Anchorage School District unveils FY27 budget proposal with $90 million gap; broad staffing and program cuts proposed

The Anchorage School District presented its FY27 proposed budget at a Feb. 3 work session, warning that flat state funding and prior one‑time balances produce a roughly $90,000,000 shortfall that the district says requires structural changes across operations.

"We present this budget to you on the backdrop of us facing this what's about a $90,000,000 deficit due to flat funding," said Andy Ratliff, the district's chief financial officer. Superintendent Dr. Bryant told the board the district exhausted much of its unassigned fund balance to protect programs in the current year and that the shortfall will require reductions that will affect classrooms and building operations for the coming fiscal year.

Why it matters: District officials said about 95 cents of every general‑fund dollar supports classrooms, so even cuts targeted "as far away from the classroom as possible" will have school‑level impacts. Staff estimated the proposal would reduce more than 500 full‑time‑equivalent positions district‑wide and raise class sizes across grades if additional revenue is not secured.

What the proposal would change: Senior leaders outlined a mix of personnel, program and…