4/6/2026: School Board Meeting

001call ourselves to order. Today is the Monday, April 6th, 2026 ASD school board meeting. It is 6:00 p.m. exactly here in the boardroom. Board members present our members Jacobs, Bellamy, Donley, Higgins, Hollowman, Lessons, and Wilson along with our student representative Madison. Um, we called ourselves to order engaged in a roll call. Madison, if you would lead us in our flag salute and then our land acknowledgement, please. Flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> We acknowledge that we gather here today on the traditional lands of the Denina people of the upper Cook Inlet. For thousands of years, the Denin people have been and continue to be the stewards of this land. ASD is committed to diversity

002and inclusion and it is with honor and respect that we recognize all indigenous people who live and learn in our community. Thank you, Madison. We want to welcome you to our meeting and thank you for attending and supporting the work of the Anchor School District and this board. The board thanks students, parents, teachers, staff, school business partners, and the entire community for your investment in our district with your time, your talent, and your tax dollars. We've completed A1 and A2 on our agenda. Item A3 is the approval of our agenda. Is there a motion? >> I move to approve our our agenda. >> Second. >> Motion made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Hollowman. Um, is there any opposition to approving our agenda? Seeing none, the agenda is approved as drafted. We'll move on to

003item B, reports. Uh, student representative report is first. Madison, the floor is yours. >> All right. Thank you. So, first I do want to start off by noting that our most recent SAB student advisory board meeting was on March 24th. And at that meeting, we were actually able to elect our new officers for our Eboard. So, I will read off those names. We got our new amazing vice president, which is Kenneth Warren. our new PR rep, which is David Pac, which you would know as Josh PAC's little brother, who was previously our student representative last year, and then our new secretary, which is Piper Botson. These officers will be taking place next year in their actual positions. I will still continue to be um the student representative and SAB pres um SAB president will be

004passed on to Stephen here, who is um shadowing me until basically the end of May, end of summer before I leave off for college. But in anyway, at that meeting, we were also able to ask students what was one celebration or activity that recognized culture and diversity in their school and community. And it was really interesting because there were many different ideas that came about each school. Um, for example, Bartlett had said they do an annual multicultural night. Begage Middle School noted that they do indigenous awards to recognize academic accomplishment, but also specifically recognize those who have indigenous um recognition in their community. Diamond High School had also mentioned that they do this thing called the Taste of Diamond, which they host with their native leadership club. There's also many schools that did announcements where

005they talk about different languages spoken around their school, different ethnicities and different diversities that they want to recognize. And Northern Lights ABC even noted that they do mask making as well as Chuki Act that does partner club events. So all of these different ideas were really great for us to listen to and kind of see how each different community works together and brings people to gatherings, but also celebrating accomplishments and diversity, too. Lastly, we also want to note that the next SAB meeting will be on April 14th, which will be our last overall SAB meeting of the year, and we'll be transitioning the offices out of their positions. Then we also have OSG, which will be in Juno from April 23rd to 25th. And this is going to be a great way for students to

006be able to talk to their legislators in the capital as well as meet students all over the state and also just a very great way to pass resolutions and continue advocacy. But other than that, that concludes my report. >> Thank you, Madison. Are there questions for our student representative? >> Seeing none, we'll move on to board conference and committee reports. Is there a board a committee chair who wishes to make a report at this time? Seeing none, we'll move on to guard rails and goal monitoring. Item number one is a student achievement grades K through 12 M-class DIYles report. Uh Dr. Bryant, do you have any comments before we begin? >> No, Mr. President, I'd like to invite up our leadership team. And from there, we're happy to have Q&A with board members on our

007goals, specifically interim goal 1.1 and 1.2, which looks at our progress on MClass Dibbles 8. We have a goal for K1 students to reach 80% benchmarked by spring 2028 and the same goal for grades two. So we had our technical presentation two weeks ago and we're joined by a number of senior leadership team members who are happy to answer any and all questions board members have. >> Thank you. We'll go to questions from the board. We'll start with member lessons. >> Um thank you Mr. President. Uh I did share thank so first of all thank you to the team. Um, I think these school monitoring sessions are really important for our board to understand how our students are doing, for our community to understand how our students are doing. Um, and uh, hopefully we can

008find some signs of progress um, and and areas to work on as well. Um, one of the first questions that I shared in advance of uh, tonight's school monitoring session had to do with our first graders. And I had looked at data on slides four and well on slide four and seen that our kindergarteners are showing um and first graders are showing just sort of different different different trends. Um we have you know 18% more kindergarteners meeting benchmark which is great. The work gets harder in first grade. You have a drop off of first graders. But then I went on the data dashboard and you can go back in time and it it seems to me that even if the trajectory of growth of the first graders doesn't look great when you juxtapose it with

009the kindergarten growth that if you were to compare this year's fall winter growth with where we were as a district a couple of years ago, we seem to be in a better place. And I I'm hoping to see I guess check in with the administration and and ask more about a long-term trend which is actually not part of this report at all. >> Well, you're absolutely uh right to notice that in our data. I mean, it is a pattern. Um it does align with our understanding of how the difference between kindergarten and first grade where first grade starts off in the fall and their test is appreciably um more difficult in the winter. Uh but you're noticing that our first graders are doing better than they typically do. Uh we do see a little bit

010of dip between the fall and the winter. Um and that is typical of something um somewhat of a national trend. Uh anything between 1 and 3% is something um that's normal. So one one to 3% above or 1 to 3% below. Uh this year we did have a a larger dip than that and that's something that we definitely are going to be keeping an eye on to make sure that it doesn't become um a longer um longitudinal pattern. Um, so what we're also looking at is taking a look at those first graders at the end of the year and then when they where they start off as a second grade um cohort. And um the data looks really positive year-over-year. We see uh 2 to 3% more of our second graders starting off in the

011fall um at benchmark than they were in the spring. That's great. Um, I guess maybe the follow-up question I have before opening it to other board members is I realize that the MC class is um a reading screener. It's going to be asking questions that are fundamentally different than what the AK star asks of other students, older students. But are there areas of strength or weakness that you're seeing in what the MClass data tells you perhaps by grade? So the MClass screener in of itself um is a series of one minute timed um screener assessments. So you would start off with letter sound recognition and it's the kids go across and can they say the sounds that each letter makes and then they move on to being able to read single letters in isol or

012single words in isolation, nonsense words. And then as they continue to grow in their skills, they get to the point they're where they would read passages um that they've never seen before. So a a one-page uh document or a story that they've never seen before. And how many words can they read correctly in that one minute timing? And that's called their oral um their fluency. So, their oral reading fluency and there's a very high correlation to how many words correct you can read in one minute to your understanding and your comprehension. However, none of these assessments actually ask what their understanding of the passage is. And so, this is really about the MClass Dibbles 8 test is about skills. It's a particular skills test. Do you know your letter sounds? Can you put them together

013and blend them into words? And how fluently can you do that? It's not um so it it's a very different skill set than the MAP, which is an untimed assessment, which is asking students to read independently passages and then answer questions, some multiplechoice, some drag and drop, as well as it's going to ask vocabulary, um language, and other type questions. And so they're they're fundamentally different tests. And so it's very difficult to compare them except for to say that there is a strong correlation that if kids can read fluently, they have a much there's a pretty good success that they are going to be able to understand what they're reading. Because if you can't read fluently, you are spending so much time trying to sound out each word that comes in front of you that

014it takes you too long and you can't remember the word before and you can't understand what you're reading. And so that's why we do these assessments so that we can fill in any skill gap that might have happened in those younger years. Okay. Are there other questions from the board? Member Belling. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I kind of along with member lessons uh question. Um, I I I wanted to know what explain that drop, but the other part of my question has to do with uh what specific actions uh will move from move us from where we are right now be like on target by spring. And I'm I'm kind of um trying to figure out, you know, the reading is of course the priority. I'm trying to figure out not only what

015we're doing to to move things along to improve for better student outcomes. Um but given our fiscal uh challenges um I want to know what if anything you guys are uh thinking seeing can tell us. >> What's hard is this data was from December >> right? >> So that's number one. And so we have actually already implemented quite a number of things to put in place um from this data impact including more targeted PD uh so supports for teachers. We have offered afterchool tutoring uh for um students both within the highdosese tutoring uh realm after school but also um in-person tutoring sessions at schools. Um we have several other um changes that we've done or modifications to the curriculum that we are working with staff to implement to um immediately adjust what's happening in classrooms

016to help support. >> Okay. And and that's really helpful because Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, and uh Deian wanted me to make sure that we are also really um our senior directors and everybody are really working to make sure with our principles that we are holding our intervention time pretty sacred. So, not cancelling, making sure that our students are placed appropriately in their intervention groups and that all of the staff that are providing interventions are trained in the interventions that they are providing. And so given the massive cuts especially to the um the uh everywhere we can I I I want to make sure that we are kind of focused on and we we we are whatever restructuring we're going to have to do some restructuring. We're doing that so that we can that this is

017a priority. This goal remains a priority. We're working with principles closely to ensure that they're monitoring uh what's happening in their schools and also that they're making those adjustments that are needed to show gains. >> Okay. >> All right. I'll wait if someone else has a question and then you I'll have another one. >> Um member lessons, you have a second question. >> Um sure. This is maybe looking at the national level as well as at the local level. I shared a reference to a recent report about data from first and second grade students nationwide um suggesting that these young learners who were babies during COVID um are really not at a national level demonstrating the same rates of fall spring growth quite frankly in reading or math. this is not MClass specific and that

018the report that I shared with with the team didn't exactly say why this is true. There was speculation about chronic absenteeism which we've talked about um perhaps more poorly developed social emotional skills of students um perhaps who didn't have access to to prek or social sort of protocols when they were very young. Um but the the point was that the disrupted learning that we have seen among maybe older ASD students right students who were in the education system in 2020 2021 is not what we're seeing. There's no causal factor for these younger students because they were not ASD students at that point in time. Um so there's perhaps something more systemic at play. And so my question was, do you as an administrative team have any thoughts about why these young students who were babies

019during COVID um perhaps are having slower than desired increases in sort of attaining benchmark status at least with our MClass screener? And I guess that would maybe speak to like what what trends are you seeing in chronic absenteeism and other other factors? Um thank you for that question. So um as you said the research shows that there is a decline of sorts but we have to remember that during co um these students who are now our students didn't have access to preschools or the language development that comes with interaction from peers and other adults. So that may be a factor. Just want to caution as we try to move forward with that. There really we really don't have an answer for why that is. But there are some other items that Deanna is going to

020discuss. What we do have >> you you're right to to notice that our kindergarten, first and second graders, they were zero to three years old in 2020 when um CO started. So, they don't have the same sort of um reasonings for lagging um achievement or outcomes that our older students do. And there's a whole lot of variables that apply to that. um opportunities uh to interact and and um develop language skills outside the home as um Brenda mentioned with u limited daycare or preschool opportunities due to social distancing and um those sorts of things. Um, we also are looking at a fiscal reality in which we have continuously uh struggled to fill all of our um classrooms with highly qualified um excellent instructors. Uh we have some long-term subs um doing amazing jobs in in

021classrooms. Um our PTR um continues to go up. There are lots of things that um the administration is looking at to make sure that we are um consistently putting supports in place uh where we where we see the need the most. Identifying those needs um prioritizing supports and then um getting those high tier tier one um quality instruction going on in all of our classrooms across the district. Attendance is one piece that we have not yet uh done a lot of research on as far as uh with our students here in Anchorage School District. And that's something if the board um was really interested in um doing an RFI, we could look into a a a deeper dive data analysis of our K12 kiddos that are struggling and if there's any correlation with um chronic

022absenteeism. I guess I that's helpful to to know that you would um that board interest would um signal a direction for further investigation. Um I'd say that's something I personally be interested in, but uh I'll follow up on that separately. Um I think a separate question that I asked was really again about data that we didn't have in our report but about preschool and separately we've learned about preschool in other opportunities. Do you do we have any evidence that students who have moved through ASD preschool opportunities are demonstrating um significantly different or statistically significant um differences in their um levels of um sort of MClass benchmark status and having those core uh pieces of um of fluency at hand. We've talked uh previously about some of the challenges in taking a look at the cohorts

023between those that are participating in ASD preschools and um the the rest of the students who may have had uh some sort of prek experience outside in the community and then the reporting of that. So knowing which students had what types um because those are all self-reported when students enroll. Um some of that data uh we just don't know how reliable um that would be. We do have um some data on the types of preschool experiences ASD does provide. We have um approximately 17 of our schools uh with developmental prek. um those are where students qualify based on a um an IEP. Uh th of those 17 schools there are 54 classrooms and 500 and roughly 500 students. And then we have a general education preschool program where students have to lottery in. Um we

024have 31 schools with roughly 37 classrooms and about 669 students in those um general ed preschool settings. um and comparing um prek experiences for ASD kiddos is taking a look at apples and oranges. Um especially because some of those preschool experiences are um things where we are taking a look at primarily high-risk um student groups, low-income families in our title one schools. And uh while we do track how well those students do, um as we mentioned earlier, any opportunity we can get to have our youngest learners in any type of educational setting before they hit kindergarten is going to be an asset. Um you know, providing them those opportunities and those skills um to try to get them ready for preschool. I mean, for kindergarten, that's really kind of the goal of our preschool program.

025I guess in followup, um it seems like it would be helpful as we continue to advocate for resources to help all students succeed to have that foundation. You know, data about the efficacy of our preschools seems like a granular but valuable um piece to have in our collective toolbox. So, I don't I don't know how to make that um how to compare apples and oranges because we have very different preschool programs. Um but it would be nice to be able to direct folks who are interested in uh to to actual um demonstrations of where a return on investment essentially. >> A member Bellamy. >> Thank you. Um, looking at the student groups that are farthest from the benchmark, um, I mean, the economically disadvantaged, special ed, uh, English learners, Alaskan Native, American Indian students. How

026are we accelerating progress for these students? I mean, I think you I think we're we're you in my prior question, you gave me a list of um interventions list of activities um h how what are we doing to to hopefully accelerate even if they were babies in COVID. >> So um we have several programs uh several initiatives that we've done to help um our most struggling learners. Uh the first one is the highdosese tutoring and I had um Miss Sullivan uh pass a report out to you. Sorry, I we're just getting the numbers as they go because we're in testing season right now. So, um you can see on the report um just a little bit of information of what the highdosese tutoring is and the schools that are participating. We um anchored that just

027around our title one schools and so we we didn't allow any other schools to participate. We also made sure that for our second and third grade uh for our students in those title one schools we had some qualifying metrics and what we said is those we were wanted to focus on second and third graders that were well below proficient. So these are the kids that are in the red we say that are in the the zero 4 10 less than 20 percentile on their reading scores on the MClass dibbles. So on their composite score, so these are the kids that are really struggling and for the last school year, so their 2425 school year, they spent the whole year at well below proficient. So we know that they spent almost a whole year not getting

028out of that proficiency bubble. Like they are were really not making progress. And we also look to see what their growth trajectory was um last school year. So the 2425 school year. So these are students that we we narrowed it down because we only had so much money and so many seats to those students that also weren't making a lot of growth. So these were kids that are the furthest from benchmark and also all of the interventions that we typically would use weren't working. >> So that was kind of how we narrowed it down. And then we also asked the schools, are these kids good fits? you know, can they do um highdose tutoring and what's their attendance? Because if we're gonna put this investment into it, we want to also see if their attendance

029could be what is the cause. And we so we wanted to make sure they had 80% or higher attendance. And amazingly, when we were looking at the data, we didn't see attendance as a factor. So we saw just as many kids that had great attendance as had or poor attendance were on these lists. So when we we went through we ended up with um 16 schools that um we invited all the title schools 16 schools said yes we want to participate and that was in October and so um in October we started right around parent teacher conferences we use a company called air reading uh you'll see a data chart in your um packet that kind of gives you the results from midyear so at midyear the kids had been doing the tutoring for anywhere

030from 16 to 30 sessions, which is 8 hours to 15 hours, which when you put it in the form of hours isn't really a whole lot when you're thinking 8 hours to 15 hours of tutoring. And at that point, we'd started to see some growth in the MCL MClass dibbles. Um, but we're not quite sure, you know, this is good and we're seeing it. We still don't have end of the year MClass data because that's not done until um end of April, beginning of May is when we get our last benchmark. But for our third graders, we were able to pull MAP data, which earlier I had said those are fundamentally different tests. And if we're doing a phonics-based program, there's a really strong correlation, but you can't necessarily find a causation. But what we

031found with our data is that the kids that participated, the third graders that participated in the highdosese tutoring made significant gains. So at our schools, we had um the percentage of students that were starting at the third percentile or fourth percentile in their reading, so really low, are now up above the 20th. They're in the 40th, 30s, 40s, 50s a percentile of reading. So they may not have bumped the threshold to get into that I'm an average reader or above average reader, but they have made 40 to 50 point gains in their reading. And then we looked at their growth target from the beginning of the year to the end of the year and they're making 80% or higher growth. And so they still have six more weeks of this intervention to go and then

032some of them will also continue through the summer because that's what we're doing for our third grade summer reading. So that has had tremendous success for our professional learning. And another thing that we've done is we took our PLTE which are our teacher experts and we focus them in the areas of need. So, we made sure our most capable people were working in our most needy schools and then we also um worked to make sure that we were supporting our most needy teachers. So we did um two to three well it's almost weekly after school sessions with new teachers long-term subs and um alternate C educators on the reading curriculum and how to implement it and ongoing coaching in the classroom with them and so weekly they were getting that ongoing in the classroom support

033from an educator. Um, so those are just a few things that we were really trying to do um without adding too much burden for an already overburdened system of teachers that are feeling the crunch that we could really help them with. >> Thank you for that. And I really this should have been our kickoff tonight looking at the highdose tutoring because it is great data. Thank you. >> Could we I'm going to jump in with a question. Could we go through the um MClass the board just received this slide deck and I don't think we can show it unfortunately for the public but could you walk us through the midyear data for the MClass benchmark scores >> in the report? >> Yeah, in the highdose tutoring report. >> Sure. So basically um just to remind

034everybody that this data is from the middle of the year. So um it basically looked at the data in December. So the kids took this assessment in December and it's the second and third graders and these are the percentage of students with average or above average growth. So it's not necessarily their um achievement score, it's how fast they're growing. Um and that really will come out in the next reading board report which is about uh the growth target. But this is second and third graders. So the first score is the composite score which is just your overall score. The way MClass works is it's a gated test. So depending on how good a reader are you are or how many skills you've attained is which tests you take. So if you don't know your letters

035and sounds yet, the test will not make a kiddo who doesn't know their letters and sounds try to read a passage. The test is going to say they don't know how to read any letters or or know their letters or sounds. We're not going to force them to struggle through all passage. So, their composite score is all of their skills put together is the composite score. The next one is non NWF CLS, which is their nonsense word fluency. And the CLS is the um correct letter sounds. And so, that's the number of letter sounds. So, um the kids will be asked to be shown a word that's like nif. N I F and they'll have to pronounce N if and did they get them all correct? And that's the number of individual sounds that they

036got correct. The next one is WRF. They also get a score of can they code it all together. So can they go NI? So they get two different scores from the same test. The next is the oral reading fluency. That's how many words in a passage they can read correctly within a one minute timing. All of these are one minute timings. And the final words is the final is the accuracy. So how many um what percent of that those overall words were pronounced correctly. Um and so what this is showing and we didn't uh the comparison wasn't in there, but this is showing that they're they're making growth. So from where they started, which remember they were all on a kind of a flatline growth, that they're starting to make growth on these individual skills

037within that 8 to 15 hours worth of intervention. >> And so a follow-up question I guess on the same data, these are so 40% of students from a composite score are achieving average or high growth that wouldn't have seen the same level of success before the intervention, the highdose tutoring. >> Correct. They didn't see that level of growth last year with previous interventions that we had done. They were stagnant at, you know, 5% growth or below 20% growth. >> Yeah, it just strikes me that even 40% of the students tested achieving average or high growth is pretty remarkable given the >> the short amount of time in the tutoring. Yeah, it's and this I mean for me the the investment is the fact that we can get the group sizes down to three. three kids

038with one adult. You you can't do that in person. There's not enough adults in the district to do that. And this is one of the benefits to doing it online. And so that leads to my last follow-up question. I think um to the best of my knowledge, additional funds for future highdose tutoring were not included in our FY27 budget. Should ASD be awarded one-time funds from the legislature, funds that shouldn't be spent on reoccurring staff salaries um due to the lack of guaranteed commitment in the future from the legislature? Would it make sense uh from this table of experts perspective to consider investing in highdose tutoring and should we increase that level of investment from FY26 given these results? I'm not the one. I I don't deal with the fiscal stuff. I don't I don't

039really get a say in a lot of that. I would say it's shown a lot more progress than I than I anticipate. Like the the results have been much higher than I anticipated even in the MAP scores. It'll be very interesting. I mean, we chose to continue it for summer learning because our return on investment has been worthwhile to do that. Um, so from my end probably, yes, these people up here have not seen the report. Like I said, this is real time data. We just got it in today with kids finishing their assessments as we are going because last week and this week is the testing window for MAP. We had the MClass data, but just getting the MAP data in. Um, so I don't know if they've had a chance to even look

040at any of the highdosese tutoring for me. Yes. I'll reframe my question just to to make it non-monetary. Would you recommend we continue continue use of this inter intervention uh for the next school year >> if we can? Yes. Especially knowing that we're going to have large classes possibly and um not as many as much opportunities for resources within some of our schools to provide that small group interventions. And would you recommend that we expand utilization of this particular tool given those realities? >> Given those realities, if if I if I had the dollars and I could choose and know what possibly other things were cut, I you know, those are the things is you've got to, as you know, make that that balance and I don't know what the opportunity cost is for choosing

041one over the other. Um but I would definitely say yes. I know we went um and several of our title schools are using their title budgets and going to go ahead with um some highdose tutoring within their title budgets next year. >> And we've got uh we're working within our CLSD money, our state uh federal to state comprehensive literacy grant to also fund some, but it it's not nearly the same amount of money. we can maybe get um 75 kids through that, maybe a hundred through our CLSD funds. So, we're we're working on it. >> Understood. Yeah, I meant to phrase a question away that allowed you to ignore opportunity costs. That's that's our job. I understand. Um okay, thank you. We'll go to member lessons. >> Thanks. Well, I appreciate that back and forth.

042Um, and while you were conversing, I went back to um our August meetings. And in memo 046, that's when we allocated uh $540,000 to highdose tutoring um from the veto overrides. So, what I think we've just heard is a very high return on that investment among students who needed to demonstrate the greatest amount of growth. So, um I think it's really useful at this point in time. And I would be really excited to find ways to leverage this information and and scale it up. Um, but I also appreciate hearing that our some of our title schools are already doing what they can with some of those additional resources. But even that, I understand it's a trade-off, right? Because that's probably investing in highdose tutoring over another useful uh way to spend those dollars. So, um

043I think that's an important conversation to begin to have in advance of whatever may come out of uh the legislature. Um one of the one of the question so anyways I also really appreciated the detail about the highos tutoring because I had sort of asked for more but I feel like you gave a really robust um followup to that. Um, one of the questions that I sent up multiple bullet points to and I'll try to be concise really has to do with our absorption of students from Western Alaska. Um, and perhaps, you know, we have embraced our teachers have supported and embraced those students as ASD students. They're in ASD facilities, but those students have gone through significant trauma. And um I just wonder if you could talk about how you know is that playing

044is that playing part of some of the subtle differences that we're seeing in our Alaskan Native students in particular in some of this MClass data. I'm going to start with just a little bit of the data part and then I'll let um my colleagues speak to some of the services and supports that we are providing those kiddos. Um when we take a look at the students from Western Alaska at the elementary level we have um five schools where students are enrolled at um 87 total for elementary. The majority of those kiddos are at a college gate. Uh middle school, we have one school with 39 middle school students from Western Alaska and that's Uler Middle School. And then at the high school level, we have uh 38 students um at six high schools. The majority

045of the students, 28, are at uh Betty Davis East High School and then uh one each at or six at Benny Benson, one each at Bartlett Highland Service and West. Uh when we take a look at uh our elementary K1 students, um I pulled some information specifically for those schools and we do provide um you with the by school report at the end of um the session this week. You'll get that in the in board connect. When we look at our K1 kiddos, they're doing really well. Um from fall to spring, um scores went up. the percent of students who are at benchmark went up at um at collegegate and then a little bit of a struggle not um these are f uh win fall to winter I'm sorry did I say spring okay um

046not so much um with our second grade kiddos but one of the things that we want to keep in mind is that these students came to just in the middle of October. And so, um, that's really at the beginning of of the second quarter. And then, um, they maybe had a month and a few days before we started the winter, um, spring or the winter, uh, window. And so I really kind of caution how much of those students impacted uh our increases and and dips wherever they lie. Uh and some of that work um specifically around the MTSS portion. We have our um special ed director and a director for um counseling services to provide you some more information. >> All right. Good evening. Jason Lassny. I'm the director of special ed instruction and I

047just would like to say that first our students from Western Alaska are highly resilient and they they show a lot of grit and I can confirm that we have spent at least in our special department and and across the team we have spent the first in October, November, December just welcoming students, building relationships, embracing uh supporting the devastation the crisis and the trauma. And I'm I'm really just proud of the team in in the programs we've built, in the services we provided, hundreds of IEPs we've adopted, and and we're just working to provide that free appropriate public education. So, those are things that my team we're working on every single day is is focusing on kids, student learning, and relationships. And I know my colleagues here will share more specifics on some of the interventions

048and supports, but um it's been definitely a team effort. >> I think that is a great question, especially towards the end. Um you had said something along the lines of like uh what can we I feel like we could do more. Um, and I recognize that and you know I have a department of um 24 schoolbased staff members and out of those 24 11 of them are in elementary schools and they're split between 17 schools throughout the district. That often looks like three um three days at one school and then two days at the next school. Um we do have a full-time staff member at Collegegate Elementary and we all know it was hands- on deck. Um and so she really um embraced having those kids come in and you know was um doing everything

049that she can to support them and um we recognized that trauma and you know just kind of talking through some of those conversations with her and how she can help support those students. Um but what I want to um share is our grant goals. Um, so when we apply for a grant, we have um four goals that we're trying to achieve with our students every year and um it's uh up for renewal next year. So we'll be able to kind of target some of those efforts um that we're providing to our students based on the goals that we're um selecting. And so those four are enhancing cultural identity and awareness, improving attendance and graduation rates, expanding on Native American language programs, and providing support for at risk students. And we know that providing support for

050our atrisisk students can look like a number of things. Um but what I also want to share is that out of all of the students that are um listed as Alaskan Native or American Indian, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're enrolled in our program. Um so in order for students to be enrolled in our program, they have to have what's called a 506 form on file. They have to be able to um prove that they are of Alaskan Native or American Indian descent. Um, and so the district has, you know, over 8,000 students that identify as being Alaskan Native or American Indian. And out of those 8,000, we have about 6,000 6,000 that are actually enrolled in our program. Um, so I just want to share that the amount of students that we are serving

051under our department doesn't represent the entire population of students that are in the district. Um, and you had also asked about bright spots. And I think that um those those um goals that I just shared with you are really the foundation to be able to provide our students um to be successful learners and building those relationships and providing that safe space and checking in on them when they're not coming to school and reaching out to their parents, you know, if they're having a hard time or just checking in with them and being that familiar face for our kids. Um, and you know, we're trying to get them involved into JNYO and leadership clubs throughout um throughout the building and um some of our staff are really good about you know the science fairs that their

052school might be hosting so that those kids can see themselves in the projects that they're putting forward to their community. Um I know it might not answer, you know, the overall question about like what can we do more? I think that um my team is really doing everything that they can to support not just the Western Alaskan students, but all students whether it's um you know kindergarten, first, second grade, but all the way up through high school. >> Thanks. Um, I think I just wanted to add from the mental health and student support department, which really partners with the eloquent statements already made, um, that in welcoming Western Alaska, we really learned into leaned into um, Maslo's hierarchy of needs. And I think we can all agree when people feel safe, when they have their

053basic needs met, and when they sense their belonging that they can then go back to accessing other things. And so really for um the the first couple months in working with the school teams, ensuring um as Jamie mentioned, our student support specialists, our school counselors, our um integrated mental health clinicians that are at those schools are really leveraged, including our community partners. Outside of that, we've really seen um from family engagement nights to other um really culturally relevant events happen to ensure that we are meeting those needs. And one great thing about working in the mental health and student support department is indigenous education is part of that. Child and transition is part of that so that we could really coordinate those efforts and those still continue. Like for example over spring break when we

054held our summer um our summer fairs about hey what's happening this summer you know all of those things came into play so that our families do feel those resources. I also wanted to mention that we're still um engaged with the department of health who is still ongoing ongoing coordinating the efforts of those services. And so we've been in touch and and continuing to look at what other school-based services might we um in in install or or reach out to to make sure all of our families have those supports, whether it's mental health, whether it's um still transportation, food, everything that they need to still be successful and and really feel like they belong in our schools. And on the reading side, we did work with the school uh the teachers that came and with the

055staff to make sure that because they're dual language um immersion that we were honoring what they were doing with their language program and then um working with them to continue using the curriculum that they had been using in Western Alaska as opposed to having to learn a whole new curriculum here. And then they were allowed to participate in the highdose tutoring and all of those same services we have. And then if they were you we met with their curriculum coordinators. And so if they were using a piece that we didn't use, we found a way like u they were using some software that we don't use uh our so our tech team worked with their tech team to allow the kids still to access what they were using in Western Alaska. So that there was

056for the kids less of a jarring impact for their education. They didn't have to learn a whole new system of everything. >> Are there other questions from the board for the team on this report? Seeing none, thank you so much for the time and conversation tonight. go to our next agenda item, the CCL cumulative GPA report, which is a technical report for grades 9 through 12. Dr. Bryant. >> Thank you, Mr. President. I'll just briefly preview with the board what we'll see in two weeks during our formal discussion. So in two weeks we'll have a discussion on interimm goal 3.3 which is grade point average. So we have a goal of the percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 with a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or higher will increase from 55% to

05770% by June of 2028. Why is GPA one of the metrics that we're tracking that's aligned to increase in graduation rates? It's because when you look at the national research, it shows that students that have that 2.7 mark or above are more likely to enroll in and be successful in post-secary opportunities. So, this is one metric we can monitor over students high school career to make sure that we're on track. The next slide that we'll leave the board with would be our historical progress to date on this goal, which is relatively new. Um, but you'll see that we are approaching our 2425 target. And then you can see uh our targets for the next few years. And then we'll uh disagregate this data by grade level. Uh it is important that we don't just look

058at the GPA for our 11th and 12th graders. Sometimes that's too late. Uh the 9th and 10th grade progress will be important for those long-term gains as well. And we'll also as always disagregate this by special subops including economically disadvantaged and um gender. And these are some areas we can discuss more in depth um in two weeks. And then the last two slides will discuss or outline the priority action steps for this goal. So we've really over the past year boiled down our action steps for goal monitoring to five concrete things that are either in development or in the refinement stage and those are listed on the report and that will be a huge part that we can discuss during the conversation in two weeks. And then at the bottom of this slide are the

059universal action steps that are happening across our schools. So I'll pause there if there are any technical questions. Otherwise, we'll continue this in two weeks. >> Not seeing any questions from the board. We'll complete that item. And then um the third item on our agenda under goals and guardrail monitoring was um guardrail report on guardrail number four. Administration has asked us to postpone that item. uh until our next meeting is my understanding. Um would entertain a motion at this time to postpone agenda item C3 until our next regularly scheduled meeting. >> Uh Mr. Chair, I move to postpone item 3C, that's uh guardrail number four, ensuring available mental health services. Postpone that discussion that item until our next meeting. >> Second. Motion was made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Hollerman. Seeing no discussion, we

060can have a voice vote, please. >> Member Higgins, >> I apologize. Representative Madison, >> yes. >> Member Higgins. Member Lessons. >> Yes. >> Member Wilson, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> yes. >> Member Bellamy, >> yes. Yes. Amber Hullerman. >> Yes. >> President Jacobs. >> Yes. Agenda item C3 has been postponed until our next meeting. >> Okay. We'll move on to item D1, superintendent update. Dr. Brian, the floor is yours. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, we've moved my update earlier to this evening because I think this is a great opportunity to keep the community informed on a couple of areas. Uh to be frank, this has been a really difficult time for the entire community as we've developed our def or uh structural deficit budget for FY27 and all of the reductions that went

061along with that. I think we owe it to the community to add clarity on a couple of areas. One of which will be the future of STEM education in the Anchorage School District. And the second thing is I want to provide an update on a future direction for how I would like us to move forward with uh the discussion of school consolidations in the future. Uh so let me add some context. So I've been spending a lot of time speaking directly to families impacted by all of the changes that we've been discussing as a board, but I think one that stands out in particular would be our Campbell STEM families. And uh and it's not just Campbell STEM families that I'm hearing from. It's also community leaders um non-parents for a number of reasons. And

062I'm gathering a lot of themes that are going to inform the the presentation that we'll sh share in just a few moments. Now the thing I want to say clearly is that many of the feelings and statements that I'm hearing from families are, you know, many feel exhausted from the process of going through uh balancing a $90 million structural shortfall. some um felt surprised and frustrated or even unheard with the way that um the the district has gone about its consolidation process and those feelings are real and those are things that we can own and move forward in a positive direction as a team. So with that said, um the board has made its decision about Campbell STEM Elementary School being closed along with the other two schools, Fire Lake and Lake Otis Elementary. And

063as a district, it's important that we take this responsibility to move forward in a way that does two things. One, we need to honor that decision, but we also need to take it upon ourselves as leaders to um really celebrate and expand the rich legacy of STEM programming um that that was started within the Campbell community. So, we are looking at one chapter that's going to close. And what matters to me is what we build next and how we can do that together as a community. So there are two things I want to share in this update. The first is I want to share something important about the future of STEM in Anchorage. And by STEM for those of you who are just following along, that's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction and programs in

064the Anchorage School District. So STEM programming despite many of the concerns that I've heard in the community will not disappear in ASD. In fact, despite the structural deficit, despite the many headwinds that we faced as a community, we can and we will continue to expand STEM. In fact, the community has been crystal clear. We need to protect and grow high quality STEM programs in the Anchorage School District. Despite the headwinds, despite the deficit, these types of programs are doing good things for kids. So, how can we manage two things at once? The structural deficit that's led us down the path that we've gone down, but also honoring and recognizing the value of STEM for our students. So, with that said, I I do want to make one announcement first. So, beginning next school year, uh,

065Campbell STEM's accreditation will transition to Clatt Elementary, and that builds upon a strong STEM foundation that already exists at CLAT. And we're going to talk a lot more about the details in just a moment. And in addition to transitioning that STEM accreditation to CLAT, our priority is to offer interested Campbell students and families access to that program so those students can continue their STEM learning journey. We're going to talk more about how we can open spaces for as many students as we can reasonably accommodate in that facility. Now, with that said, our resources are still limited. That reality has not changed. But this is the right moment to carry forward what we know works, which is intentional accredited STEM programming and making it accessible for not fewer but for many more students over time. And

066before I go into some additional details, I do want to thank um board president Jacobs and Mayor Lef France because collectively with the input of our community, we've been able to develop a path forward and deliberate ways to deliver for our community despite having few resources. Our community needs a step forward and our students deserve to have a highquality STEM education and we couldn't have gotten to this point without them and many other voices to guide the path forward. So with that said, we're going to talk a lot about STEM in just a few minutes, but that's not the only piece of feedback that we've gotten from the community. And I just want to be clear, we heard clearly that we have to approach school consolidations differently in the Anchorage School District. And I want

067to thank actually the board for providing the administration very clear direction on how to do that during their February 9th resolution. And we haven't gotten to talk a lot about that part of the resolution because of all the other change management pieces that we've been discussing. But that resolution has directed our administration to propose a process to develop a long range school consolidation plan that's informed by data and more importantly community engagement to guide future decisions beyond the current budget cycle. So that is why I'm proposing that next year the focus around school consolidations need to be solely on helping empower the community to develop a process for approaching school consolidations in a better way. We need this process to be grounded in data transparency and authentic engagement with all of our communities. So I

068want to be very clear uh for these reasons that I've just described. I recommend that the district solely focus on process next year with cons with with school consolidations and I'd like to pause recommending additional closures for next year. I think that we owe it to the community to take many months to hear directly from them about what a process can look like and if that process looks very differently than what it's looked like in the past, that's okay. But we need to empower our community to guide the district from here on out. So, with that said, I'm going to transition it to the team in a moment, but I do want to recognize another truth, which is that I know that the information that we're sharing tonight is not going to change how many

069people feel about the decisions that have been made, the very difficult decisions and outcomes that many people have been grappling and processing. But we can make commitments as a district. One, we want to expand STEM opportunities for more students in the longer term and we want to make sure that there's no gap in continuity of accredited STEM programming next year. We want that work to continue at CLAT. And I'd like to make sure that as many interested Campbell families as possible be prioritized for those spaces in that program and perhaps others. And the other commitment is making sure that we approach school consolidations differently than we have in the past. We need to approach them together as a community. uh and they need to help lead the way because the way that it's been working

070has not worked for our families and we need to do better. Now, with that said, I do want to hand it off to our team because I know that there's been a lot of misconceptions around STEM programming. So, I want to make sure that we level set on what is the state of STEM in ASD and where are the aspirations for where we want to go because this is bigger than just clad elementary school. We have a vision for expanding strong STEM programs across the district. So, um I thank the board for your patience and for your guidance in this area. So, I ask that we transition to this brief presentation and we can have a full discussion after. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Bryant. We do have um a couple people.

071I'm the deputy superintendent of schools, the chief of deputy chief of schools, Kirsten Johnson Strumpler, and then we have Kelsey Samansky, our principal of Clatt here to um present to you this this evening in regards to STEM education in the in the in the Anchorage School District. And we're going to start off uh Kirsten's going to go over some curriculum stuff with you first. >> Sure. Thank you. So to start us off, I wanted to start with a really high level overview of what STEM curriculum looks like in ASD. And uh it really stems from uh a crosswalk of our curriculum between language arts um or CLA, which is our specific curriculum at the elementary level for language arts and our science curriculum or science kits that you may have heard about um a as

072students participate them in them during the elementary years. So there's um a a significant amount of effort that has been put into finding themes um between our language arts and our science curriculums that blend together um to provide a STEM background for all students. And so it really focuses on um basically um hands-on inquiry, background knowledge, and specific vocabulary. a lot of science um work at the elementary level really centers around um that background knowledge piece and that vocabulary building. And so um there's a real integrated approach between these two subjects uh in the elementary level as we move through the grades. And so if we go to the next slide um this dives in a little bit more deeply to how you do that at the elementary level. So in grades K through two

073there's a real focus on listening and exploration. In grades three through five, there's there's a shift in research and evidence as a focus. And so when you look at what students do specifically, um they really um in the primary grades explore ideas through guided observation. So they do a lot of sensory exploration. They do a lot of listening um comprehension. They also um really get familiar with that scientific language. um that's um part of of a science curriculum or a strong STEM background. And when you look at um what students specifically do in three through five um they switch to much more of a culminating um usage of this background knowledge and vocabulary and information. And so they really start to do um experiments that you would see in a traditional science fair. they start

074to do um a lot more hands-on activity um that really puts their skills to use and and they really work on that outcome um and testing hypotheses. So um so they come they go from the primary grades to of being a consumer of scientific knowledge to in the um upper grades doing much more of the scientific inquiry process. And so that integrated approach is really what we focus on in all of our elementarymentaries across the district. So I think that's an important background piece um for us to know. >> All right. So in addition, so that's for all of the kids in the school district. That's what kids would get in any of our schools. um in Anchorage School District, we actually have some schools that um have some form of STEM programming and existing

075programs right now and going into next year. Aurora Elementary, Clatt Elementary, Mold Dune, Russian Jack, and Willow elementaryaries all have existing STEM programs um in them and they're some of them have a little different flavor for each of them. And next year, Beayshore and Creekide will be implementing a STEM program as well. Campbell STEM is the only Cogna accredited STEM school. Now, Campbell STEM also was a STEM school long before it became an accredited school. So, um, these this is just kind of showing that we do have some programs in different levels and we're going to go into more of that in a little bit, but I want to we do want to talk about the accreditation piece. So, Kristen's going to talk a little bit about that. >> So, just speaking specifically to the

076accreditation process, I wanted to just do a highlevel overview of of what that philosophy is. And when you become a STEM accredited school through Cognia, which is the the company that we've used to accredit us in the Anchorage School District, it's really about building an integrated curriculum throughout your school day. So whether you're in a reading block or in a math block, um there's STEM woven throughout it. Um you're not doing subjects in isolation. So, in a language arts um lesson, you might be reading non-fiction text or um research reports, um things of that nature, you may be uh researching um something for background knowledge for something that you're going to do later in the day. There's a lot of different ways that you could you can tackle this, but it's really about um you

077see in this philosophy statement about building an ecosystem that really embraces that content throughout the school day. So looking more specifically at the components of accreditation, um there's several indicators um that the Cognia uses to accredit a school um under the guise of STEM. And so these are the different components that they look at. They look at integrated curriculum which I talked about. They look at inquirybased learning or and a lot of hands-on learning. So they don't want to see a lot of sit and get. They want to see kids involved doing things and investigating, observing. Um they want to see them experimenting all sorts of things like that. They want to see um engineering design process as a part of their learning. So they want to see them designing things, testing things, going back

078and fixing those design flaws, and then trying again the engineering design process. They also want to see um a specific um training program for for teachers in the background of STEM. So um they want to see professional development around this area and um a real intentional effort to level up the teachers in the content area of STEM. Technology is a huge part of the accreditation process as well. Um so is equity and accessibility. So to be more specific on on this part of the accreditation, they don't want to see STEM for just some of the population of the school. They want to see it woven into every aspect for every student across the board in an accredited STEM school. They also want to see um a continuous improvement process and assessment process. That is a

079big part of it. and um coming back to that data and um coming up with plans to address deficits potentially and to celebrate things as you move forward as a school system. A a big part of a STEM school is those real world connections and partnerships. So, it's um people coming into the school that have content knowledge around specific areas. Um Kelsey will be able to um share with you a little bit about how that works at at CLAT very specifically, but they have tons of people that contribute to the knowledge base around STEM with throughout their school system. They also want to see a supportive learning environment. So they want to see students of all levels getting the support that they need. Um they want to see teachers having the support that they need

080and they also want to have um strong leadership and program vision. So when an accreditation process happens in a school, these are the big um data points and um essentially a rubric that Cog Cogna will evaluate a school on to become accredited. So when you look um more specifically at this Campbell STEM accreditation um I've worked directly with Cognia along with some of my colleagues to really discuss um our specific situation around a school closure and if we're able to transfer that accreditation to another school. And the good news is that we can um there is a process for us to go through where we can transfer that accreditation to a school that is absorbing some of the students um from Campbell because the accreditation follows the students. It doesn't necessarily follow the school and

081clatt will absorb a portion of Campbell STEM into their population next year. Um the other um thing that will have to happen for us as a part of this transfer of accreditation is a site visit next fall at Clatt Elementary where they will evaluate those components that we just saw um with what they see in the learning and teaching at Clatt Elementary um to make sure that we're following all of those components in the way that Cogna would want us to as an accredited STEM school. Um there is an opportunity which is um really good news for us. We are um overall as a district accredited by Cogna um and we have our district-wide accreditation review in the school years of 2930. So in the 2930 school year, if we choose to expand to other

082schools, we would be able to bring those schools on as a STEM accredited school as well during that school year when we do our um another round of district-wide accreditation with Cogna. So there is a lot of opportunity um for us to grow and expand in that time frame. So, the other the other thing I wanted to just address um it's been um talked quite a bit about in our community and in public testimony around um grant monies that were awarded to Campbell STEM and um a concept of losing those funds as a district. And um we've done some research around those grants and I just wanted to update the board that there were two grants. One was for about a half a million dollars um that was applied for but not awarded. There was

083another million dollar grant that was um sought after, but as the school closure process happened, that grant was never submitted. So, I just wanted to go on record to let the board know that that million half dollars has not been awarded to Campbell STEM. >> All right. So, a little more specifics in regards to moving the STEM to clatt. Um, currently STEM currently clatted dedicated teacher to STEM in place. They have four former Campbell STEM teachers teaching at Clatt so they understand the philosophy and have the training. And then CLAT principal Kelsey here was a teacher and instructional coach at Campbell when the philosophy and the name was changed to Campbell STEM Elementary. So, we're going to we've asked Kelsey to come and talk a little bit about uh what Clatt is doing currently. We

084we do know things will change some as we uh move into becoming accredited and getting that Cogna review next fall, but we wanted Kelsey to kind of talk a little bit about what CLA has currently. >> Well, thank you for having me. I am Kelsey Diamond Samansky, the principal at Clatt Elementary and we do have some established STEM foundations there. As you know, I was a formal um Campbell person. I spent 11 years at Campbell and that's kind of laid the foundation of as a leader where we've gone with the hands-on learning in real world application. And so in my first years at um we moved our health curriculum over to our staff and we brought on a STEM teacher. And in that integration, we talk about integrating curriculum. We use the Anchorage School District

085science kit to in integrate a more handson inquirybased STEM um projects. And you can see that designing those projects that led to um being related to the kits and the standards, kids had the opportunity to um design hybrid animals, musical instruments, structures that would withstain n natural disasters, space landers, hydroponics, mystery mixtures, and coding. And then to integrate the technology piece, we do some AI work with students, robotics, and many other STEM challenges that also again relate to what they're learning. Um, my STEM teacher has been trained. We are a partner of CITC or Cook Inlet Tribal Council. Um, we received pieces of Fab Lab, so 3D printers, laser cutters, and other pieces of technology that have been integrated. Um, and then we use a science inquiry base within those STEM projects with our STEM

086teacher. Um, other hands-on learning opportunities at Clatt, uh, we were granted a grant, um, about five years ago that was based on sensory. We have a sensory room that's well-developed. And the second piece of that is a sensory garden that is in the foundations of taking place right now. with that garden. We'll have 20 garden beds for all students to participate in gardening. And we will have um a greenhouse that's led by a garden club that is established right now. Um that has done family events where they got to teach families about the types of seeds that can be sustainable in Alaska that will go into our garden beds this year. They also um have put soot balls outside of every classroom. We have bird feeders outside of every window where kids can collect data

087on the types of birds that are outside of our school and how many times they come per month. Uh we have a salmon uh salmon life cycle study that we do. So we're raising salmon within the classroom. We also do outdoor education for third through fifth graders through outdoor school, but also skeer camp for kindergarteners that particip participate in a week-long um STEM learning activity in the springtime. We also have ducks and chickens right now. Um, eggs inside the incubator that are will be hatched and so they can study life cycles as well as well as sustainable living living through hydroponics. We also wrote a grant um and we have a commercialsized hydroponic system within our STEM room. So we have a quarterly salad bar that all kids get to participate in and then hydroponics

088minis inside each classroom that wants to participate. So they can also watch it grow in front of their eyes. And then they um once they go through trimming all that, they also get to participate in either giving it away to their families or putting it in our salad bar. And then we also have the science fair in family STEM night where families get to come to our school and participate in what their students been learning in class through the science fair and then do experiments with hands-on learning themselves with their families to get all involved. Garden Club also participated in creating um rock night. So rock painting night. So when families come to see the beginning steps of our believe garden outside, they'll see the work that they also put in to contribute in the

089early stages of putting in a garden area outside of our school. And then what lays the foundation of that at um one equity and accessibility. All kids have the opportunity to have STEM class and visit our STEM lab. It's inclusive and culturally connected experiences through things such as that Fab Lab training through the CITC program and creating instruments that are culturally um meet those standards to meet the culturally um pardon my words uh bringing that intertwining it right integrating our curriculum for the culture standards that kids learn too through assessment and continuous improvement. Um, we have collaborative based learning cycles that we get to touch base on how that's working and then ongoing reflection and growth opportunities for staff and students. The real world connections and partnerships, we really um reach out to our school

090business partners so they can be involved. They're involved like judging our science fair and asking our kiddos those science-based questions through that and also supporting us through volunteer opportunities and um sometimes donation value so we can put those on and then just applying those real world applications through our uh family nights as a title school as well. And then most of all our supportive learning environments and the staff we have at cloud elementary. It's highly student centered and in we have inclusive classrooms. Um and we focus on engagement and collaboration. Those were our high leverage practices that we did this year and we collected data within our classrooms on what does our engagement look like so we can continue an improvement cycle in those areas. >> All right. Thanks Kelsey. Kind of looking at the

091future of STEM and ASD. Um, our plan is for of course this next year moving the STEM accreditation from Campbell to CLAT, but then for the following year we would look at trying to add an couple more STEM programs. Um, an extension of the transition. Um we'd be looking at doing that then and then really exploring potential additional sites for 28 29 and um and then creating a road map for any schools that want to uh bring on STEM as part of their models. Um looking at also the 2829 school year is I believe the the year accreditation would happen as well. So we could probably have a number of schools getting accredited uh in that year. looking at kind of the next steps um for this. We are going to be uh surveying Campbell

092STEM families to in of interest to see who would be interested in transitioning to CLAT and we will be holding a special lottery for that um little uh in the next month. Um the accreditation transition will continue to work with Cognia to complete that transfer and uh then collaborate with principles to expand any more STEM opportunities in the district. So that is all of this presentation. So Dr. Bryant >> and then just in summary, this has been a challenging moment for ASD, but despite the challenges, this is also a consequential moment to celebrate and expand the legacy of Campbell STEM. So, while this doesn't solve many of the issues that have been very heart-wrenching for our family members, I think in the long term, this is a moment where we can ensure that there's continuity

093for what we know works, which is incredible accredited STEM programming in ASD. >> We'll open up to questions from the board. Member Higgins. >> Yeah. Um, was any of this looked at before Campbell was presented to the board to be um u be closed? I mean, is this all it looks like it's recovery for a bad for a decision? And I'm I'm going to say this, the superintendent made the decision for Campbell. We approved it. Superintendent made it. And we're going to discuss the process of coming out with that direction on February 9th in the future. I promise you. But right now, this looks like recovery. You know, to me, the STEM program, when I look at the middle school program that we have, that's because of the staffing that's there. They are so committed

094to that. That's a great school. I'm I'm very impressive. Now, we're going to try to create that and ask teachers that are not teaching it with the STEM program, but but you can you can do the STEM. To me, there's a big difference here. When when you're looking for a particular program, you're looking for people married in that program. It just and I'm hearing that from teachers a lot. Okay. That this is a big issue. So, was any of this considered before you select it to Campbell before the superintendent presented to the board that his best recommendation was to eliminate Campbell Elementary STEM program >> um through the president, member Higgins. So, as we shared, Clad Elementary has been engaged in STEM programming for many, many years. That's been happening before the decision. But part

095of this was listening to the community. Those within and outside the Campbell community were alarmed that ASD might be losing its only STEM accredited program. So it was important for to do two things. One was to ensure that the community understood that there is one STEM accredited program, but there are also many variations of STEM programming that's been happening. But in response to the community, we did seek an opportunity to transition that accreditation. And we worked very hard and I really uh thank our staff for working directly with Cogna to broker that opportunity to move the accreditation. That that's not something that's typical, but it's something that is right and that Cognia supports because we know that accredited STEM programming is good for kids. So, it was in response to the community feedback that we

096need to protect and grow STEM programming. >> Member Higgins, do you have a follow-up question? >> Uh, probably too many. Um, yeah, you know, when I'm looking at this this whole issue, we had the meeting with the assembly and when it was brought up of selection with Campbell and why not some of the other schools that were on the slate earlier to be selected, you said they're being included or being looked at for child care for other reasons with it. I'm wondering what when was that was that being considered all those schools and if so, why wasn't Campbell considered the same way? because we've got free money coming from the state right now potentially for child care. We have that ability. If we postponed it for a year, we'd be have a chance to be

097able to to at least make sure this transition is going to work right. We'll see what the funding is going to be like. Uh but to make that change would be so well received. We got five votes on the assembly saying they don't want to approve our budget because of this. We've got the mayor's office up here requesting or pushing others to delay this for a year. We've got the community up here saying it. And I've got questions about how we even came up with this format that cut out communications with the public to give them a chance to voice it. Can't we do you have concerns if we sat back one year? Say, "Let's see what the funding's like. Give it one year. We just approved it for a charter school for the high

098school. We give them a chance to put a charter school together. Why not? And really put the money into the child care. Can't we consider that or would you consider that to be something that's inconsistent because that plan that you got on on the 9th of February I didn't have a participation in developing others did and how that was done is going to be an issue. So I am more than frustrated. I feel like this is 30 years earlier with the type of problems that we've got on the school board, which is just not consistent with trying to listen to the public and trying to get them engaged in the discussion before we come out with a directive from the school board saying we want to close a cluster of schools and that just because

099we're not going to close schools next year the way this is doesn't mean this will not be an issue next year. Uh through the president, there are a few questions there. member Higgins, but one, the board did approve a plan to expand child care in underutilized schools. So, that work is moving forward. I think the other piece is that the community did have questions as to why didn't we announce a STEM plan earlier on and I think that's a fair question and that's one of the points that we wanted to illustrate tonight that it's very important that when you integrate a robust STEM program that it's not top down, that it's grassroots driven. So the work going on at Cloud Elementary has been developed for years in collaboration with families and teachers and that's the

100model that we need to expand. It wouldn't be appropriate for the district to unilaterally appoint school STEM because we need to make sure that teachers and families know what that means and nine times out of 10 when they know what that means they're excited but it takes time to make that happen. So that's why I was very cautious about not overpromising STEM programs and schools before engaging with those local communities. We'll go to member Bellamy. >> Just a I mean there's no winners and this is not a recovery. We did the same thing when we had when we did uh when we closed Abbott. We then looked to see how we could transition and the whole program and work with families to have some options. That's I mean that this is consistent in my opinion

101with that. The other thing is is the superintendent does what we tell him to do. We told him to come back with the plan. We voted for his plan. impactful as it may be, the board has made a decision. And I don't think it is fair or helpful to keep going back and blaming the superintendent for something that we we directed him to do and that we this board voted for. So how however we feel individually the board has made a decision finding a path forward is I think where I want to be. >> Thank you. Um a question on the presentation for the team. If uh one-time resources became available, whether it be through from the municipality or from the state legislature, are there things that could be implemented within buildings to facilitate a

102more expedited accreditation process uh for communities that wanted to do that work? >> Yeah, Mr. President, um I think there are a number of things that we could do with um some investment into STEM in ASD. Um, a couple of ideas um that would be really supportive for schools are instructional coaches um that would help with that curriculum integration and teaching in the classroom. Um that you heard um Kelsey from CLA mention that they have a specialist teacher that teaches STEM um topics specifically in lie of um some other specialist models. That's another support that we could have. Um there is a cost to accreditation. um that if you scale that across schools um does cost a significant amount of money in a budget shortfall. So having some additional funding for that would be good.

103Um there's also professional development, field trips, um and then just materials and supplies for those hands-on learning experiences. All of those things would be helpful as funding items for STEM expansion in ASD. >> Thank you. We'll go to member Donley. >> Thank you, Mr. Mr. President, I just I voted against um asking the superintendent to propose new school closures in such a short period of time. I thought it was a bad decision by this board. I continue to think that was a mistake. um voted against closing um Campbell STEM and I continue to oppose the closing of STA Campbell STEM and I look for any opportunity uh for this board to prioritize any additional funding that's available to undo this decision because I think it was the wrong decision, wrong school, wrong time. Um, but

104my question right now is how many positions or how many students would be able to transition to clatt? You're saying there's not enough room for everybody we anticipate would want to go. How what is the number that you anticipate being m being made available to the Campbell STEM students at this point in time to be in a theat STEM program? >> Sure. Through the president to member Donley. Um, so we've done a preliminary analysis. There are three empty classrooms at CLAT that we would be able to um staff. There's additional potential for movement um and opening of classrooms if we look at moving a preschool program from um andor an SLC program from CLAT to open up additional classrooms for enrollment. Um and we do have a pathway um for looking at where those those

105programs would go if the enrollment was really high through um the communication with families. But um the first step is going to be communicating with Campbell families to see who would be interested in making that transition and then we'd be able to give a much more detailed comprehensive plan to the board. >> Is there a specific plan this time because we failed last time to communicate with the community councils? Are we going to advise the community councils that are impacted by this that this is the new proposal from the administration and from >> so yeah I we do have an we have an academic plan right now we're in the initial process of approving that which is why we're here um but communication is definitely going to be part of of that plan moving forward

106and how we would want to proceed >> and that would be to the Campbell families we wouldn't be going and giving presentations to the community councils or that unless Dr. Right. >> Why not include the community council? You're talking about community engagement. That's this big speech we heard about more community engagement. Why don't the community councils count as part of the community engagement? >> Donley, I don't have any issue opening that conversation with the community councils, but I I do want to be clear that what we're asking of families is if they're interested in enrolling in the STEM program at CLAT, if it would add value to speak to community councils, that's certainly possible. I think it's very significant to the those community councils. I mean, they got denied the opportunity to even respond during

107before this decision was made by this board. Um, their meeting occurred on a Thursday night. On a Friday, the notice went out that we were there was the proposal to close down Campbell STEM. The first opportunity, the only opportunity to testify was three days later. um the community councils were completely cut out of the process and it's a very significant thing of the impact of local schools on those communities and the members of those community councils. I I think it's just unquestionable they should have been involved in the process before it was voted on and it should continue to be part of the you know the mandatory notification process for considering closing down a school. >> Thank you member Donley. We'll go to Member Bing. I I just wanted to clarify the process for uh

108with community schools. That's our responsibility board members. I get that there was a a um a short time frame. I certainly spoke to my community councils about what was happening and I would think that everybody here would have had that conversation or something with that conversation uh with their council because I I I'm just saying you can blame whoever you want but we us board members are the people who should be having the conversation with the community council and with our our youth and with our uh the advisory board. We should be the we are the ones to have those conversations. It's not the staff's responsibility to do that. >> Um, thank you, member Bellamy. I'm going to ask if there are other questions on the superintendent's updates. Um, we'll go to member Higgins next.

109>> Yeah, it's it sounds like logically that if we waited a year with closing Campbell, it would allow this plan to get planned out better, the staffing corrected, have everybody uh curriculum wise, everything else. If you're going to truly try to make it a STEM school, not that everybody's got some component of STEM, I think every school does. Uh but if you're trying to copy or duplicate at all that what Campbell has achieved, additional time would it's got to be very valuable to to that process. Is that accurate? >> So I don't think we have the luxury of time because the decisions already been made by the board to be honest. Um I will say that um in the accreditation transfer we would lose the opportunity to transfer that accreditation from Campbell to CLAT if

110we don't act um in the year that the students actually move to the school. >> I should have a follow-up question for that the issue here about notifying community councils. I didn't have any community council meetings that I could do between the time frame of a Friday afternoon to to do something on a the next school board meeting on a Tuesday after the holiday weekend and to say that it's all well do. I didn't even know about those schools until then. Nobody else did until Friday. So somehow another that we should be keeping the community councils informed. I don't find that credible because we didn't have the time. the community didn't have the time to know about it and to be able to respond or to give us alternatives in regards to what they could

111be doing. And and we're losing the support, like I said, of the assembly. We're losing it. The mayor is hoping that we will postpone it for a year. Let's reclaim a little bit of our community relationship here because I guarantee that November 9th memo to establish that is going to be an issue in the future as well. >> Thank you, member Higgins. We'll go to member Donah. >> We did reach out I did reach out to the impacted community councils and they didn't have a meeting again before this board voted before this board took testimony. The only opportunity to take testimony. So subsequent to that they did pass a resolution against the closure but the board had already voted on it. We didn't give them a chance to even comment before we voted on it.

112>> Okay. Any other questions from the board regarding the superintendent update? Seeing none, thank you. We'll continue on with our agenda. Again, our public comment period. Welcome to the board's uh first opportunity for public comment this evening. Uh the board sets aside a 1-hour time slot. At the beginning of our meeting for public comment, we should be able to accommodate all testifiers tonight, this evening, at our first opportunity. Uh during public comment, the board will not answer questions or engage in discussion with members of the public. This is the public's time to speak and the board's time to listen. Uh we welcome the public to observe and contribute to our meetings. Uh but we need our meetings to be structured and civil. We utilize Robert's rules of order to governor meeting governor meetings and specific

113provisions which are relevant uh regarding Robert's rules and public testimony are to not attack a member speaker's motives. Please no profanity or foul language. Refrain from disturbing the meeting. No cheering, applause, outbursts or waving of signs or posters. If you do have handouts you wish to share with the board, please hand them to Miss Sullivan who's seated to my left. We will uh work through decorum issues as they arise. And then if you would like any other information regarding uh how we conduct our meetings, you can see the details uh at the door regarding audience participation. As usual, we will start with student testifiers and their parents. The first two testifiers tonight are Gilligan Little and Lisa Little. You could come forward, please. Welcome Gilligan. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >>

114Um I um uh not want the school closed because um the STEM lab is fun and math is my favorite and um the STEM is math. Um it helps me to learn easier from my old um school. That's it. I can remember. >> Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, Miss Little. You have two minutes to the You can be committing. >> Um, well, I just wanted to say that uh we we just moved into the STEM the Campbell STEM neighborhood uh last year. And so I mean Gilligan's got uh resource uh classes that he's been in um all of his school career, but he has made incredible leaps and bounds since being at Campbell STEM in just a year. This was um this past summer was the first time he didn't have to do the

115uh the special ed like summer school. Um he had progressed to where he didn't even qualify for that. um he's no longer in resource for math. He's been able to um go into the regular classroom for that. And just in general, the staff and the programs over there that they've offered have just been an incredible made an incredible difference with it. And yeah, we just don't want to see it go. >> Thank you both for your testimony. Our next speaker is Shanti Ward and then the parent of Shanti Ward. >> Sorry. >> Okay. What? Do you have a student testifier tonight? >> We don't I signed up on the wrong thing and I got it. Don't have to do it again. >> Okay. Um based on our testimony list, we'll um allow this this time.

116We typically prioritize student testimony first, but we understand. Thank you. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Is this on on ASD continues to say that the STEM program can simply be moved? That is not how successful programs work. You cannot just move a program. If it were that easy, there would be more STEM schools around in this district. There are over 54 schools, give or take three in this district that are elementary and one true STEM school. Some schools have afterchool STEM clubs or STEM teacher once a week. That is not the same. At Campbell STEM, STEM is not an add-on. It is the foundation. Teachers don't separate subjects into isolated blocks of math and reading. They integrate all subjects through STEM using the engineering design process to guide instruction. Every lesson

117is built around critical thinking, problem solving, and real world applications. Campbell STEM is not just different. It is intentionally designed to work in a completely different way. It takes years to build a strong school culture, develop meaningful partnerships, and create the kind of learning experiences our students benefit from every day. STEM is not a label. It is a fully developed program built over time. If the district insists on closing Campbell STEM, then at the very least, they should allow the program to move together with its leadership intact. That means relocating it to Shinook Elementary with Dr. with our current STEM principal so the program can continue with continuity and stability for our students. Why not consider reszoning Campbell STEM students to join Shinook Elementary? This is step six of the engineering design process redesign. Shinook

118could accommodate a large portion of these students while still maintaining his optional program. Families have shared that there is space available within the school even accounting for the wing that is has to be condemned because of the roof. If right sizing and valuing student outcome is truly the goal, then the focus should be not just on relocation, but on preserving what makes program successful in the first place. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Eleanor and Addison Gleos Gigos. >> Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Okay. >> Hello. My name is Elenor Gleus. I am 5 years old. Did you know there is no such thing as too much chocolate in chocolate chip cookies? That was a science experiment in Mrs. Babcock's class. Please don't

119close my school. Campbell Cups can do great things. Thank you. >> And thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Oh. Hello. My name is Addison Gleos. I am currently in fifth grade at Campbell STEM Elementary. Mr. Hoyer is my home room teacher. He helps me helps make learning more fun. Mr. Climman has helped me become a better reader and writer. Please don't close the school for the students to come. >> Thank you for your testimony. >> I am signed up. >> Yep. Absolutely. Cadence. Yeah. >> Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> I slightly changed what I was going to say. Hello, my name is Cadence Scalagus. My four children all currently attend Campbell STEM. My fifth grader took her first brave

120steps onto the school bus in first grade toward a sorry toward a public school of unknowns after kindergarten home school in the 2020 2021 school year. Um, choosing Campbell STEM so quickly and so heavily monetarily based goes against numbers one and four of the ASD board norms found in board docs that state number one, we will represent the needs, interests, and achievement of all students in the district and place these above all else in the decisions we make. And number four, we will make informed decisions using sufficient data. The needs, interests, and achievement of students at Campbell are definitely not being placed above the possibility of freeing up SBDR funds, and this decision has not been based on sufficient data. And then in response to the presentation earlier, why is now the time to allow

121a STEM school to accept as many students as they can accommodate? Campbell STEM has not been allowed to accept students in the lottery in the spring ever. So, by the time parents are told there's a space, they've already been enrolled in school for maybe 10 days in the fall. How is an improved process for school selection better than just following the original criteria set forth for selecting schools? Will teachers and staff from Campbell also get priority and accepted at CLAT as much as allows? As far as I know, about 75% of CLAT students reside in Diamond Estates, which is about five houses from my house. They are bus double the distance they would be if they went to five other schools. The distance only gets increasingly farther away to middle and high school. The accreditation

122can follow the students to clat even though only 45 of our students switch there and they get one extra teacher if the levy passes. I'm also curious why the clap principal was given time to highlight all the STEM things they do, but the same consideration was not given to Campbell's principal. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Dino Winger and Hannah Winger. >> Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> I'm not going to be um giving testimony. She she wrote testimony and has decided she doesn't want to give it today. >> Okay. Um so if Dena nor Hannah are present, then we can move to Carmen and >> um can I have a full two minutes? >> Yes, ma'am. You have you

123can have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Okay. Um I I'm still trying to struggle to see what I should say to you today. If I'm honest, I'm not sure if I should say the testimony I wrote that I my family didn't have time to sign up for on the first meeting or if I should say the testimony that I could only read half of because our time was shortened to two minutes in the last meeting. Um or if I should write the testimony I wrote last night after my kids went to bed and this morning before my kids woke up. But I decided today was not right or if I should read the notes I wrote after we saw for the very first time this update about our program being transferred to

124CLA. I'm not sure which one you need to hear. As one of the members of the parent committee on the Cogna STEM certification, I would love for there have to have been the opportunity for us to talk more and to give the same amount of time to talk about the program we have and to tell you that we have all of these things pre-existing at Campbell STEM right now and that we would be an excellent mentor school and how we could partner with you in reaching your goals to expand STEM education to all of ASD. because we share that as a priority and we share that as a goal. We also hear you that you want to improve the consolidation process and so do we and we will partner with you to make that a

125priority and how we can improve that right now and we want to work with you to do that. I also want to tell you a little bit about something that happened recently in my home. I broke a new toy that my daughter had just gotten a few hours beforehand. She was upstairs and she didn't see me do it. And I set it on the counter and I thought about all of my options. She could I could leave it there and not tell her. She would have thought her sister had done it. I could have hid it and she would have forgotten about it. And you know what I did? I went upstairs and I told her that I broke it because the short-term decision of her potentially being mad at me wasn't worth me not

126being willing to live out my values and to teach my daughter a valuable. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Heim Winganger. Stay up there. Go. Members of the board, this has been a really rough month, but I still consider you my allies. I need you to succeed. Why? It's for them. And I think that you share the same thing, the same goals of like we need strong individuals. And the thing that we've learned over this last month is for my children how they fight city hall or stand up for their rights and then how to process grief. And that's what we're learning now tonight. I have to say that like we share your goals and to this day as much as I've been lobbying up here for Anchorage uh to keep

127Campbell open or at least delay to allow a proper and transparent process. We've been doing the same in Juno. We've been trying to raise extra money. We've been going to the city and even our representatives to try and actually do this. We've been going into Campbell and saying, "Can we explore early childhood?" We've been saying, "How can we increase utilization? How can we make the budget dollars work to work with you because we don't need all of the things that you're saying? We have options. We are innovative. We do STEM. And you haven't listened more than these two minutes that I'm now down to a minute and 10 seconds." President Jacobs, you said the night that they voted that the child's education is based on the combination of student, teachers, and parents together focused on

128outcome. Culture is real. The academic outcomes not come not from a building, but the leadership, the educators, students, parents, and that will always be my personal north star. I hate using the time. That was a quote. All right. The culture of Campbell is real. The culture does it with their current leadership. I can give you a dozen more examples with more time. And the only answer that we got of the original closure was the $2.4 $4 million and short of that and owning that and answering for that which no one has then we're just left with raising the money and you want to know what we can even do that work with us delay this reverse it give us time to show what we can do I guess I'm out of time that's it >>

129thank you for your testimony our next student speaker is Victor Hodel is Victor with us Okay, welcome sir. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Hello, my name is Victor Hodell and I'm an eighth grader at Henshu Middle School. I've come up to you today because of the problems going on in my school. One of the main problems at Henue is that teachers have been replaced suddenly. This is a distraction that is hindering students ability to learn. For example, Henchu suddenly replaced my geometry teacher. This teacher was one of the most looked up to staff members and was deeply respected. Because of his absence, many of his geometry and algebra students, like myself, have had a hard and um unpleasant start to the quarter because of this disagreeable and sudden replacement. Many

130students have raised their concerns and opinions about their education. When this was brought up to my school, they decided to ignore it by refusing to listen to students and punish anyone who wanted to bring these issues up. When students when schools don't let students voice their opinions about their own education, students get discouraged. The skill to be able to voice yourself and your opinion is an extremely useful and valuable skill now and later in life. It feels like students are discouraged to use this valuable skill. I do appreciate the many teachers who do encourage students to speak up and to voice their opinions on a variety of topics. These teachers are the people who I believe are truly doing good for Handsh in school. We have always been taught to speak up and out for

131what we believe in. Hundreds of students at Handsh have spoken up. Why is it now when we have done what has been encouraged, we are getting punished. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two testifiers are River Corey and Rondell Venner. Welcome, River. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hello, school board. My name's River Corey and Campbell STEM has helped me a lot this year and I don't want to it to close because I want to stay for another year because I think that Campbell STEM is a great school for a few reasons. My teacher has helped me with math cuz math hasn't been easy for me. and a other teacher has helped me with reading and I like those teachers both and I don't want

132that to go away right now because Campbell STEM is a great school and I think if Campbell STEM gets closed I might not get to go. I know that I'm not going to go to Campbell STEM for another year and I have lots of friends and this is my homely STEM school in Alaska and there's been lots of fun activities. Dr. Wit is a fun principal. She does lots of cool things. And I think that if she doesn't I don't want all these teachers to go to a different school cuz they all been at Campbell STEM for a long enough time. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Good evening board members. My name is Rond Del Vener. I'm the parent of River

133Corey that's sitting here with me. I've advocated for her for four years through the Anchorage School District for a proper education. Campbell STEM was the only school that has never failed her or failed me. As a single parent that has struggled to get my child up to grade level, River has accomplished a 79% increase in her reading. Now, everybody on this board always talks about statistics and data and how we need to present and be there for our students within this data. Here is sitting proof in front of you of a student who has climbed 79% in academic measures. Now, what those measures are, I don't really understand, but I know you do. these state board med or the state testing that is recommended for all students to take spring and fall. My daughter took

134that and her she climbed 79%. And you want to take that away from her? You want to take her faculty away from her who has strong leadership that you advocate for every time I've come to this board meeting since February 16th. Now, yes, you have a strong deficit, but this has been a deficit that's been growing. And to eliminate a STEM program and replace it at another school, we already have an established program. Why eliminate this established program? Why can't we have more people at our school to extend the STEM program that you want to move to another's place? Why can't we accept more people and our and grow our staff with our leadership that has proven successful? Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two testifiers are Kamar

135Subsuk and Christy Subsuk. Kamar and Christie. Not seeing those two testifiers. Go to Kyle Bernett and Gloria Bernett. Is it Kyle or Kyrell? >> Kyler. Okay. Welcome, Kyler. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. This one. >> My name is Kyler Bernell and I'm an eighth grade. My name is Kyler Bernett and I'm an eighth grade grader at Henshu Middle School. I'm here today because I want to talk about what it actually feels like to be a student at Henry right now. Earlier this year, I was wrongfully suspended for throwing a pencil. I won my appeal, but since I've been back. It feels like I'm being punished for it. I'm under a constant administration goes out for out of their way to call me out by name in front of my peers in

136the hallway. My math teacher has been gone for like a month. Since then, I haven't had a cons consistent teacher. I haven't been given assignments. I haven't learned anything. It feels like the school is more worried about monitoring my every move than they are about making sure I learn. I am asking the board to look into my c into the culture at my school. I just want to be a student and actually learn. >> Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Good evening, members members of the board and superintendent. It it pains me to hear these parents fighting for a school culture that they love and then have to come up here and explain what I'm about to share with you all. My name is Gloria

137Bernett. I'm here tonight to bring to your attention patterns of retaliation and experienced at Henshu Middle School. The Hanu PTA, former administrators, teachers, parents, students, they've all been a victim to this pattern. I publicly organized a meeting of concerned parents in response to ongoing culture and leadership concerns at our school. Just days after I sent those invitations, I was notified that my son was issued a suspension. Upon further investigation, we discovered the individ individual who signed the suspension was out sick and not present that day. This was a clear red flag for me as a parent. We formally appealed the decision because we believe it represented a fundamental misunderstanding of the facts, lack of due process, and was indeed retaliatory in nature. We won the appeal, and now just over a month later, another family

138is facing a similar situation. I've witnessed firsthand a lack of support, trust, and respect for Hano teachers by our administration. I've seen dozens of teachers choose to depart Hano, leaving our students at a loss. I've heard from dozens more teachers throughout the district to refuse to work there. As the PTA president for the past two years, I faced similar concerns myself. I have to remind myself every day why I chose to be active and involved in our school community in the first place. I was warned by many other parents and teachers not to send our children to Handsh, and now I know why. The culture of the school is toxic. And this toxicity runs deep and impacts all of us. I thought I could be part of the change I wanted to see, but instead

139I find myself at a complete loss. Why is the school district refusing to ask questions when an administrator requests to be transferred in the midst of a school year? Why are our best teachers choosing to leave? Why are parents pulling their students from Handsh? Why is it that every single PTA in the past eight years has dissolved with no returning members? Why is no one in the district asking why? I urge the school board to closely investigate what is happening at Hanso and demand a school improvement plan. I thank you for your time and your commitment to all students. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Kylie Porter and Crystal Gibson. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Hello. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to speak

140this evening. My name is Kylie Porter. This is my second year attending Henry Middle School. In my time here, I've experienced many fights of different severity, drug abuse, students being screamed at during lunch and in hallways, a complete locker room shutdown, and the inability to speak out our opinion and withhold our First Amendment rights. Recently, I was forced to write a statement and interrogated. They blame me for an action that I had not committed. I was treated like I had done something very wrong and had my ability to attend extracurricular activities revoked. I have very big dreams that I'm following and this incident made me feel unsafe to attend Hani Middle School. I was not sure if I was going to be picked apart and accused of another thing in an act of retaliation. I

141very much miss my geometry teacher who disappeared this last quarter. He was a very big he was a very big impact on me and my peers and I felt like it was important for me to come today and speak out on behalf of our school and the future students that will attend hu. I hope that a speaking out can bring about good change. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Good evening, members of the board. My name is Crystal Gibson. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I come before you as a concerned parent, oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Of the Anchorage community to address serious and ongoing concerns of leadership of a Hansry Middle School. A school is a direct reflection

142of its leadership. And when leadership is fair, transparent, and accountable, it creates an environment where teachers feel supported, students feel safe, and families feel heard. Unfortunately, that's not the experience that we're having. This issue is not abstract to our family. Our daughter, an honoral student, a member of National Junior Honor Society, an active in student government, was recently disciplined and suspended under circumstances that raised serious concerns. The situation demonstrated what we believed to be administrative overreach, a lack of due process, and abuse of authority. We were ultimately forced to go to a formal appeal process to clear her name and restore what was lost in colluding a full week of miss extracurricular activities. This was after I made a public post. Equally concerning is that the pri prior to this outcome, we made multiple attempts

143to engage with school leadership. Numerous emails and concerns were seeking clarity, support, and resolution. Those efforts were met with little to no response or meaningful direction. When communication is ignored, it not only escalates situations unnecessarily, it breaks it's a breakdown and signals that leadership's responsibility. We are not alone in our concerns. There are consistent reports from teachers, students, parents, PTA members describing describing administrative unfairness, retaliation, and a pattern of behavior that discourages individuals from speaking up. When people fear consequences for raising valid concerns, it creates a culture of silence that is not acceptable in any school. New administration should operate with unchecked or ultimate power. Oversight, transparency, accountability are essential safeguards, not optional ones. I urge this board to look not only at this individual situation, but a historical patterns and concerns that may reflect

144similar behavior over time. Our student deserve fairness. Our teachers deserve support and our community deserves leadership that reflects integrity, responsiveness, and accountability. As a parent who also has an incoming middle school this fall, I will not be choosing Hansu in its current state. Thank you for your time >> and thank you for your testimony. Welcome, Mr. Hery. come forward. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Mr. Gibson, I apologize. >> You're okay. Thank you. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Daniel Gibson. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I'm here as a parent to address serious concerns regarding leadership, accountability, and student rights at HU Middle School. We are not standing here because of a single isolated event. We are here because our experience right reflects what many others,

145teachers, parents, students, and PTA members have been expressing. Concerns of administrative unfairness, lack of transparency, retaliation, and a pattern of leadership that discourages open communication. When parents, teachers, and even students begin to express the same frustrations, it is important to listen carefully. What we are hearing is a consistent message. There's a breakdown in trust with the current administration. When individuals feel that speaking up may lead to consequences, that is not leadership. That is control. And that kind of environment erodess trust across the entire school community. No administrator should operate with unchecked or ultimate authority. Public education in Alaska is grounded in accountability, oversight, and adherence to established policy, not discretion of power without limits. When those safeguards are are not upheld, it creates inconsistent inequity and harm. School functions best when leadership is collaborative, accountable,

146and transparent. Currently, many in the Hampshire community feel that these principles are not are not being upheld and that the administration acts with unchecked authority rather than in partnership with a community. Systems must exist and be actively used to ensure balance, fairness, and oversight. Without that, the perception and reality of power and balance can cause lasting harm. This is not about assigning blame. is about restoring trust, protecting student rights, and ensuring that leadership reflects the values of the Anchor School District. I strongly urge this board to conduct a thorough and objective review not just of this in incident, but of historical records. Um, these concerns should not be viewed in isolation. Patterns matter, history matters, and accountability accountability requires full and honest evaluation. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your testimony. That

147completes our student testifiers. We'll move on to committee speakers to be heard. Our first two speakers are William Baxter and Kristen Bolognio. Not being William or Kristen. We'll move to Dedra Brown and Gloria Bernett. So, we've heard from Gloria. I don't think we've heard from Paula Wright. I'm not seeing Dedra Brown. >> Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Thank you. >> I am speaking on behalf of the Henchu PTA to formally document a persistent and escalating pattern of obstruction by our school administration. Since August 2024, the PTA has attempted to fulfill its missions of supporting Henshu. Instead of partnership, we have faced repeated resistance. Early on, admin began blocking basic PTA functions. This included opposition to staff appreciation potlucks, citing unfound concerns that parents might poison the staff, and a

148refusal to assist in schoolwide communication for volunteer recruitment. The start of 2022 26 school year was abruptly halted when admin refused to allow PTA on premise until clear expectations were agreed upon resulting in missed outreach to new parents. Multiple mediated sessions were held by the Alaska State PTA president, school admin, and PTA officers. Shortly after expectations were agreed upon, our main liaison, the assistant principal, was transferred to a different school with zero communication to parents. In February, the admin and ASD leadership prohibited the PTA from holding a scheduled meeting at Henshue specifically because our agenda included discussing school culture and leadership. Furthermore, the Hano admin has actively sabotaged long-term fundraising goals. For two years, the PTA along with community partners raised funds for concessions improvements. In March, admin blocked purchases, claiming the next year's board

149should decide, while claiming the school suddenly had its own admin plan to purchase similar items. The result of this environment is a loss of veteran educators and a fractured community. When our PTA cannot recruit, cannot communicate with parents and cannot meet on campus to discuss the health of our school, the students are the ones who lose. At a time when funding is scarce and volunteers are willing, we are here to ask for a formal investigation and school improvement plan. We would like the future Henchu PTA to be provided the opportunity to succeed. Thank you >> and thank you for your testimony. Our next two community speakers are Jessica Aldridge and Katrina Waloff. Welcome. You have two minutes. You can begin when you're ready. >> My name is Jessica Aldridge and I'm the mother of two

150boys who attend Campbell STEM Elementary. Throughout this accelerated process, I have cycled through panic, confusion, devastation, and anger. These emotions have only intensified as I've listened to the justifications offered for why this school was selected for closure. A school that wasn't even on the list to begin with and at a time when it was start stated that selecting a school for closure without proper research and due diligence would be unwise. And yet here we are. Those who voted in favor and who of who are doubling down on this closure are not living up to the values that they claim to hold when they speak about serving the children of this district. I do not envy the position any of you are in, but I do hold you accountable. suggesting that next year you will do

151things differently is a slap in the face to the families you are impacting now. Alaska ranks 49th in the nation for education and yet you are willing to consolidate a high-erforming school with the demonstrated capacity to positively impact the broader district all to fund another school's upgrades or athletics for a single year. That is deplorable. To ensure you're acting with integrity in the future, plan ahead. When budgets are known to be tight, don't wait until a couple of weeks before cuts are required to begin making plans. And most of all, do not give an entire community less than one business day to organize, prepare testimonies, and fight for the chance to just be heard among the rest of the district cuts. This entire process was a disservice to the Taku Campbu Campbell community as well

152as the district as a whole, and you have an obligation to make it right. You've been presented with substantial information in the very short period of time that was provided to our community. More than enough information to acknowledge that a mistake has been made and to correct it. The likelihood of funding from the state is high. Reverse the closure of Campbell STEM before it is too late. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, Miss Waloff. And then uh could Jordan Wood come forward, please? Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Initially, I wrote something, but I'm actually going to touch on the transfer of Campbell STEM accreditation to Clatt Elementary. Uh, Clatt Elementary was previously on your guys' list of schools that were going to be closed. And instead, now

153you want to give the Campbell STEM certification to Clatt Elementary, a school which requires more funds to repair than Campbell STEM Elementary did. This is very confusing. And I absolutely love as a teacher the idea of more STEM schools, an actual STEM school, not STEM programs at a elementary school. STEM is integrated at Campbell STEM throughout all lessons. Not just the alternating reading curriculum in CKLA, not just the 30 minutes allotted every other week to try to teach a science lesson. it is integrated through the the entire day. And while I was listening to this proposal, which I think a proposal for more STEM is amazing, hearing as a sped teacher that they would be willing to give up their SLC and sped classroom to host more students for a STEM program is absolutely appalling.

154I teach four-year-old preschool sped students. Students that get the opportunity to participate in Cample STEM science all day while they're there. And that's seven preschool sped classrooms or seven preschool classrooms, six of which are sped and they are participating in STEM every day. And the fact that we also host an SDI program at our school. It's not SLC because we allow the students to stay in their classroom and participate all day and CLA is willing to give up their classes for more students when they're already only getting 45. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Jordan and Jacob Wood. >> Not seeing Jordan or Jacob, we'll go to Jacken Blue and Andrew Blankenberg. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Thank you. Hi, I'm Jacqueline Belaloo. Um

155member of our Campbell STEM community, uh parent. Um wow, lots of information to digest tonight. uh the looking over the STEM proposal or plan um and honestly hearing about Handshrew, you know, lots of stuff going on in the district that uh you all need to spend your time on. So, um, but when I think about information, uh, that's been shared tonight and then also over the last couple of months, so since this kind of began for us in, uh, midFebruary, I remind myself that I need to pause anytime new information comes up and think about it. Do I do I take this time to you know I need to consider new information and you know are the decisions that I made in the past should I change them with this new information that I have

156in front of me and I think that's important um even though decisions have been made um and they're painful and a lot of us want to get past it and move on. Um, but some of the information we spoke with the mayor about today, um, that I wanted to talk about here tonight is that, um, the budget decision is coming from the state. Um, there's been lots of, uh, fingerpointing about the state and are they going to give us enough money, but it's a decision's coming. So, let's wait. Let's see what it is. It looks a lot better than it did in February. Um, we've got support from LV Grey Jackson and Andy Josephson to continue this funding. Um, for Campbell, we've got revenue coming in for the district. We've got all those preschool programs.

157It's a daycare. If we need to expand our utilization, we can open up. We've got lots of opportunity. So, when we finally heard the information about why our school is closing, the building, the funding, um, and utilization, we can work on all those things and they're coming. So, um, consider delaying the, uh, decision later on today to >> Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, Mr. Blankenberg. Um, then Christy Harrington, please come forward. Uh, you have two minutes, sir. Please begin when you're ready. >> Good evening. My name is Andrew Blankenberg and I'm a special education teacher at Campbell STEM. I'm here today to respectfully urge a boards to reconsider the decision to close our school. I chose to become an elementary special education teacher in large part because of the extraordinary community at Campbell, our

158students, family, and staff altogether. While I'm deeply grateful to be a part of this community, my testimony is not about me, it is about the students and the family that we serve every day. As you are aware, Campbell is the only nationally board certified STEM elementary school in Alaska. Over the eight last eight years, our staff has developed the expertise necessary to provide high quality STEM education. Our students are not only learning STEM content in short bursts. They are consistently applying critical thinking engineering design process across all subjects all day. Research consistently shows the students who develop strong problem solving and critical thinking skills early are better prepared for college careers and modern workforce. According to national workforce studies, employers employers rank critical thinking and problem solving among the most essential skills for adult success.

159These are exactly the skills our students practice daily at Campbell, not in isolation, but across all disciplines and real world contexts. In addition to our SCA our STEM program, Campbell is also home to a unique and highly impactful pilot, our SDI or spec specifically design instruction program within special education. This program is only one of its kind in our district and has provided students who may have historically been placed in life skills or SLC programs with the opportunity to learn alongside their peers in the general education setting. Because of this program, students who might otherwise have been placed in non-diploma track are now accessing grade level content and their least restrictive environment. We are seeing a meaningful and measurable gains in their academic progress as well as the growth in indep confidence social connection. This

160is not just an inclusion inclusion in practice. >> Thank you for your testimony. Not seeing Christy Harrington come. We have Christy Harrington via telephone. Great. Um, Miss Harrington, if you could Oh, okay. Uh, Miss Harrington is not online with us. So, we'll move to Christine Calb and David Hardy. If you could both please come forward. Welcome you. Two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Christine Calb and I'm a mother of two Campbell STEM cubs. I'm asking you to stop the closure of our school. Campbell STEM is the pioneer of elementary STEM in the district. This program took eight years to build, eight years and a team of teachers developing curriculum and learning how to deliver highquality STEM education. Closing the program and dividing our teachers doesn't

161spread that success, it eliminates it. There are still many unanswered questions about how Campbell STEM was selected. The district did not follow its own right sizing process. The community was given almost no notice before our only opportunity to publicly testify. This has created confusion, frustration, and a loss of trust. We've learned part of this decision is tied to 2.2 million in bond debt reimbursement funds that become available if our school no longer exists. We're also we've also heard ongoing concerns about the boiler even though voter approved bond already addresses it. Uh the board voted to close Campbell citing $16 million in renovations, 18 11.8 eight already voter approved only to turn around and ask voters for 19 million in bonds to renovate another ASD elementary school. These contradictions raise serious questions. Campbell STEM is not

162underutilized and if given the same opportunities as other programs like accepting lottery students in the spring, we could expand across multiple grade levels. Unlike immersion programs, students can join after first grade. That flexibility matters for families moving into the district and for those displaced by future school closures. Closing the school is not progress. It's a step backwards. Trust is eroding across the community and families are questioning the stability of this district. It's not too late to do better. Campbell STEM still exists. There is still time to pause, reassess, and follow the right sizing process because right now as a family in this district, it feels like our children are on a sinking ship and only immersion and charter programs are given lifeboats. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers, not

163seeing Mr. David Hardy come forward are Athena Batty and Janna Minmeer. Okay. Uh Miss Batty is telephonic tonight and we don't see her online. Um so then Miss Minemeer, if you would like to come forward, you have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. All right, good evening. Um, I'm here this evening to ask the ASD school board to stand up for Hanso Middle School as well. Um, I know the testimony that we've heard so far as um may surprise some of you and so I think um additional support here is uh very important. My daughter has attended HMS for almost two years now and will be living or leaving to attend service high in less than two months. Our family is almost finished surviving HMS. Yeah, I said surviving. Um, that is also what

164I was told by former HMS students and parents that attended the school prior to us. They would caveat it with, uh, it's only two years. Um, well, now it's three years. And this has become the message that I feel obligated to tell my friends and when they ask about our family's HMS experience. I am a strong advocate for our public schools and I want to root for HMS for many years to come. It's time to quit carrying on this tradition of surviving Hanso Middle School. Um, here's what I mean when I ask you to stand up for HMS. Um, you really need to listen and learn to the challenges that we're having over there. Um, and make some changes that allow the faculty, the students, and our community to thrive. Reoccurring themes include regularly losing

165highly competent tenure teachers that leave for other schools um, within the district or choose not to apply at all. Um, please review the school climate and well-being. Disciplining disciplinary measures utilized don't seem appropriate. Again, um, oh, um, school infrastructure and surrounding trails intended to teach are closed or not allowed to be utilized to keep kids safe. Review the school climate and well-being, please. And then HMS PTA is one of the smallest in the community in the district even with Trailside Elementary as a feeder school. Trailside has one of the larger and most successful PTAs in the district and brings many excited volunteers. Every school has its unique right for this school. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next two testifiers are Bradley Calb and Molly Ro. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin my

166reading. Good evening, members of the board. I respectfully ask you to reconsider not just the closure of Campbell STEM, but the proposal to move its STEM accreditation to CLAT. This is not a simple relocation. It is is it is the dismantling of a program that has taken eight years to build with the hope that it can be recreated elsewhere. This is not how successful programs work. You cannot divide the principal and teachers into multiple schools and still expect the same results. Families have made clear this is a program that people actively chose. It has built a reputation, a demand, and a community around it. Those are not things you can simply pack up and move. Now, instead of investing in that proven success, we are proposing to break it apart and attempt to replicate it

167elsewhere. But Campbell success didn't happen overnight. It took eight years of sustained commitment, experienced educators, and a deeply engaged community of families. That level of trust and collaboration is built over time. It cannot be reassigned. It cannot be fast-tracked. We are effectively trading a known success for an unknown outcome. And we are doing so for a one-time savings of $2.2 million. Savings that can be offset that may be offset by increased transportation costs, disruptions to students and staff, and the very real risk of families leaving the district altogether. Once that trust is lost, it is very difficult to rebuild. There is also a broader message being sent here. When a program that is clearly working can be dismantled, it raises a serious question. What does success actually protect? What incentive is there for schools and

168educators to invest years into building something exceptional if it can be undone so quickly? If the goal is to expand STEM opportunities, the strongest path forward is not to dismantle the one program that is clearly working. It is to support it, learn from it, and allow it to grow. Build on success. Don't replace it with uncertainty. So I ask you, please do not mistake relocation for preservation. This plan does Please do not close. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Molly Ro, followed by Gabriela Zeke, who will be a telephonic. Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Hello. My name is Molly Rocher. Nobody pronounces it right. It's fine. Uh, nobody spells my name right either, so don't worry. Um, thank you so much for having me and

169despite everything, in case you didn't know, I'm here supporting Campbell STEM and asking you to reconsider. Um, I was a little disheartened when I saw the clat and I thought, "Oh my goodness, it's over." Um, my children are actually zoned to go to clap, some of the 40 students who are, and there's about what, 20 something that aren't going to be zoned there, and I know they're not all going to fit in despite moving classrooms. Um, but I'm choosing to be encouraged because you have clearly heard from the community that STEM education matters. I know you have heard from so many people because I asked so many people to contact you. I'm not taking credit for all of it. Uh it's been a group effort and you've heard from the assembly and the mayor and

170a lot of other people. This process, I'm encouraged that you have heard that this process wasn't done well. I'm encouraged that you have decided that this process is not okay. I appreciate that and I'm so glad of the acknowledgement that you guys are having of that. So, thank you for learning and thank you for listening to the community on those specific things. I think that my kids deserve that same consideration that you're planning to give to future students and that's why I'm asking you for another year. Uh selfishly, my oldest is a fourth grader and has some needs. Andrew Leenship or I pronounced your name wrong. He's one of his teachers and is absolutely amazing. Um he wants one more year. It took him a while to make friends and uh that's going to be

171really hard for him, but he's not the reason. The reason is that you have new information. You have heard that the state is working as hard as they can to get the money that we need. But it's not going to come in time. And I know that if you if you reopen this vote, it'll mean closing other programs. And that's hard. But I believe and I'm encouraged things are going to change. But you have to make you have to give us time. I'm asking you to reconsider, please. >> Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Next we have Gabriella Zeke via telephone. Gabriella, if you could hit star six to unmute and then begin your testimony of two minutes. >> Can you hear me? >> We can. >> Hello. Okay, awesome. Good evening. My name

172is Gabriela Ze. I graduated from Robert Service High School in 2022 and I have been attending the University of Memphis for the past four years. I'm speaking tonight because I strongly urge you to reconsider the decision to cut free program within the Anchorage School District. During my freshman year of high school, I came across rifle. I wasn't a part of JRTC and I never shot a gun before, but I decided to show up to tryyouts. Somehow, I made it past cuts and this instance of beginner's luck has completely changed my life. I quickly fell in love with the sport. Rifley taught me discipline, patience, focus, and accountability. Skills that have served me far beyond the range. My coach encouraged me to pursue opportunities at the collegiate level. And that guidance pushed me to challenge myself

173in ways I had never expected. By my senior year, I became the only female athlete at service to commit to any collegiate sport team and the only athlete from service to sign to a division 1 program. Because of Rifler, I am now on track to graduate college as a first generation college student with no debt. Rifler has opened doors that I had never imagined possible. I am a two-time USA national champion, a five-time all-American, and the first student athlete in University of Memphis history to earn the Elite 90 award, given to the national championship competitor with the highest GPA. None of these achievements would have been possible without the opportunity I was given at Service High School. Programs like riflery are life-changing opportunities. Cutting this program removes access for students who deserve a place to

174grow, compete, and succeed. It particularly impacts students like I once was. Students who are simply looking for a chance to discover their potential. Eliminating rifle does not just remove a sport or reduce costs. It removes a pathway to college opportunities for students who may otherwise not have one. I strongly urge you to preserve this program so that future students can have the same opportunity I was fortunate enough to receive. Thank you for your time and for your consideration >> and thank you for your testimony. I understand that uh Miss Christy Harrington has joined us. If you would come forward, please. You will have two minutes. >> Yeah. I couldn't figure out the phone thing. >> I was at work. I waited 20 minutes late just to be able to talk and then I was like,

175I'm pressing six. It's not working. Um good evening members of the Anchorage School Board. Thank you for your time and for the difficult work you're doing during these challenging financial times. I'm here tonight not just to advocate but to offer partnership and solutions. There's a committed and active group of Campbell STEM families who care deeply about the future of our school and our students and STEM education within the Anchorage School District. We recognize the financial pressures you are facing and we respect the weight of those decision decisions. But we also believe this moment presents an opportunity not just for cuts, but for collaboration, innovation, and new funding pathways. We also feel right now like the teacher just gave away the project we worked so hard to build. CLA currently has no room for Campbell STEM

176teachers to transfer with students and the district has not offered the Campbell STEM principal to address this board at all. Our families have already come together to begin forming Campbell STEM Preservation and Education Foundation. The purpose of this foundation is clear. To preserve STEM education, ensure accessibilities for all students, and support the continued success of the Campbell STEM program while also funding improvements of the building itself. And this is not theoretical. We are already taking action across the United States. STEM education is a major funding priority. Federal investment alone exceeds three billion annually. Beyond federal funding, there are hundreds of active STEM grants available at any time. With tens of millions of dollars currently open to schools and nonprofits, over 70 million identified in just one grant database alone, and that doesn't include corporate and

177private funding where single partnerships can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars for STEM programs. This is funding that CAMS Campbell STEM is uniquely positioned to pursue. You have already seen that our parents and community will rally behind a cause. We are organized, engaged, and ready to work. We have compiled a list of nearly 200 Alaska based businesses that we are preparing to contact for partnerships and sponsorships. We are actively exploring grant opportunities and alternative funding streams to help offset this process. We're not asking to follow this alone. We're asking you to work with you to help bring in funding that exists but must be actively proceed. It is also important to recognize the administration >> Harrington. >> Miss Harrington, your testimony time has ended. If you would submit your comments

178to the board in writing, we would love to hear your full testimony. Thank you. Thank you for choosing to testify tonight. Our last two community speakers to be heard are Tonison and Jamie Stout. James Tonison and Jamie Stout. >> Welcome. You have two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Hello. My name is Ames Tonison and you've heard from me before. I am a music educator in the district and I teach K5 music education at Beayore Elementary and Clatt Elementary. I am here speaking today because I am concerned about the proposed model that has been put forth by the district. A model that I'm not sure that you are aware of. Um during the last board meeting, we were under the impression that we as teachers would be in one school and one school only.

179That is what we were told and that was what we thought would happen. Then on Wednesday, April 20 25th, Deputy Chief of Schools Kirsten Johnston sent out a memo to Anchorage teachers um providing information on our new proposed model. Under this model, I would be teaching at 1 to three schools each semester. That equates to two to six schools each year. And I am looking at that as a teacher, as an educator, looking at these students, knowing how important relationships are to developing positive and meaningful experiences at schools. And I'm going, how can I do that? How can I develop these relationships with the kids when I am not at a school full-time when I am not there with my students? I have a student, let's call him Johnny, and I met him last January

180when I was hired here in ASD. When I first met him, we could not have a full conversation without him melting down. He couldn't be in my room without screaming and getting upset. This year he has joined choir. He is a member of different groups. He can have a full conversation with me and he trusts me. That wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there every single morning saying good morning, saying, "Hey, can you help me open this door? Hey, can you help me hold this o door open and welcome students? What you're going to lose with this proposed model, it's disastrous. Not for the arts, but for student well-being. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. >> Also have these. Do I Who do I give them to? >> Welcome, Mr. Stout. You have

181two minutes. Please begin when you're ready. >> Uh, good evening, school board and um administration. Um, my name is Jamie Stout. Um, before our kids attended Hsho, my wife and I had many conversations with each other, with other parents, with teachers about the violence, the dysfunction, and concerns regarding H leadership at Hshoe. Now, after several years, we've seen the reality. Our students are learning lessons, but not the ones we intend. Repeated violence is met with leniency. That's not accountability. That's favoritism. and it puts students continually and repeatedly at risk. A teacher speaks up and is removed. That's not leadership. That's retaliation. Students speak up and are punished. That's not education. That's suppression. Parents have done their part. We chose this school. We show up. We volunteer. We support our kids. We engage through the PTA.

182However, the PTA is now considering dissolving. Not be because parents don't care, but because Hans leadership seems to have forgotten what partnership requires. Transparency, mutual respect, shared goals, accountability, and adaptability to build trust. Parents are seeing meetings monitored, voices scrutinized, and teachers ostracized for participating. That's not partnership. That's control. And our children, they're watching. They're learning that reintroducing a violent student repeatedly into the student body and putting that at risk is acceptable. They're learning that fairness is selective. They're watching their parents advocate for them and become targets. They're learning that standing up and voicing their concerns comes with consequences. We owe them better. That starts here. Parents standing up and speaking for students who don't believe we or they have a voice or being listened to. As you listen today, consider not those of us

183just here, but the families who aren't. Families choosing to homeschool their children rather than attend Hanso. Families driving past Handsh every day to other neighborhood schools. Families entering lotteryies looking for a way out. They may not be speaking, but their actions are. So the question is is this. Are the concerns being raised here being taken seriously. Parents are making decisions right now about where their children will go next. Last sentence is parents are watching, waiting, and planning. and they are deciding whether Hanu is a place they can trust with their shoulder. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. That completes public comment for this evening. We'll take a 10-minute recess and continue with our agenda. We'll call ourselves back to order at 8:51 p.m. Our next agenda item is our consent agenda. Is there

184a board member who wishes to pull an item from the consent addendum? Madame Bellamy? >> Yes, I'd like to pull memorandum 117. >> Thank you. We'll move ASD memorandum number 117 to action item number one and moving action items number two, three, uh, and four as our current action items one, two, and three. Um, so we'll move memorandum number 117 as our first action item tonight. Is there any other board member who wishes to pull a consent agenda item before we approve our agenda? >> Member Higgins, >> I'd like to pull item number five, the school calendars. >> Uh number five on the consent agenda is >> Oh, number Wait a minute. Yeah. I thought it was. >> Okay. Y >> Now it's number five. >> So you want to pull ASD memorandum number 140.

185>> 140. >> Got it. Okay. We'll make that action item number five. Member Donley, do you have a separate item? >> Item number seven, memorandum 141 social. Okay, we'll make that action item number six. I need a lot of candy. Uh is there uh seeing no other members who wish to pull an item from the consent consent agenda, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as modified? >> Mr. Chair, I move to approve the consent agenda as uh modified with I uh consisting of items one, two, three, five, and eight. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Um, could we have a voice vote on our consent agenda, please? >> Student Representative Madison? >> Yes. >> Member Lessons? >> Yes. >> Member Hollowman? >> Yes. >> Member Wilson? >> Yes. >> Member Donley?

186>> Yes. >> Member Bellamy? >> Yes. >> Member Higgins? >> Yes. >> President Jacobs? >> Yes. adopted our amended consent agenda by a vote of seven to zero. We'll go to our first action item tonight. Um ASD memorandum number 117, approval of Ursa Major Elementary School 35% schematic design and supplemental education specifications. Is there a motion? >> Mr. Chair, I move to approve the 35% schematic design and uh supplemental educational specifications for Ursa Major Elementary School replacement project and authorize the superintendent to use them as a guide for future capital improvements affecting the school and its uh campus. >> Second. >> Okay. Under discussion, uh Dr. Bryant. >> Thank you, Mr. President. uh per board policy uh Chief Jim Anderson will provide the board a briefing on the uh Ursa Major design. >> Thank you,

187Dr. Bryant. Um, since we're talking about Ursa Major, I wanted to go back and set the stage as to how we got from um, August of 2022 when literally almost overnight we closed Ursa Major right before school started and moved students to other schools around the base. Um Tom and Larry spent the entire winter trying to figure out how do we get money to rebuild this school because all four of the elementary schools on J Bear were built in the 50s. Um so we knew that if we could rebuild this school, at least we have one on base. Um that that would have a 50 plus year life. Um you know, because we we don't know where we're going to be going in the future. um with with the other elementary schools. So, uh Tom

188and I went to DC in the spring of 23. We met with uh Department of Defense leadership and a bunch of other people and we did receive a grant that the federal government pays 80% of the cost to rebuild this school. So, it is the cheapest school um that ASD could possibly build. Uh and has one school once it's done um with a 50 plus year lifespan on the base. Uh the board approved we we had to do a 20% match. So, the board approved um about $12 million in the state bond debt reimbursement funds that became available in July of 22 um for that 20%. And then um a few months back when all of the um haz hazardous material inspections were done, we realized um that there were a lot of PCBs in

189this building. It was really common in the 1950s um to use PCBs. that were finally banned in 79. Um, but of course, you know, that the cost to deal with contaminated material is more than the original estimate. So, we also do have 5.4 million on this spring's bond package. Um, and it really is solely because of the cost of shipping all of the rubble down to Oregon. Um, so it can be disposed of in that state because, um, Alaska has incredibly high standards for PCBs. So here we are. We have a 35% design. Board policy directs us to brief the board when we reach this stage as you start shifting to 65%. And so at this time I'll hand off to the expert Larry who's responsible for design and Tom to give this short update

190and answer your questions. Thank you. >> Welcome. There's a couple of things I would like you to know. One is there are some boards up back here for you to take a look at. Uh as part of the grant, we took a look at the uh populations and possible growth on base and decided to build a 400 student school. And that's what it's designed for is a capacity of 400 students. However, if you also see that on the site plan that you look back there and it's in your documents that was included, we have a reserve area of which we can add efficiently another eight classrooms so that we will already have heat and the piping everything down to the end of the building to the west end of the building. So it would be

191very easily uh happens that we could add another 160 students of capacity with another eight classrooms. So it would be not only the cheapest school you have, but it's the cheapest school that you can actually increase capacity if we need to do that. Now 400 students school is not real big but let's take a look at other schools on base. We have Ursa Minor which is just down the way and they have based on the March count uh 325 students in it. So this will be a a little bit bigger than Ursa Minor but also has the ability if we need to we can grow another 160 students of capacity in it. >> Sure. One one thing I left out um is I I think for those of you who follow the military on Jbear

192um you may know that that they recently publicly were um they they are going to build a division artillery. So their artillery is going to expand significantly. There are other organizations that would make um the 11th Airborne Division look much more like the 82nd and um there's certainly discussions and it just hasn't gone through the palm yet uh the 5-year plan for the Army uh to get approved but but there certainly are people who believe there will be additional growth on Jbear. So that's why the 400 school with the potential to expand if required. Um that's why that decision was made. Okay. Some other things. Uh as we get older, we aren't as efficient as we used to be as is, uh school buildings. uh heat and ventilation, electric gas, uh runs both at before

193it was closed at Ursa Major at about 120,000 a year. It's about the same at Ursa Minor. As you get older, you're just not as efficient, and I can attest to that. Um, but in going through the lead seal silver process for the new Ursa Major, we're actually looking at having it uh gas and electricity under $40,000 a year. Uh, so it'll be incredibly efficient. It also is spaced and uh designed correctly so that we have a good mixture of classrooms that are eligible for prek. We have some K classrooms. We also have a lot of oneto fives and we have some uh support rooms, resource rooms, conference rooms, admin will also have high security in it that we've been designing and installing in other elementaryaries with a uh secure vestibule system on it. Good

194uh cameras. Everything else will be top rated. And when we found out about the having polyclloral chlorinated by phenols in the school, we also check the other ones and one of them is clear. Other two also have PCBs. Uh this one when we're done will not have them. I keep asking what am I building that's gonna bite us in the tail, you know, 20, 30 years down the road. But hopefully we don't have that. But it will be a very good school. It'll have a good grounds. It'll have a universal usage playground on it with uh the ability of every student having the ability to utilize all of the toys that are on it. It's not built for just certain students. Every student will have a chance to get on there. Not only every student

195but the parent of every student with any challenges can also be there to help their child in the playground. Uh other thing we did for safety is that as our pro policy is that he try to separate parent drop off and pickup, teacher parking and the bus drop off and pickup. So we have a separate staff parking area, a separate visitor parking area. We have a bus loop where the staff are. We have a parent drop off area that's separated from all of them. Try to keep them from mixing so that especially in the winter when things are a little bit slick. It's a whole lot safer for kids that are both walking. Um, also for when parents come and drop off and pick up later in the afternoon and when they in the Afternoon.

196impressive was done to secure um this important grant and I am hopeful that it will uh you know that the demolition funds will be passed uh in tomorrow's bond. Um so we'll we'll see what happens at the end of the night. Um, I think one question that came to mind that I wouldn't have otherwise asked, but we're here now is about kids desks. And it's a reflection of uh when I toured um some when I've seen some new desks uh at the new Inlet View facility, they I think there's a an intention for flexibility and sort of modular. But one thing that struck me having been in other maybe older elementary school classrooms is that younger kids need places to put colored pencils and crayons and things and it seems like those really flexible desks

197simply didn't have at least some of the ones that I saw didn't have spaces for younger students to have you know their their materials with them at their desk. They were so sleek. Um, so I guess you know, can you talk a little bit about the classroom furnishings even though that's maybe maybe not at the 35 level? >> We do involve the principles and the selection, but since you brought this up, I'll definitely get with Finn and Kirsten and the senior directors and we'll discuss this for the future. Um, I I don't think we can ex I I don't think any of the three of us could tell you why that one desk model was picked um tonight, but we can find out. and and it's definitely something to to look at. I mean, you

198can always get better. I'm seeing no other discussion, we will move to a voice vote for uh as our first action item, ASD memorandum number 117. >> Student Representative Masson, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> yes. >> Member Lessons, >> yes. Yes. >> Member Wilson. >> Yes. >> Member Higgins. >> Yes. >> Member Hollowman. >> Yes. >> Member Bellamy. >> Yes. >> President Jacobs. >> Yes. >> AD memo 117 as adopted by a vote of 7 to zero. Thank you. Move on to ASD memorandum number 134. Approval of school name change for Naka Valley Elementary School. Any comments from administration? Dr. Bryant? >> No. All the details are in the memo. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to approve? >> I move to approve memorandum number 117. >> I'm sorry. 134. >> Second. >>

199And I >> motion made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Hullman. Is there any discussion? Member Bammy. >> Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I'd like to offer an amendment uh for the purpose of um highlighting the tribal consultation process that was used um that we've been spending the last year on uh statewide at the state association. I'd also like to correct the um meaning in the in in the added section that was added uh in March uh March 26. So, my um my amendment, if I can get back to my notes. I'm sorry. Just give me one minute. I'm navigating two or three things here. Okay. So I move to uh I move to delete the paragraph titled language incorporated on March 26, 2026 altogether. Strike that language and replace it with the same

200language but some additional clarity. So the new language uh would re would oh what do I need a second before I Okay. So the new language would uh all of the old language would remain there but the new language would be as as so as as um as read. As part of the process, opportunities for community input were provided. new language, including consultation with the Chu Chu Chuagam tribal education department. Outreach methods were implemented. This is a this is not changed. This language does not change. Out outreach outreach methods were implemented to ensure continued community access and participation. These included distribution of a community survey through the neighborhood based on social media platforms and communication channels as well as posting uh physical surveys throughout the neighborhood. These efforts provided community members multiple opportunities to submit

201input. And the new language that I'd like to add here is following that is during the tribal consultation process. It was confirmed that the historical name Nunea derives from the I I I'm not going to mess up the word. I think it's uh suktang word for my village or my place. uh the soup people are the ancestral people of the lure cook inlet and contributed importantly to the creation of this school's history and its name. So I would like to keep the original language and add those sections to just clarify the process >> and the correct meaning of the word nka. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. Motion made by member Belly to amend with the language that was just read. Seconded by member Hullman. Is there discussion on the amendment? >>

202The only other thing I would add uh is basically that uh this came to us to the board in test in a written testimony which was shared with me at a community council meeting and uh I asked uh to see that testimony and it came this was part of the testimony from the two mute uh education tribal education um department. Thank you. Is there any other uh comments on the amendment? Member Wilson on the amendment. >> Just that I appreciate the really intentional outreach um and the intention to keep the meaning of the name while adding to um adding to the name and incorporating um the stream academy into it. >> Thank you, member Wilson. Seeing no other discussion on the amendments, uh, a voice vote, please. >> Student Representative Madison, >> yes. >> Member

203Higgins, >> yes. >> Member Bellamy, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> yes. >> Member Wilson, >> yes. >> Member Lessons, >> yes. >> Member Hollowman, >> yes. >> President Jacobs, >> yes. Uh, amendment one to ASD memorandum number 134 is approved 7 to zero. Is there other discussion on the underlying memorandum as amended? >> Member Higgins. >> Yeah, I just want to make one comment. I had a chance to visit that school after it moved in there and maintaining Naka Valley in the very front of that name was important to them because they recognized the importance of of that uh from a historical standpoint, from a cultural standpoint. And I appreciate and respect the decision that they did that. I think that was a a really positive move and I think they need to be

204recognized for doing that. Thank you. >> Thank you, Member Higgins. Seeing no other discussion, we'll move to a voice vote on ASD memorandum number 134 as amended. >> Student Representative Medicine? >> Yes. >> Member Hullerman? >> Yes. >> Member Lessons? >> Yes. >> Member Bellamy? >> Yes. >> Member Wilson? >> Yes. Member Higgins, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> yes. >> President Jacobs, >> yes. >> ASD memo 134 as amended is approved by a vote of 7 to zero. Move on to our third action item. ASD memorandum number 142, approval of transfer for right sizing moving costs. Is there a motion? >> Yes, sir. I move uh to I move to approve memorandum number 142 to approve $253,400 transfer to support the moving costs from right sizing. >> Second. >> Motion made by member Bellamy,

205seconded by member Hollowman. Member Bellamy, any additional comments? >> I do not. >> We'll move to Member Higgins. Yeah, I guess everyone know from the administration was any of this cost considered when they talk about the savings of closing schools? Some of these relate to the schools, but it wasn't disclosed earlier at that point. I mean, you must have known that was going to happen, but there are other costs associated with closing schools and there's going to be cost of how much it when they transfer the number of students Eagle Academy to the to Lake there's going to be more kids and there's more money lost there. But was any of this cost uh disclosed when we voted for the 2.6 million? >> Um I can answer that. Uh no. I think you'll recall we

206we had a few days to come up with the list, breach the principles, get it out to the public. It really was after that that we started doing numerous other steps. um you know in in the past uh we had hoped to close schools in the first semester and we would start this process in January. So even in the past we wouldn't have known how many teachers, how many classrooms until after the decisions were made by the board. Then we would do those detailed classroom, what type of classroom, how many pallets, um how many boxes, all that kind of stuff. But um that's the way we have done it the last several times and and really it's it's a process that you typically would do after you know what's actually going to be moving. >>

207Member Higgins, you have a followup. Yeah, I I would hope that we can look at the schools closed in the past, what other costs we should have cons we can consider how much we're really saving because remember five years down the road, this is a total of $153,000 and there's other offsets to it in cost that we could be losing money on closing schools. But I think we need a followup on, you know, I would like a followup on what the additional costs were associated with closing these schools so that we can get a more accurate picture of the savings or and recognizing the savings up front is much smaller down the road and actually may cost us money in five years. >> Member Wilson, >> I just wanted to add if we're putting requests

208in um for what the costs are, I would I would also like to know what the benefits are. Um because we talk about not just closing schools but repurposing schools but also um I mean there's there's multiple reasons we want students to be able to have access to um additional resources. So we want not so many of our classrooms to be split classes. We want I mean there's there's a lot of wants for our kids and we're not closing schools just because we have to well in part I mean that's that's also part of the consideration. Part of the consideration is what the students are going to gain. And so if we're looking at costs I I want to look at benefits as well. >> Thank you member Wilson. And I think one of the

209benefits of taking a pause on school closures for a year is we can really study the impact of the closures that we've made to date. That's something that I think will be something the board should look at very closely. >> Thank you, Member Higgins. Member Wilson, Dr. Bryant. So, we'll move to Member Less. >> Um, thank you. Actually, I wanted to follow up on Member Wilson's um sort of elicitation of more information. Earlier today, using information shared by the administration during the February finance committee meeting and also attached to memo 135, um I compared two charts of classroom teachers that um originally the number of teachers that were allocated through the preliminary budget to Campbell, CLA, Willowrest, and Glattiswood amounted to 32 32 classroom teachers across Ross four schools through the right sizing vote based

210on the attachment to memo 135 there are 33 teachers allocated across three schools. When we talk about the level of service we are dramatically increasing the number of classroom teachers at each of the schools that will remain open. That means that students will have a significantly lower likelihood of having a combination classroom, of having partial staff on hand to support a whole range of student programming and support needs. I think it really matters that we focus on the fact that the consolidation of resources stands to significantly support those students all students you know roughly which is you know not quite 1100 students in that pool of four schools but rather than being spread thinly across four schools they will be more robustly supported at three schools and then I will just say that according to

211the memo 135 chart if the levy passes tomorrow night, that level of service will go up as well. There will be 35 teachers allocated to those three schools. So that gets quite um that's quite an improvement from an average of eight eight teachers per school under the preliminary budget to um significantly um to double digits at all of the receiving schools. >> Thank you, member lessons. We'll go to member Bell. >> Thank you. Uh good discussion. I I do want to call us back to the um motion to approve the moving costs. As I recall from when we did uh Abbott Loop, uh we didn't know what we knew that there would be a cost. We didn't know the cost in advance, but we made adjustments to make it happen. That's what this is. uh

212all the the other stuff can is absolutely important and can be provided. Um we've got to move three schools uh and have have it ready for or at least address the moving cost for three schools. You can't wait till the last minute, guys. Uh or we I'm hoping that we don't wait till the last minute because uh parents are deciding where their kids are going like right now. uh and all and and and um I do hope the levy passes tomorrow so that we can uh use that money to address class size. That's that that's that's what we said we were going to do and that's what we will do. So, but I think right now we're looking at the costs to transition kids, move furniture, um and that's got to be done like in

213a three months period of time over three schools. That's what this is. Thank you, >> Camember Bell. Member Lesus, I >> actually had a a question. What I recall, and this is likely for um our chief of operations, um what I recall, I recall a comment during a previous meeting to the effect of almost two dozen schools are being impacted through the right sizing proposal because we have boundary changes at secondary levels. Is that is that a correct scale of the number of schools impacted through right sizing? And does moving do these moving costs apply to all of those schools? Maybe I think 22 was the number that I remember. >> It is it's it's over 20 schools um or 22, but that includes things like moving um sometimes one or two classrooms from one

214school to another. Um, but yes, this includes all of the schools that are impacted. >> Thank you, Mr. Anderson. Seeing no other discussion, we'll move for a voice vote on ASD memorandum number 142. >> Student Representative Madison, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> no. >> Member Bellamy, >> yes. >> Member Higgins, >> no. >> Member Lessons, >> yes. Member Hullman. >> Yes. >> Member Wilson. >> Yes. >> President Jacobs. >> Yes. By a vote of 5 to2. ASD memorandum number 142 is adopted. We'll move on to action item number four. A resolution on HB78. Um, I place this on our agenda, board members, as uh an opportunity if we would like after we heard from Representative Cop during um our work session today. Um before we heard from our lobbyist regarding the fiscal picture in

215Juno and the uncertainty there um due to their lack of a fiscal plan, uh Representative Cop specifically asked for our support uh for House Bill 78, which would uh promise to restore a defined benefit retirement or a pension to our educators for the first time since I believe 2006. Um he asked us to consider drafting a letter of support. Um, at this point, if there are board members who wish to move and adopt a motion to uh direct uh my proposal would be to direct Dr. Bryant and I to draft that letter of support for HB78 and then submit that on behalf of the board. Uh, this would be a good time to do that. >> Mr. Chair, >> member Bellamy, >> I move to d uh direct uh the uh board you a board

216president and the superintendent to draft a letter of support for HB78 on behalf of the board. Um uh HB78 is a piece of legislation currently being debated in Juno which would restore a defined benefit retirement or pension to public sector employees including our educators. Second >> motion made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Hollowman. Is there any additional discussion hearing? Seeing member Donley. So we're voting to empower a letter that we are not seeing yet. So, makes it rather difficult, not just rather difficult, very difficult to know what it's actually going to, we won't even know what it actually going to say. Um, our current board position on legislation is in in addition to potentially improving the uh pension system. that we also support legislation that would improve public employee retirements through other me mechanisms

217too such as expanding the applicability of social security, increasing the availability of the supplementable benefits system and also you know improving 401ks through the collective bargaining process. Um, I would think it would be appropriate that we continue to recognize the the existing position of this board that all those things are viable options for improving pension. Uh, the the question of of retirements for public for the public employees that would be impacted. >> Yeah, member D. I'm happy to answer that question. I didn't want to draft something prematurely because Representative Cop hasn't presented on the bill. I haven't had the bandwidth to personally follow that bill. Um, and so I thought it would be most appropriate to take direction from that board. With that said, um, I think the letter would likely mirror and heavily rely

218on language that the board's already reviewed and approved under our legislative priorities. I'm going to read verbatim from our website, which has been up for months, uh, which says retirement and retention is a priority, such as supporting a def defined benefit pension and or social security option to make Alaska's educator benefits competitive. Um, and then it lists specific things that have occurred since 2006. And so, uh, I don't think the letter needs to be very complex. I think a letter of support indicating that we supported as a retirement retirement reform and retention measure, uh, would convey our support, uh, should the board vote in support. And, uh, if you would like and if you oppose uh, pursuing a track of supporting pensions without other reforms, you're welcome to to vote no, as is any other

219board member. Um, but I don't anticipate the letter being very complex and would adhere very closely to language we've already reviewed and approved. And again, if the board chooses a different track, we certainly could do so. Um, I think what we've heard from Representative Cop is that this issue is especially timely as the bill seems set to head out of Senate Finance and be considered by the governor. And if that bill were to be vetoed uh without a letter of support from us, I personally would have that regret. Um, but that's my own personal leaning, which is why I will probably vote in favor of this motion. Uh, with that said, we'll go to Member Higgins. >> Yeah, I'm very supportive of it. Let me just say that from a timing standpoint, we need to

220get something quickly to the legislature that shows support. I I think that's critical and and a defined benefit will affect so many thousands of families in this state. It's unreal. Um if you look at the you know states got 14,000 we've got you know 10 thou not all of those eligible but it gives everybody an opportunity out there to have defined benefit also defines provides a disability for life kind of thing and all that. It's got so many provisions in there that are important to to to Alaska for our retention of staff. Um it's critical. So, I I support the idea that there's a lot of other issues we should be addressing, but I don't want to send a mixed message to the to them, and I don't want to give a distraction that says

221this is a reason why I don't want to vote for it. I don't support it. It's complete. I want it to be just clear and direct. That particular act is so important. If we can get it through, it's going to help recruitment. It will help retention. We're the only state in the country without a defined benefit. I I don't want to address every issue and then lose this one. I just want to win it. So, um I appreciate the uh what um uh uh what President Jacobs has proposed and I fully support it. Thank you. >> Thank you, Migens. We'll go to member Holland. um mirror a lot of what member Higgins said, uh there's a lot of discussion about the risk to the state in resuming defined benefit, but what seldom seems to get

222said is every bit of risk not assumed by the state is simply assumed by our employees on an individual basis. and and there are a lot of unfortunate stories out there and uh some kind of action and and I do think there are a a lot of effort has gone into the safeguards on this bill to protect the state and protect retirees. Uh the the needle has been pegged on risk to the employees for 20 years now and it is tongue sooner than later. uh we're bleeding employees and some of our retirees are bleeding because they lack any kind of a safety net if things go wrong individually. So yeah, I do think it's timely that we get this to the legislature and I support the resolution. >> Thank you, Member Hullman. Member Bellamy. >>

223Yes, thank you. I absolutely support the uh doing a resolution. If you just hit the three bullets on our in our legislative priorities, we've already decided what's important to this board and supporting restoring a defined benefit pension and social security option to make Alaska's education educator benefits competitive. Since 2006, Alaska has been the only state without these options. And the shift to a 401k style plan has fueled chronic turnover at much higher rates than before. Rising health insurance costs with premiums increasing by double digits for three consecutive years are making benefits unsustainable for districts and staff. just talk about that because that is that is exactly what is is happening that we we we said was important to us as a board and I trust the board president and the superintendent to draft a a

224a a resolution memo however you decide to do it on my behalf. Thank you. >> Thank you. Are there any other comments on this motion? Member Donley. >> Yeah, thank you. Well, I've advocated for years that we use the collective bargaining process to restore social security in this district to all our employees, make sure they all are eligible for that. I also think there's pending legislation also that would provide the uh supplemental benefit system which uh should be available to all employees also. Uh I think those are really good positive steps forward that should be fully examined and supported also. Okay. Um, want to make sure we're commenting on the topic of the bill, which is HB78, a return to a defined benefit retirement pension. Seeing no other discussion on this item. Member Higgins. >>

225Yeah, just one comment. I've been in Hrol a long time. Um, I know I don't look it, but that's okay. Um, and the issue is the potential liability going forward. I think uh uh um you know it's been briefly hit upon but we do not have the liability that would have existed in the '9s. Laws have changed. You you can't if you the this employer is protected from that type of of tremendous liability based upon investments. It's not the same. I've worked with attorneys on that. So it's not a risk there. And I'll just comment adding social security for employees will cost employees 7% will cost us more than 7%. I don't know where we're going to get 14%. So, while I don't disagree with the goal that it can achieve something, um the the

226cost, we just don't have that funds. >> Okay. Thank you, member Higgins. We're going to return to the topic of uh supporting a bill which would restore a pension for our educators. Uh seeing no other discussion, let's have a voice vote on a letter of support for HB78, please. >> Student Representative Madison, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> no. >> Member Lessons, >> yes. Member Higgins, >> yes. >> Member Bellamy, >> yes. >> Member Hollowman, >> yes. >> Member Wilson, >> yes. >> President Jacobs, >> yes. Uh, that vote is adopted by a vote of six to one. Uh, I will make an effort uh, member Donley, both to note the um, vote that was uh, that resulted in this letter, the letter being drafted um, as well as um, if possible indicating the specific

227members who supported and didn't support the letter. We'll move on to our next item which is number five ASD memorandum number 140 approval of revised ASD school calendars for years 26 27 27 28 2829. Is there a motion? >> I move to approve. Second. >> Oh, you want me to? I'm sorry. Uh, memorandum number 140. Sorry, getting late. Approval of revised ASD calendars for the years 2026, 2027, 2026, 27, 27, 28, and 2829. Thank you. Sorry. >> Still second. >> That was I was the one that pulled it. >> Understood. Member Higgins, we're going to get to your point of discussion for your poll. We need uh member Bellamy, could you read the recommendation on that memo? >> Uh let me I know I have it here somewhere in my Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. Let

228me get to that one. I can't find it. >> I do. Let's go to board. I'll check the sound here. My apologies. There it is. Oh, no. I didn't move it. All right. I found it. Sorry. All right. I'm sorry, Mr. Chair. Forgive me. Uh it is the administration's recommendation that the school board approve and adopt the revised school calendars for the for the 2627 2728 and 2829 school years uh which add three additional instructional days pursuant to the recently approved AEA contract. Now you can second a third. >> Still second. >> Me motion made by member Belly to approve. Seconded by member Hollowman. Uh, member Higgins, you pulled this item. >> Yeah, thank you. Um, the issue here is that the review by I had some concerns fed to me from the Jewish community

229of reviewing this calendar of checking it because in one time we had activities that were overlapping with days where they couldn't attend school or other issues because it's because of high holy days. And I guess my and what I'm asking for is if we can postpone this till next meeting. I forwarded a copy at the request to the rabbi for them to review it if that doesn't create total havoc. If we postpone it for two weeks, would it be much of an issue? Because I just want to make sure that we we we've heard that. I don't know if there's other groups out there that might have concerns, but this is one that has been a concern in the past. They pass certain dates and they just want to they want to have an opportunity

230to review it if that's possible. So, I'd like to move that we postpone uh action on ASD memorandum 140 until the next uh school board meeting. >> Second. >> Motion made by member Higgins to postpone till our next meeting. Seconded by member Donley. Is there additional discussion? Member Lessons. >> Um yeah, I I appreciate the motion. Um, I had definitely raised questions about the calendar with administration and support staff and it was made very clear to me that postponing it is not in the best interests of the district because um, so many things do have to move forward at this point in time and administration can speak to that more succinctly. But that was that was a clear memo that I received that this needs to be uh amended this evening or passed this evening

231but not delayed further. Um and I did want to flag that if you look at the bottom I mean I think that's a really important caution but it does each of the three years do say uh do identify cultural observances beginning at sundown on certain days and cultural dates of significance on others. So I suppose I have to trust that the administration has reviewed those cultural days of significance at this point in time not being an expert in everything. >> Understood. So Dr. Brian, can you speak to very briefly the purpose uh the process for how we come to these memos and proposed calendars and then um can you speak to the time sensitivity second? >> Absolutely. Mr. Gustofson or Mr. Lang, can you speak to the process? So the process we have a calendar

232committee that consists of um AEA, APA, ACE totem, department heads, teachers, um other staff, informationational technology, HR, teaching and learning, transportation, mental health, student supports, and then we have um somebody in our office, our assistant Cassie Jeremas is like the pro in building calendars and and she's the one that goes through and checks those dates. We are only adding three days onto this count these calendars. It's an interesting deal because all three of them are a little bit different from one another. Um when we're looking at those cultural dates of significance, those are things if there was a big issue. Member Higgins, I'm sure we could come back and uh flag those. Um but when we're talking about the actual, you know, this usually the three years are a couple years out so people can

233make plans. Um, I know of a few teachers that have already that have texted me even this evening, have they voted yet because they're trying to make their summer plans um in order to make sure when they need to be back for the the fall. One of the things I would note also is that we frontloaded with these three days in the first semester just to try to um make uh make the semesterers and the quarters closer to this the length as each other. um if we were to put them in the second semester, our fourth quarter would have been extremely long. Um and we lose a lot of really good instructional time. And this is we did put all three of these days into instruction. So this the the these look these were looked

234at at length by the committee. The committee when they first did the original ones, it's many many meetings. Um these was a couple meetings to get these three days on. Um, so it it it is a we we look at all of those things like cultural significant days and stuff when we're when the meeting when the group is meeting. >> But I can add a little bit to that to help allay member Higgins concerns when I was up in secondary for five years. I was part of this process and um one of the executive secretaries took great pains to go through and research those days for the full calendar cycle and when there ever there was any question or inconsistency with what she was finding online, she would reach out um you know to representatives

235from those faiths in the community to verify that. Um, I would also note that the the green dates on this calendar, the dates of cultural significance, I believe, didn't change with this version. This was a series of calendars that were adopted by the board in the fall. The only changes here are the addition of the three instructional days which move the beginning of the year up. So, I don't believe there are any changes, Mr. Mr. Gson, maybe you can confirm that to the the cultural dates that were previously adopted in the fall by the board. >> And Mr. Jeremias, just confirm that Mr. Lang is correct that she did go through and look at each of those consult um culturally significant days and there were no differences. >> Thank you, Mr. Gusen and Mr. Lang.

236Member Bell, do you have additional comments? >> Uh yes. I think when we approved uh the calendar um earlier there was input also from uh the native advisory committee all the committees that report to the superintendent uh special ed and uh community engagement. So it's not just an internal process there is a bigger piece. So, uh, for the purpose of do of, you know, uh, addressing Mr. Higgins concern and I'm comfortable with that. >> Thank you, member Bellamy. Uh, member Higgins, you have additional comments. >> Yeah, I just want to make one comment adding the days in the beginning. Uh, it goes back to 15 years ago when they kept moving the start date for the year earlier and earlier so that kids would be in school longer and hope that the results on their

237testing would go up. I thought that was kind of interesting. So, we've moved it forward. It used to be right after Labor Day. Now, we keep moving it back and back and back. Uh I don't know if that's ideal or not, but that's the way it is. But I just thought most board members probably weren't aware of that. Why we started so early now compared to what it used to be always right after Labor Day. And it's strictly from a testing standpoint is what they did when I was on the board. And they were upfront about that. So, uh, if the AEA and and all the other groups are supportive of the three days up front, that's fine. I'm not that that works f that works okay and I'm going to support that. But it

238just is an issue. And I guess the other question is if I end up getting concerns raised and I know I'm waiting for the feedback in regards to one or two dates on here, I'll bring it back for consideration to the board and ask them and ask the administration to work to make changes and we'll do it that way. Thank you. Thank you, Member Higgins. Uh, member Donley. >> Yeah, I think I agree with the comments of Mr. Higgins here and the board should reconsider if there is a a new concern raised regarding that. Would point out that this extensive process a few years ago resulted in a calendar that didn't acknowledge Veterans Day specifically. So, it's not a perfect process. In this calendar, it is specifically recognized and fixed. So, the public should know

239that this proposed calendar does have Veterans Day recognized specifically. Seeing no other comments, we're going to have a voice vote on AS Memorandum number 140. Do you want me with can I withdraw my motion if that >> member Higginson currently on the floor is the motion to postpone. Do you wish to maintain that motion? Should we >> uh No, I'll withdraw it. >> Okay. U member Donley, is the secondary. Do you agree? >> I withdraw. >> Okay. Uh we're back to the underlying main motion. U the motion to postpone has been withdrawn. Uh we will now have a voice vote to approve ASD memorandum number 140. >> Student Representative Madison. >> Yes. Member Donley, >> yes. >> Member Hullman, >> yes. >> Member Higgins, >> yes. >> Member Wilson, >> yes. >> Member Lessons, >>

240yes. >> Member Bellamy, >> yes. >> President Jacobs, >> yes. AD memorandum number 140. Approval of the 26, 27, and 28, 29 school year calendars is approved by a vote of 7 to 0. Our last action item this evening is ASD memorandum number number 141. Is there a motion? Yes. I move to uh approve memorandum number 141 TCI social studies curriculum materials purchase. >> Second. >> You Oh, you want me to read that? Okay. >> Give me one second. It is the administration recommendation that the school board approve and authorize the purchase of TCI social studies textbooks and six-year digital license for a total of three 368,520. >> Second. Motion was made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Holland. Member Donley, you pulled this item. >> Yeah. Just for the public's information, could the administration

241explain the process they went through in approving or proposing to approve this specific social studies curriculum? >> Dr. Johnson. >> Sure. Member Donley. Um this is curriculum that is already approved um through the board. Um this is an additional purchase of uh textbooks that are physical textbooks and and the reason we're looking towards moving this direction is that due to budget constraints um in the future we're not sure that all digital curriculum will be able to be accessed in a onetoone Chromebook situation. So um in the future we may not be able to provide every student with a Chromebook in simpler terms and so much of the curriculum is accessed through digital um based on the Chromebook and not a physical book. So, we're proposing to have class sets of the book in social studies

242um available in the classroom so that when we do face future budget constraints um we're able to reduce our technology footprint um but still provide the needed curriculum for students in middle school social studies. >> Member Donnelly, do you have a follow-up? >> No. Thank you. >> Seeing no other discussion, can we have a voice vote on ASD memorandum number 141? Student Representative Madison, >> yes. >> Member Wilson, >> yes. >> Member Hollowman, >> yes. >> Member Donley, >> yes. >> Member Higgins, >> yes. >> Member Bellamy, >> yes. >> Member Lessons, >> yes. >> President Jacobs, >> yes. >> Memorandum number 141 is adopted by a vote of 7 to zero. We'll move to our non-action items. Is there a board member? >> President Jacobs. I'd like to move to rescend the board action

243to close Campbell STEM Elementary based on the expectation of increased revenues from the Alaska legislature. U member Hollowman just yeah we'll call a two-minute recess while I get gather together with member >> I would second the motion He can't do that. Okay, we're going to gavvel back in. Um what I've advised member Hollowman is that we've consulted legal about the opportunity to resend and um as this particular motion was not something that was agendaized. Um the the um we would have to have agendaized it and had appropriate public notice to indicate to the public that we were going to be taking up this item again after having disposed of it. Um so the motion is out of order and a potential violation of the Open Meetings Act. Um, with that said, u understand and appreciate

244the motion and if there's a motion to, um, overturn the ruling of the chair, we can do that. >> Uh, President Jacobs, I would move that we add reconsideration or the motion to resend the action on Campbell STEM to our next agenda item. >> Second. >> I meant our next agenda. Um, I'm I'm inclined to allow the motion, although I think it's out of order so that there can be a vote on this. Um, but I I do think it's out of order. There's no um opportunity for us to add agenda items during a meeting, but I'm hearing board members want another vote on on this topic. So, >> I believe that this whole thing is out of order >> and uh I am inclined to uphold your ruling. So, if we need to vote,

245let's vote. We need to just move on. >> Uh yeah, no, no, I think we have an opportunity to vote. So, member Hollowman's motion to um reconsider is out of order out of potential violation of the Open Meetings Act. Member Hollerman, in my opinion, is out of order and trying to add items to an agenda in the middle of a meeting. Uh but I'm inclined to allow it so the board can voice uh their decision on this. Um, I personally won't support, but if there's a second, and I think I heard a second from member Donley, we'll um have a vote on this and we can choose whether or not it's going to be an action item on our next agenda. Um, is there I'm going to ask that there not be discussion unless there's

246new information. Um, member Halman, can you restate your motion for our record? Uh the motion would be to place on our next agenda the rescending the action to close Campbell STEM Elementary. And that motion was seconded by member Donley. U I'm going to ask comments to be brief as I think we're all familiar with this issue. Um if there are any additional comments going to go to member Higgins. I'm I'm confused over you're requesting not this meeting but next meeting. >> I'm not requesting anything about member hollowment that for the next meeting and you're saying that you think the the open meetings act prevent us from doing this two weeks out. >> No, that is not what I'm saying at all. Member Higgins what I've advised on the board is that we can't um discuss

247this topic tonight as it wasn't on our agenda tonight. Okay, you can't discuss it, but we can put this as an action item for two weeks from now without discussing it. >> I I think that doing so at this point in our meeting is probably out of order, but I'm inclined to allow a vote so that the board can provide clear direction. Um, so I think that answers your question, member. >> Thank you. This is really a question for the administration and I think it's a question about process. If the board were to approve the motion this evening, would in two weeks time would the board need to identify a source of funding to fill in the gap that rescending the closure of Campbell Elementary would open up? Would essentially would $3 million I asked

248a version of this question a couple of weeks ago. Would $3 million give or take have to be identified at the next meeting should the board approve this? Right. $3 million someplace else in reductions. Mr. Ella, could you speak on the process? >> Yeah, I believe so. I mean, if we need to keep our budget in balance, and if we just add back, you know, 3.1 million in expenditures, um, or I guess a combination of expenditures and reduced revenue, then we would likely need to find suitable alternative. >> Okay. Um, member lessons, you have a followup. >> I do. And the other follow-up question is uh we have a levy on the ballot tomorrow and some time ago um I remember voicing a request to delay uh staffing decisions until after the levy uh until

249the vote on the levy is taken within the next two weeks. Does the administration plan to move forward with staffing plans if the levy passes and if it doesn't pass? And how would changing the closure of a school complicate those plans? >> Going to address most of that. Um so we did delay our normal staffing timeline in order to know the results of the levy. um we will start in earnest um you know down that road maybe as early as the end of this week if we if we have clear um you know knowledge about whether the levy passed or not. Um on April 13th on our staffing timeline, we did um prioritize placement of folks who were at the um right sizing schools um ahead of our normal staffing event which will be April

25024th. So, um, if we were to take action with those staff on that day who are displaced currently and if the board were to somehow reverse their decision, then we would still have some time to to undo those staffing moves before the primary staffing event, which will take place April 24th. After April 24th, um things get much more complicated to unwind because we will have made overlapping moves with both displaced um and voluntary transfers and there's a lot of domino effects that play out at staffing that get very difficult to unwind. >> If I may just a really quick followup. So that sounds like you planned 10 days. This So the 13th of April is a Monday and you essentially plan to give the staff at the schools that are being consolidated a 10day head

251start on districtwide staffing. >> Correct. For those staffing. Um, >> that would that would be cut down to 3 days if we delayed if the administration had to delay staffing moves due to a vote on April 21st. >> And we would probably not delay those staffing moves. we would um move forward based on the preference information that staff has shared with us um believing that the schools are closing. If that decision were then to change, we could undo those staffing moves prior to the primary staffing event. >> Thank you, member. >> Yeah, >> thank you, member lessons. Member Holland, >> I would like to say a year ago, we did the same thing. We started with the governor's budget. We passed a disaster. an unworkable budget. Um, and at at a point where it was

252reasonable to assume the legislature was going to do something, we revised it upward substantially and and redid our budget. And this is in essence counting on at least $3 million coming from the Alaska legislature. At the moment, I think that looks reasonable. I think it'll be more than that. And I think it's reasonable to think it'll be more than that. I couldn't give you a precise number. Um, but there are some kicking around out there that may be overly optimistic, but but we did this a year ago. >> Thank you. I'm going to jump in the queue uh to debunk I think what I just heard, which is um as someone who drafted and helped shepherd us through our budget process last year along with member Leon who I think probably led that work. So

253I I don't mean to steal her thunder. Um there was great pain in how we went about approving an initial budget and then a supplemental spending list. Um this year is nothing like last year. Nothing like last year. Um the governor and both houses of the legislature agreed on a minimum dollar amount. The governor publicly stated a minimum amount that the base student allocation would not just funding but would statutoily increase that he would be comfortable with. Um the governor publicly stated there would be a BSA increase just subject to um uh legislative funding this year. What we're hearing and we the board knows better than anyone else right now as we just heard a detailed report from our lobbyist is that the state budget is underwater um more than a billion dollars without a

254draw from the uh the savings account that they have. If that savings account draw fails, and it has already this session, um the state operating budget is still underwater with a Z um capital budget, which is not going to be the case. Um the state has at this point has no idea what its obligations are and where those funding dollars will come from. Um anyone who is certain that we will receive additional funding isn't doing it based on action in Juno. Um, there's certainly a lot of optimism and a ton of advocacy and we are working super hard here to ensure we get those resources, but I as someone who's advocating hard for additional dollars will not say I can take it for granted. Um, I wish that were the case. Um, but in reality,

255our state fiscal picture is a mess and we are banking on um higher than average oil prices based on a war overseas uh to pay our bills for the next year. and our lobbyist indicated that same bet um a year ago caused there to be a structural deficit which required a significant supplemental budget this year to pay for last year's bills. So um again, we have to discuss what's reality. This year is nothing like last year. Um the discussion can continue. I just don't want to mislead the public. I don't think that was the intent. Um, but we were very strategic as to how we appropriated dollars and what dollars we appropriated and how we uh potentially approved a spending list which the legislature appreciated. Um we weren't able to do that this year in

256part because um the sand and Juno was shifting so quickly and there has been no firm commitment from the executive branch or even a bill with broad bipartisan support um for any minimum permanent BSA increase or a um even a one-time uh funding increase. For context, the one-time education funding, there was a motion to take that out in the House Finance Committee. that motion to take all dollars, all available dollars of onetime education funding dollars um out of the draft budget that went that is scheduled to go to the House floor um that motion to withdraw all that money was was failed by one vote. There was one vote away from stripping all new dollars for education um out of that budget. Uh reality is reality. This year's nothing like last year. Thank you. We'll

257go to member lessons then member Higgins. Um, I just I wanted to direct the board to appendix C and anybody else who's listening or watching at this late hour. Appendix C at the back of our budget book. It's on page 481. I'm looking at it has a very succinct summary of reductions that we've made. And those reductions that we've made also inform the cost it would take to restore them. We need $20.6 $6 million to bring our pupil teacher ratios next year back to what they were what they are right now. If the levy passes, that'll go towards some of that $20 million, but we're still deeply underwater with our class sizes. We heard this evening from one or more elementary specialists. Um, we need $3.3 million, almost $3.4 4 million to restore our elementary

258specialist teachers. We need $3.8 million almost $3.9 million to restore the middle school collaboration time, right? The middle school model. If we got $3 million from the legislature and that was it, I guess I would encourage the board, each board member to consider what is the highest priority to impact the greatest number of students. with those $3 million. And that is what I'm thinking about right now. >> Thank you, Member Lessons. Um we'll go to member Higgins and member Wilson and then I'd like to um move towards a vote so we can continue with our agenda. >> This is the interesting one. We've gone from 2.6 million to three. But the 3 million is for three schools, not one. So, we're using numbers as if whatever advantage it is, if you're for for something or

259against it, we're using larger numbers than we should. Uh and I would love to see the numbers directly related to Campbell separate from the others, including all the other hidden expenses that we know of now because that's a different scenario. We've got the busing, we got this, we're not giving the others. It's it's not the same as the other two. So, I think the cost issue is is completely thrown off by using a $3 million figure, even if it was evenly distributed would be 800,000. So, I just I just want to hold back on that. Uh there are erasers at the other end of the pencil for a reason, which I'm not opposed to the the idea of closing schools if needed, but there was a process here involving the public disclosing it, looking at

260options. The superintendent has said that in regards to this that there were the slate of schools out there because they weren't considered because of potentially child care. I want to know about that too. I want to know what those schools are that were excluded. All we're asking for is a fair process and I would like that discussion in in two weeks if we can listen to the public one time. >> Uh thank you member Higgins. We'll go to member Wilson. what what I've heard um and and I I believe I've heard that correctly that the intention is to make a decision that would reverse the board's previous decision based on potential money from the state. Yet, no money has been approved at the state level. There's no guarantee of that money. And I' I've honestly

261had high hopes in the past that have been stomped on um when it comes to excuse me to money from coming from the state to help uh us balance our budget. Our board in this process in this incredibly difficult process has instructed the administration to make cuts to positions that have not yet been been identified. And I I I was in Juno a couple weeks ago. I I was advocating as so many of us are for education, advocating for that funding for not just our school district, but for school districts around the state that are that are sitting in in in similar positions, having to close repurpose schools for each of them for whatever position they're in. And I can't in good conscious rush through additional blind cuts right now with a hope that we

262will get additional fund funding from the state because I didn't leave Juno feeling super excited about that funding and and I wish I I could say that I I did. >> Thank you, Member Wilson. Um we're going to go to Member Higgins. So I'm going to give the last or two and then we'll ask for a vote on this. I just want to mention first of all, one legislature can't dictate the funding to another. So we're not guaranteed last year's funding, okay? If you want to look at it that way. Uh so there's no guarantee of anything. As the only school board member that paid his way to go there with the Alaska Association School Board and talking to senators and representatives, including the head for the finance for both committees, education, what I got

263was $100 million. They can handle that. They feel like it will get approved and be done. and 30 30 million would address the thing. Whether it will happen or not, I don't know. We will know be in two weeks what the public has done here in Anchorage. We are getting information from the state. You're right. We're going to we're going to have to we could change things all over the place. This is a relatively small amount that can be thrown off because of health care cost or other issues that are out there. Our budget is going to be flexible at all. This is not a massive amount of money, but it is a massive impact to the community and they are the ones that have the relationship with us. So, I'm hoping that we can

264at least listen to what has been done. We've gotten more information than when this decision was made. And I just think that we're going to we've got a friendly way to resolve it right now by postponing it a year or we can go and and it's going to be much more difficult and it's going to be hard for us to recover our relationship. >> Thank you, Member Higgins. Um >> can can I clarify? >> Member Wilson. >> The amendment that is being put forth is not to postpone. It is to rescend. Correct. >> The what we're voting on right now is a motion to place um a topic that we've discussed and and voted on now. I believe twice and then third the a third time uh tangentially via the funding mechanism tonight uh to

265consider um school closures that we've approved previously. And so um that is the motions to place on our on our next agenda. Um and I I've indicated that's not something I've support I think a majority of the board has indicated that's not something they support. This motion is probably out of order, but I I want to make sure that the board has has a chance to indicate their voice. So, we're providing a clear message to administration tonight as they begin to move forward with a process for funding that we've just now approved. So, with that said, a voice vote uh to add to readad um again uh school closures for uh at our next regular agenda meeting. member Donley. >> Yes. >> Member Hollowman. >> Yes. >> Member Higgins. >> Yes. >> Member Lessons? >>

266No. >> Member Wilson? >> No. >> Member Bellamy? >> No. >> President Jacobs? >> No. That motion fails by a vote of three to four. Um board members, I appreciate your discussion and um we'll move on. We've looked through our non-action items. We'll go to school board administration comments. We will start to my right. Member Bellamy. >> Good to go first. Uh just uh uh thank everybody for really emotional and um wretching discussion. I just want I just know that these are difficult times uh for everybody and um as we move forward uh I just hope we can stay focused on what's good what is best for all of our our our students in a climate that does not support good outcomes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Member Hon, >> I have to agree with

267member Bellamy on that. um we're we're doing something after a long protracted series of cuts mostly and when I say mostly over the past 20 years and and we don't really have a good way of doing it and it's compounded by the fact that we are losing student numbers every year a little bit uh and it's compounded by the growth of the options we have in the district which fundamentally I think is a great thing I have observed students that just can't do well unless they're in the right setting. And our regular neighborhood schools aren't always the right setting for some students. And our optional programs, our charter schools really provide homes for for some kids that would never feel at home in those places. Um, it's also the case that that we see a

268parent group working very hard to preserve a program they care deeply about. Um, and we're constrained. Um, we're constrained and the question is, do we have another year? I'm not sure we do. And it is absolutely uncertain what is going to happen out of the legislature. As it was last year, despite the fact that more people seemed on board with it, it was still uncertain. Uh the governor has assured us he was in agreement before and changed his mind. Um and so having him in agreement is great, but doesn't guarantee anything. Having him not be in agreement isn't so great, but doesn't guarantee anything that way either. It is a process we have to do in the dark and as was pointed out we don't really know if we've got the funding we assume we're

269going to get probably do but it is just all a numbers game uh where we have to come up with a $650 million budget without really knowing much of anything. I don't know why anybody signs up for this but they do. Um, I really do appreciate the the testimony we had. Uh, our students always impress the heck out of us when they come and speak. Uh, obviously they they have deep concerns in a number of different areas. Our parents are also advocating strongly for something they care about. All those things I think are healthy. Unfortunately, we cannot come through like we need to right now. And uh I I don't have to sit here very much longer, but I will continue to advocate as I've done for about 20 years. And uh I I hope

270for a brighter day. I hope it gets here sooner rather than later. But it is clear it's not going to get here quite soon enough for a number of really worthwhile things. I want to thank everyone that has come out tonight and spoken to us about what they care about. Member Wilson. >> It's this is a very difficult position to be in sadly because it feels like every decision um regarding our budget is is lose lose. Um and it's it it's difficult because I know how personal it is to our teachers. I know how personal it is to our parents. I know how personal it is to our all of our kids. Um, and I really hope um that we receive additional funding so we can move forward making different decisions. >> Representative is is

271gone. Member Donley. >> Yeah, I don't see the closure of Campbell STEM as just a question of money. It's a question of fairness and it's a question of compliance with the intent of the open meetings law and thei Alaska Supreme Court has said it needs to be reasonable. The notice, that's the exact word they used in 1980 when they last addressed this question. Reasonable. There was nothing reasonable about 3 days notice before people could testify. Um, it wasn't reasonable to have the vote occur before community councils could even meet and and offer testimony or or resolution on the subject. I it's just it wasn't I think that's just common sense that that wasn't reasonable amount of notice, but that's up for the Alaska Supreme Court to reinterpret what they said in 1980. Um, but I

272I'm sorry it's going to come down to that because I think it could be avoid avoided and restore a lot of confidence in the process at least if this closure was avoided at this time and going back to providing have a policy here of providing reasonable notice in these kind of decision-m processes. Um, given that, I do not think that this afternoon's work session was fair. Uh, to have the sponsor of a legislation that passed on a 21 to 19 vote in the House be the only person here to discuss the merits of it wasn't um a service to this board. um even if there wasn't a legislator on the other side that was available um there are advocates for the other side of the question and they should have been invited this afternoon to

273present their side of the issue and I'm really disappointed they weren't >> member lessons yep >> um I wanted to just extend a special thank you to the administration to Dr. Ryan for the deep dive that you guys prepared on highdose tutoring this evening. I think that was not expected but um enormously helpful and went a bit above and beyond a normal um goal monitoring report. So I really appreciated that. I thought it added a lot to our conversation. Um, you know, we're talking about STEM and technology, and it strikes me that our students uh probably really need to know how to use AI, but they still deserve to be literate in an age of AI. And I think that's a a guiding um imperative for us as we think about their futures and as

274we move forward. Um, we've talked a lot about STEM this evening. I couldn't help but reconcile that I left home uh having just watched four astronauts come out from the dark side of the moon. um shortly before getting in the car and coming here. Um and I think if you haven't had a chance to listen to their words, um you know, not only have they traveled farther from Earth than any than anyone in human history, um but they really um reminded us that we are all fundamentally connected. Um, right after they came out from the back of the moon, um, astronaut Christina Ko said, "It's so great to hear from Earth again to Asia, Africa, and Oceania. We are looking back at you. We hear you. You can look up and see the moon right

275now. We see you, too. When we burned this burn towards the moon, I said that we do not leave Earth." That is true. We will explore. We will build ships. We will vis visit again. We will construct science outposts. We will drive rovers. We will do radio astronomy. We will found companies. We will bolster industry. We will inspire. But ultimately, we will always choose earth. We will always choose each other. I think that's what we need to do is choose each other. >> Member hints. >> Thank you. Um a lot of different speakers tonight. I'm just hit all of them a little bit if I can. Handsh. They raised a lot of concerns as a board member. We can we're limited on what we get engaged with. What bothers me most about what I heard

276with handsh raising issues and I think not feeling like there's an avenue to follow where they've got a concern above that when I have I visited a number of schools including Hanu and I remember talking to assistant principles and other asked them if you had a concern to principal love of where would you go and they gave all different answers or they said I don't know um that was a concern that's been out here with this administration that was shared earlier on uh about the issue of raising concerns and how we do it. So we the I know the board governance looked at doing an audit operational audit independent of how that process works and what's working and what isn't. that was undermined when the superintendent did a separate one and we never got that

277and so it was under the audit was under the control of the individual being audited. not not operational audits like in the past. But so that handshrew issue is directly related to not following through on coming out and looking at the problems of reporting concerns because it goes up to the super principal. Where does it go from there? I don't think people understand it. Uh I know when I go to different schools and ask I always get different answers. It's confused. I will tell you this that you have the right to go to the ombbudzman anytime and let them do it because if the administrations you don't know how to do it and can't get it done the ombbudzman does it differently and I saw that done with uh situation of retaliation they did a

278report they came out with some findings so I recommend using the ombbudzman in the absence of knowing how the administration is going to handle concerns I appreciate that um you know the the the I appreciate the, you know, uh, a discussion in regards to the February 9th resolution. I think the community has a right to know how that came about and the role of the superintendent and the board members, uh, those engaged in it and those who aren't. I I because if we don't address that issue or don't look at it, then it's going to be repeated again. And that to me is a serious issue because that's a process that's out there. I am not opposed to the idea of closing schools, but I am absolutely opposed to decisions being made separate from the

279full board meeting. I am absolutely opposed to the to the public not having an opportunity to have their voice heard to look at options that are here to hear the superintendent say the list of other schools that may have been higher priority, but he made the decision they may uh that they're going to be used for maybe daycare and take it off the list without the board engagement. that does not make sense to me. And with the public involvement in that, that is that's very disturbing to me. It's it's a it's a key issue. Um, you know, the um the the let's see, let let me get my get myself together a little bit here. Um, you know, we've got we've got a lot of other issues to deal with. We need to get focused

280on administration issues. Uh cost and savings that we could possibly do that would more than offset this issue uh that is out there that hasn't been addressed in four years. I want that on the agenda. Uh that's really a difficult problem. um you know in regards to what we're doing um you know we've got other cost savings and um you know it it's just a lot of these ideas and we're going to address these problems or do these different things are coming up after the right sizing decisions. I haven't seen anything come out from a right sizing decision. I've seen only downsizing and that's reducing the amount. We've got the we got the mayor out there wanting to work with us on the issue of child care. We got the legislature at telling us in

281the in the session at UAA here a few weeks ago that their focus is also on trying to expand daycare, but I haven't seen anything. I know that we say we we going to do it. That came from the superintendent, by the way, and I appreciate it and I commented then at that point that I really was proud of the fact I was very supportive of the right sizing idea. I haven't seen anything but downsizing. So, I think it's been just wording out there. So, yes, I am the most frustrated I could have been. And this is my um uh oh I hate to say it 15th year starting now. It's not this is this reminds me of 35 years ago. I cannot believe we're divided as a group as we are and as a

282member of the minority without having a voice before things come forward. And I think that's going to be established. I I am begging the administration and and the majority to look at the idea of being prepared to say let's review and see whether or not legitimate issues are done. Not going to get it done. The idea of getting it done quickly was a big thing and I guarantee this is going to continue. Now I appreciate the Campbell comments. They were all positive, supportive, trying to come out with some resolution without being confrontational and and that was failure. So when now when it goes to confrontation, it goes into legal, goes into other issues that will come out and it's going to come out and it's going to going to fracture some issues out here when

283it gets publicly out there. It was totally avoidable tonight to at least put it out and look at consideration. Not going to be done. I I it's not Campbell. It's the whole process and the whole involvement of individuals that bothers me that says this is wrong. This is wrong for this is this is 35 years ago. This is wrong and I just I'm frustrated and it it's not going away. >> Thank you, Member Higgins. I'm going to close it out just by thanking those who came out to testify tonight. Um I continually respect and appreciate those who are willing to take time out of their evening to come speak with us. Um all these issues matter. Um it's important that we have uh engagement and I'm looking forward to ways to improve that engagement. With

284that said, would entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> Move to adjourn. >> Second. >> Made by Hullman, seconded by Bellamy. Seeing no opposition, we are adjourned at 10:28 p.m.