Anchorage School Board approves $11.6M allocation to restore teachers, launch ELA pilot and shore up operations

President Jacobs called the special meeting of the Anchorage School District (ASD) board to order on July 7, and members voted to adopt ASD memorandum 006 — a revision allocating approximately $11,658,787 in newly available state funds — after a series of amendments and procedural votes.

Superintendent Dr. Bryant said the memorandum reflects recently appropriated state revenue and directs those dollars to immediate priorities, noting that the plan "proposes allocating funds for a grade 6 through 10 ELA curriculum" but clarified the board was not being asked to adopt a curriculum contract that night. "The budget proposal reflects a spending plan for approximately $11,600,000 in new revenue," Dr. Bryant said, adding that the largest investment would restore more than 50 classroom teachers to address class‑size pressures.

The district’s chief financial officer, Andy Ratliff, explained how two pieces of legislation were driving the new revenue. “HB 263 included about $144 million in one‑time funding, of which ASD would receive approximately $5.5 million for energy relief,” Ratliff said, and HB 28 contained provisions that could further change local contributions and provide additional one‑time resources. Ratliff outlined proposed distribution: roughly $6.8 million to reclassify and fund nearly 50 existing teacher holdbacks, targeted position corrections (~$70,000), $437,000 to support Alaska Middle College School participation, activity and transportation restorations, and an English language arts (ELA) purchase option of about $2.79 million with phased payment alternatives.

Member Lisonbee offered a substitute amendment (Lessons amendment 1) that would strike a full $2.7 million ELA purchase from immediate adoption and instead reallocate that sum across district priorities while preserving a $625,000 pilot purchase for the ELA materials. Lisonbee said the change would "invest in the pilot and use the remaining $2.1 million to restore teachers, nurses, student activities, student opportunities and student supplies." He framed the revision as balancing urgent staffing and student supports with a restrained approach to full curriculum procurement.

Board members debated the merits and timing of the ELA adoption and whether items should be removed from the memorandum or placed in a separate nonaction bucket for further public input. After secondary amendments and votes, the Lisonbee amendment as revised was adopted unanimously. Another amendment removing the Alaska Middle College School appropriation (about $437,000) was adopted by voice vote as a referral to the finance committee for further consideration.

On final passage, the board approved ASD memorandum 006 as amended by a vote of 6 to 1. Member Higgins was the lone dissent on the final memorandum vote. The approved changes prioritize bringing more teachers onto district payroll, restoring several school‑nurse FTEs through a regional nursing pilot, funding for student activities and a limited ELA pilot while delaying full curriculum adoption pending the board’s public process. The superintendent and finance staff will make conforming edits to the adopted memorandum and carry out procurement and staffing steps.

Administrators emphasized that much of the new funding is one‑time and that FY28 will still face structural budget pressure absent recurring revenue changes; Ratliff estimated a structural deficit exceeding $45 million next year even accounting for the new energy relief funds. The board also agreed to route outstanding questions about the Alaska Middle College item to finance committee for a more detailed briefing.

The board adjourned at 10:17 p.m.