistant principal positions as a way to meet the shortfall; that substitute motion failed on a 1–6 vote.

Separately, the board approved the hiring-freeze motion, which Superintendent Bryant said he already had authority to use but welcomed the board’s direction as a public commitment to act in the budget emergency. The hiring freeze motion passed unanimously.

Public testimony
Dozens of residents and elected officials addressed the board. Representative Elise Galvin, speaking remotely, urged the community to "pull together" and pledged to work in the Legislature to restore funding. Educators and parents described large class sizes, unfilled certificated positions and accelerating turnover; one teacher testified that Anchorage had lost staff and said, "enough is enough." Testimony repeatedly asked the board to prioritize keeping middle-school activities, elementary librarians and other student-facing programs.

Next steps and timeline
The board directed administration to return to the board with the compiled list by the board’s second meeting in December and to continue work on legally vetted, least-damaging options. The board set Jan. 22, 2026 as the internal deadline in its directive tied to when a legislative override would need to be in place to avoid implementing cuts. Superintendent Bryant said he may recommend legal action or request an earlier public meeting if outside counsel advises that immediate board-level action is required.

Budget detail and limits of authority
The superintendent and CFO explained that certificated employees are largely protected by statutory timelines and contract provisions for the 2025–26 year, which limits immediate certificated layoffs without triggering notice and other procedures; classified positions have varying notice windows by bargaining unit. The administration said it would prioritize identifying savings that preserve classroom instruction where possible, but cautioned no option would be painless.

Ending
Board President Jacobs closed the session by thanking the community for attending on short notice and said the district will "do everything we can to protect classrooms while pursuing every available remedy and avenue to restore funding."