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Mayor and ASD lobbyist urge state action as Anchorage faces school funding gap
Summary
Mayor LaFrance and ASD lobbyist Heather Breaks told a joint Assembly–School Board session that state funding gaps and a shifting revenue forecast leave Anchorage schools facing large shortfalls; they urged passage of a local levy and state action before May legislative deadlines.
Mayor LaFrance told the joint session on March 20 that Anchorage is facing a "very difficult moment for public education," urging voters to support an education levy intended to reduce class sizes and pleaing with state legislators to fill funding gaps. "Local efforts alone are not enough," the mayor said, and he noted the district is receiving roughly $16 million less from the state this year than last.
Heather Breaks, the district’s lobbyist, provided a Juneau session update: the Legislature’s mid‑session revenue forecast showed higher oil prices that could increase available state dollars for a supplemental bill, but appropriations remain uncertain and the legislative deadline is May 20. Breaks described pending education-related proposals — increases to the base student allocation, pupil transportation funding, and an education funding study included in Senate Bill 277 that would update district cost factors.
Breaks cautioned that while the revenue outlook has improved, appropriations and final bill language remain fluid: past sessions have reduced bond debt reimbursement via appropriation, so a 50% reimbursement restoration remains subject to legislative action. The mayor and lobbyist urged continued advocacy to ensure state decisions translate into concrete relief for Anchorage schools before the Assembly takes final budget action.
