Parents, teachers and students urge board to restore immersion, arts and other programs amid $90M shortfall

Dozens of parents, students, teachers and community advocates told the Anchorage School District board on April 21 that proposed staffing and program cuts risk dismantling long-standing programs and eroding community trust.

Students spoke first in the public-comment hour, with a high-school student describing winter darkness and seasonal affective disorder and urging the district to teach seasonal mental-health coping strategies and consider low-cost light therapy devices. Many student speakers then testified in favor of program stability, including Bowman Open Optional (BOP) parents and students who asked the board to restore BOP kindergarten capacity to 50 slots and warned that cutting to 25 seats threatens the program’s multi-age structure and long-term viability.

Language-immersion supporters—students, parents, nonprofit leaders and industry partners—said cuts to Russian immersion staff and a potential reduction of middle- and high-school staffing would break a 13-year commitment families make to immersion programs. “Please keep our Russian teachers,” multiple speakers implored, citing seal-of-biliteracy outcomes and community investment.

Fine-arts teachers and arts department leaders criticized a proposed semester-on/semester-off specialist model that would make many specialist teachers itinerant across multiple schools. Rogers Park and Trailside teachers warned the model would leave students months between arts lessons, cause regression in skills, and burden teachers with unsustainable travel and logistics.

Campbell STEM families and advocates urged the board to pause or reverse proposed closure plans and called for meaningful engagement; one speaker warned a lawsuit was coming if the community’s concerns were not addressed. Other speakers asked the board to reinstate extracurriculars such as the rifle program and preserve middle-school sports and two elective periods that they said help keep students engaged.

Board and administration response: Board members repeatedly acknowledged the depth of community feeling and expressed concern about transparency and process. Superintendent Dr. Bryant repeatedly framed the appeals against a fiscal reality: the district faces roughly $90 million in reductions next year and cannot restore every program without new or one-time funds. He said the administration will try to prioritize classroom protections and seek targeted, temporary investments where possible.

What the public asked for: Restore kindergarten slots at BOP, retain full Russian immersion staffing and middle-school electives, revise the fine-arts specialist model to maintain consistent teachers at each school, and provide clearer contingency plans if one-time state funding becomes available.

What’s next: The board and administration said they will pursue additional public engagement, consider one-year bridging investments for select items (for example the middle-school seven-period day), and brief the community as potential one-time funds and legal developments evolve.