001get the document ready to prepare and give to the board in the beginning of February and then the city will approve it in March. Um and then kind of the legislature will be meeting along that time as well and hopefully come to a determination about school funding that is adequate. Uh some dates to remind to remember this coming Saturday we have our budget solutions workshop over at Bartlett from 11 to 1. We'll have a short presentation there about that balancing act software, how we got to the budget deficit and um then allow folks there to come and ask questions of staff and what goes into these budgets, what services are provided, things like that. So they so the public can get a better grasp on, you know, how we spend our money. Uh board guidance
002on December 16th, I think we'll have kind of more of an informal thing at the work session on the 16th to try to get some guard rails from the board about what may be off the table. However, with the size of the deficit that we have, it's kind of hard to say that anything would be off the table at this point. Um, and then the introduction on February 3rd and the board approval on the 17th. So, really how we got here. Um, on the revenue side, this is our base student allocation since 2017 in the blue bars. The inflation proof BSA since 2011 is shown in that orange line above. So really, if it trailed back to 2011, that's kind of where it would start. Um, so about, you know, $1,500 short of where we
003probably should be at this point in order to provide those services. You'll see the blue bar in FY26 of $700 of the states, that's the permanent BSA increase. And then on top of that, there's a $700 BSA equivalent that the district put in in fund balance. So you can kind of see that trend going up where we have, you know, that's our cost going up and then our revenue drops off. That's the fiscal cliff, so to speak. Um, as far as support from the state, including this slide to say here's the state budgets for FY26 as it changed from FY17. Uh, the big highlight there is about 8 and a half% increase for K12 support. uh whereas most other departments are in the 30 40 50% range of increases. Uh some of this would be
004it's kind of a net of increase in base student allocation funding and decremented by cost shifting to local municipalities and um enrollment changes. So if there's an enrollment declines or all the cost shifting would go that would make that number for the state go down a little bit um but netted with that BSA increase. So, another challenge we're having is enrollment decline. This is the same slide that I pilered from Mr. Anderson's presentation that just shows our history of uh enrollment. So, as you can see, we've gone down by nearly 7,000 students over that time, which just exacerbates our revenue issues as we're uh funded per student. Um so as that kind of corresponds into the the state foundation formula just kind of a quick through walk through for those who may not be as
005familiar with it as this group. Um it's a six-step process to really determine funding but it starts of our brickandmortar schools runs that through a school size adjustment factor. Um then there's a district cost factor which Anchorage again is the one. So meaning we don't get any adjustment and every other district gets some adjustment on top of that. From there, there's a special needs factor of a 20% increase to pay for English language learners, special education, gifted education, and vocational education. And then another one and a half% adjustment on top of that on for the career and technical education factor. Uh we got a 13 time multiplier for every intensive need students. We've seen those students, the number of students with intensive needs grow substantially over the last several years. Uh doesn't seem to be
006slowing down. And then correspondent students is 90% of their average daily membership count. Uh which is expected to be around 2200 students for next year. So that's really how we walk from the number of students we get to a an adjusted average daily membership and that's what's multiplied by the BSA that kind of creates that baseline for our funding. So as far as our revenue projections goes, uh the highlights here are we are going to see a substantial increase in property taxes by about 4.3% due to the required local effort contribution going up. Our fund balance is going away. Like I said, we spent about $50 million this year. We plan to spend about all of it uh based on the recent projections. So really don't have much of a much fund balance left to
007be able to offset some of these losses that or some of the budget deficit that we see this year. We'll see what we can build up. You know, you saw that we put in the hiring review. So when positions come open, we're going to be looking at those, see if we absolutely need them for a couple reasons. is one to be saving some money this year to be able to put back into the deficit next year, but also we don't want to, you know, if we're going to have substantial layoffs, we don't want to put a bunch of people in place that are just going to lose their job in a few months. I don't know if that's that's really not helpful for anyone. Uh there is a increase for -ate going up to about
008a million dollars from zero. This is more of an accounting function than anything where we get reimbursed for our telecoms. So, internet and band bandwidth and telephones, we get some reimbursement on that. Um, before we had it netted with our expenditures and we moved that out so we can really display here's how much we actually get from versus how much we actually spend or the actual cost of telecom. So, no real change there, but it's just an an accounting function. Um, so the expense side will actually go up as well. Um but interest earnings, facility rentals, uh user fees, and other local revenue plan to be about the same. Foundation funding is projected to reduce by about 15 million. A little over 11 million of that is going to be the required local contribution as
009a cost shift. So of that 9.7 million in property taxes. And I'll I have another slide that probably better explains this, but the foundation funding does go down by a little over 11 million for the required local effort that the local the city has to kick in and then another I think four and a half million or so for enrollment adjustments. Um expect to see a decline in federal impact aid revenue coming in. This is based on the number of students that are living on Jbear for the most part. We do get some funds based on just other federally connected students or on tribal lands, but that's really kind of uh small dollar amounts compared to the amount that we get on those that are residing on base. So, as we have fewer students in
010the district, we also have fewer students on base at this time. So, we're projecting to have less revenue. Uh the kind of standout there on the Medicaid reimbursement, you do see a large uh decrement there. We are reviewing this as you know, we talked to our Medicaid office today. We're trying to get a better estimate on what this is going to be. There is a big backlog in claims within the state and then we're trying to get some process adjustments. So, I don't know that this will be 100,000, but that's really kind of in line with the trending receipts that we've seen over the last couple years. So, hopefully we can get the ship right and get a lot more revenue for those Medicaid and those schoolbased services. So, overall about a $56 million loss
011in revenue overall. Um, getting back to that, the local and state contributions and the municipal t how that relates to the municipal tax cap, there was about an 8.8% increase in the Anchorage property values based on the full and true value from and I believe it's calendar year 24 to calendar year 25 is what they based this on. But what it did is it increased that required local contribution by 11.2 million. um the amount that we can actually increase taxes based on our municipal tax cap is only 9.7 million, leaving about a million and a half dollars that we're having to take out of that additional local contribution. Um so when we combine that with the state and local foundation revenue, we end up losing because that 11.2 million again comes out of that state
012foundation revenue as that required local effort. So about $1.5 million in uh a decline between state and local funding in total uh is due to that required local contributions and then 4.2 million is due to the change in enrollment. If you want to look at that as a long-term history that's below uh we've shifted about 34% or it's grown by about 34% so maybe 35 million and the required local contribution has grown since FY17. And again, that's a dollar- for-dollar reduction in state funding when our local taxes go up for that required portion. So overall, between 17 and 27, about a $5 million actual decline in uh in real dollars through state revenue. So that's really our revenue picture. Um that's kind of the the biggest issue that we see is not having the sufficient
013revenue to cover cover our cost and it continues to decline. >> Is there any questions on the revenue picture before we move along? >> Member Higgins. No, I I'm I am curious um if if we were equitably funded based upon current inflation factors or you know the adjustment factors that are out there and we're way below where we should be relative to like Matsu and Kenai. Any idea how much that would alter the distribution anchorage and address some of this concern? Yeah. So I think that it's recall it's about an 80 eight eight or nine% bump from uh what that what our funding would be because it's 7% on the that district cost factor. So Matthews would get a 7% increase over Anchorage on that but then it rolls through that 20% formula for special
014ed and one and a half for CTE. So it gets up to about 80 eight or nine% uh in more per student um than what we would get. Certainly not enough to fill the hole though. >> Yeah. But in real dollars, what does that represent then? Roughly, I know you got calculator up. So, >> uh, it would all right do this, huh? 30 million. That sounds right. We'll go with 30 million till I can get action. But yeah, it's about 8% of the 325 million. Um >> um quick question on the provision in state law regarding change in property values and the reduction um the state takes in local support. Um, does our total property portfolio within the municipality and the fact that I believe property values are highest in Anchorage negatively impact us in
015that way that places like Matsu or Kenai don't experience? So, does our average home value and the the recent spike in property values we've seen, has that disproportionately impacted us? >> That I don't know. I mean it I'd have to reach out to Matsu to see what theirs is, but I mean they have a lot of growth and new property and new development out there more so than Anchorage probably. So that might have some effect on them as well. I don't know what they have for a a tax cap or anything though or if they're just set at Mills. >> Um member Higgins has another Has there been any impact as far as the amount of money per student in some of our schools? Because as the I know the enrollment goes down, they got
016a formula that comes out that says high, you know, larger schools would be more efficient. Have we been impacted favorably somewhat in how much money we're getting with that? >> A little bit. as our total enrollment goes down and we have the same number of buildings, we get a little bit of an adjustment, but again it's not um a lot. I think you know maybe 700,000 per like when we go through the effort to combine schools we end up saving an elementary school maybe 700,000 of revenue when we or we lose $700,000 of revenue when we go from like three schools to two or something. Um so just by virtue of our uh our enrollment going down but having the same number of buildings that adjustment is incrementally higher for the school size. All right.
017On the expense side, we'll kind of start with here's where our money goes. Now um seen this chart quite a bit, but it's our really just kind of shows how this money is allocated and it's generally based on the state chart of accounts. So our direct classroom instruction accounts for about 60% of our costs. Uh student supports is next with about 22% and operations and maintenance is 13% while district administrations hovered around five. Um change from 25 to 26 as we did add back the instructional things but not the admin things. When we got new money uh you see that going down as well. So that's kind of our baseline that we're starting with. It's really just this is how we're doing business this year and then we'll apply uh cost adjustments to that to
018see where we're going to end up next year. For the most part, our money goes to salary and wages. When we talk about budget reductions, that's where our money is at. About 87% of it is people. um project about $22 million increase in the cost of those people and which does include about 32 FTE in teaching like for metrics boo metrics based teachers. So as we apply the reduction in enrollment that we saw this year and a slight reduction for next year, we don't have our demographic projections yet school by school. So we don't know there's some things that are missing but just anticip about anticipating about 32 FTE produced just on the changes that we've had this year. And then we left our attrition estimates at the current levels. So this is where our
019FTE is distributed based on the state functions. Um just want to highlight that that 32 FTE is coming out of that instruction line item and that's the only one that's changed at this point. So as far as our salaries and wages goes by function, you know, it's about it's set to increase by about 3% overall. uh we did separate out that 32 those metrics based staff at the bottom. So you can see the growth in each function just as we roll through contractual obligations to our staff or project the cost of potentially of unsettled contracts which is included in the line items. So our other p other [clears throat] payroll outlay and our benefits um substitutes we anticipate going up by a little bit. Uh it's kind of a this one's kind of a little
020bit tougher nut to crack as we see, you know, about a 100% use overage in our substitutes kind of trending, but that's a lot of it's due to vacancies. So, as we're trying to cover these vacancies with long-term substitutes, you'll see that line item increase a lot when we do our projections, but um we don't anticipate our budget uh our budget being affected as much by that on the substitute line item because the theory being if we have fewer vacancies, we'll have fewer substitutes needed. Uh the biggest thing down in the benefits is our medical insurance that is projected a little over 7%. Um you know, we've had 10 seen in the market 10 to 15% inflationary increases in the cost of medical trying to hold that down but it is getting really really expensive
021to pro provide medical insurance the other things like tours pers workers comp those are all um really just tied to salary amounts so as we see those grow so do the those fringe benefits so overall like I said about 22% in projected wage and benefit growth uh about 4% overall for the non-personnel projecting about $2.8 million increase. The largest being electricity, phone, and internet and indirect cost recovery. Uh if you're not familiar with indirect cost recovery, that's the amount that we charge our uh grants. It's really kind of the the administration or the business side of operating those grants. So, pays for HR, payroll, accounting, all the folks necessary to get these awards and process them. It's about 5% I believe. Um, but as we get fewer and fewer federal grants or those get cut,
022we're anticipating fewer uh or a lower amount of indirect cost covering into the general fund. Um, so overall you can see we have the revenue loss of about $56 million. Um, coupled with about $24.3 million in general fund expenditures for a total budget deficit that we're going to have to make up with no new revenues of about $80.3 million for our general fund. >> Stop there for a few questions. Member Higgins. >> Oh yes. Um, when it comes to the benefits, I know we've got Oh, let me do it this way. I can maybe hear myself even. Um, but, uh, when it comes to the benefits, that information, all the benefit costs are broken out to the departments where the staff is at, right? So, it doesn't show up in HR. I just I saw
023the budget nature tremendous increase since 2022, and I was just kind of curious about that, but we'll go into that later detail. But for benefit purposes with the group health insurance that's being distributed out to each department, you know, based upon the along with the salaries, right? >> Correct. Whatever code we pay that employee out of, we pay the benefits out of as well. Uh for the HR increase, you'll see a pretty big jump from 25 to 26, but the the vast majority of that is like 1.7 million we put into the HR account for the recruitment and retention. So, out of that $2 million the board authorized when we did the adopted budget for FY26 with the new state money, it included a $2 million line item for recruitment and retention. 1.7 went into
024HR account and then 300,000 went into a district-wide account to pay like a hiring incentive or a a recruitment incentive bonus like or referral bonuses. Sorry, referral. That's the word I was looking for. So that's really the big that's the big increase you'll see in that HR line item. >> Member lessons. >> Thank you. Um this is definitely not good news this afternoon, but thank you. I had a question and I don't see page numbers on the slide deck, but it's the slide the general fund FTE distribution from FY23 to FY27. And thanks. And I think this is really valuable for me and hopefully the community because it's critical that we understand um back in that FY23 that we used 497 we use federal relief dollars to maintain staffing levels and I think it was
025prevent a PTR plus 10 across the K12 system with those federal relief dollars. That was just one of those things that has stuck out to me uh over the years. I think my question if I did a quick tally correctly it looks like over that time in aggregate we've lost about 186 classroom teaching positions sort of looking at sort of category under 100 um we've lost 51 or so in function 550 um the district administration support services we've lost another 19 in operations and maintenance we had a bit of a discussion about what that's meant for our maintenance capabilities in a recent finance committee But I did see growth in function 350, support services for instruction. Could you maybe briefly talk about what that function includes as a reminder perhaps? >> Yeah. So function 350
026is really kind of a there's a lot of things that are included in that. This is so there are um librarians the supervision in this building and you'll see the growth between 24 and 25. Um a lot of what that was is we're trying to realign where our um to make sure everyone's coded correctly. So there was a hand or a number of folks that were in IT that were actually in school buildings helping the kids helping the students with the their devices in schools. and the state says to code that to function 350. So that's just a cor a lot of that's going to be a correction that we made there. But there's also some like you see that 29 and FY23 those were um I believe mental health professionals. So as we've kind
027of stood up our u mental health student supports department that's um that's where they would go as well. So that's counselors. Well, counselors are being 300, but um some of those mental health professionals are in 350 as well. >> Okay, that's really helpful. And then I think my second question, and this is probably worth a deeper future conversation. Um this is on the I'm looking at the general fund preliminary budget gap slide, the 80.3.2 million slide. Um, contracted services is kind of a big catch-all category and I know that sometimes we contract out um, super specialized, you know, special education teaching positions and that might be a contracted service. What are other main drivers of the contracted services category? >> A lot of it is utilities. So utilities is captured in there. um any sort
028of contracts with the buildings and like you said the special ed providers uh software is captured in there which is a giant line item as well. >> Um we can get you a more definitive lift at some point. >> Maybe at some point in the process if we could get a a sense of >> Yeah, even if you look at our budget document, anything that says in our object code list that starts with the 3000 series would be what would be considered a contracted service. >> Okay. So you can really just kind of read through there and then you might have more questions about well what's in this one. So >> okay thank you. >> I'm going to jump in with a question regarding the revenue projections uh from a couple slides ago. Um was
029looking at Medicaid reimbursement and I want to make sure I'm reading this correctly that we're anticipating $650,000 less than Medicaid reimbursement. >> That is based on what our receipts have been trending for the last uh couple years. did talk, like I said, I talked to the min the Medicaid office today that does our billing for this the district. Um, there is a big backlog in claims that have not been processed at the state level and I think it's going back months or years at this point and they don't have there's not a lot of capacity for them to get the work done. So, we're going to go back and we're going to look at what those are and see if we can readjust that number. Um, but I mean that's kind of the trending receipt.
030I think last year we booked like 86,000 understood. Last year we booked 86,000. I House Bill in 2024, House Bill 344 passed and that in theory laid the groundwork for additional avenues for us to bill Medicaid uh for students who didn't necessarily have an IEP, I think. And what the last I heard was that the state was working on regulations to to flush out what that pathway looked like. So, I anticipated the number going up and >> I certainly hope so. Yeah, >> but we're not we we hope so, but we're not projecting it. >> I mean, on the finance side, I haven't seen that much revenue come in for quite a while. We'll try to refine it a little bit, but um you know, it's hard to budget on hopes >> and I I
031agree. I'm budgeting on legislation that passed and the department working on regulations, which Yeah. something a bit more concrete, right? Um, but if the state isn't processing claims and also isn't laying the groundwork for us to submit more claims, I I think >> yeah, we just need to look into it a little more and I'm by no means a Medicaid expert on this. So >> yeah, certainly. >> But we can get something probably a little more concrete for next time >> because this is the first time I guess I'm catching I want to raise an alarm bell. I guess that that's this isn't okay and we need to have a bigger discussion with >> Department of Health staff, whoever needs to figure out their house and get it in order. Thanks, >> Member Bell. I
032don't even know if it's a question or something that just kind of resonated today. No, there are automatic increases. It doesn't matter what the enrollment is, things are going to still increase the cost of teacher salaries, all salaries, health care, contracted services. So I think I I mean I don't even know how to how to deal with that. I mean >> I mean that's really the the question here and that's kind of that what that balancing act simulation shows is it's really really hard to get there and I think we're going to have a whole lot of trouble getting to 80 million this year. If anybody's got any good guidance happy to take it. But I do think uh we need to clarify for the community though because I think there is a little bit
033of a disconnect with I mean there's things that are increasing that we really have no control over. I mean we do in in in terms of that we are responsible for it and that's kind of the uh the situation we're in but we are not incre it is it is not something that we are intentionally doing. It is just an automatic if we live these things are going to happen. If we exist these things are going to happen and I don't know how to cl I I need to think about how to clarify that with the with the community. >> Yeah. I mean it's essentially I mean that's the basics of economics. It's going to increase the costs are going to increase over time. >> Um if we don't provide wage increases we're not going
034to have employees. I mean that's or medical insurance. I mean that's what happens. >> Um and event I mean we are beggars of funds too. So, we're completely relying on other governments to get us the money to pay for these small increases in services every year. And when it goes a decade or so without any substantial increase, then we get to this spot where we have, you know, an $80 million problem. All right. Um, still have some of the same challenges and considerations that we had when we presented last time. Um, these are things that we did not add back into the proforma either. It's the kind of the capital equipment replenishment. Uh, major maintenance funding, Chromebooks, some curriculum needs, uh, even the state standards for class size. We that's not included in here anywhere
035as well. So, there's millions and millions of others dollars of things that we've cut that are probably getting pretty desperately needed. and then to have those lower class sizes which is in the state statute now. Uh potential for the revenue changes or those local contribution limits hanging out there with the state still having wanting to make a decision on that. We haven't seen any again haven't seen any new regulations come through since they pulled them back in October, but we're just kind of waiting for uh that ball to drop. And then the changes or reductions to title grants as at the federal level as we see those being discussed. So hopefully we'll get a little more clarity on that. um in the coming months but um that could also present significant challenges as well. Fund
036balance we are out of fund balance um projected to spend the last you know $50 million of funible money that we have um and then as our enrollment declines really kind of exacerbates the problem where uh we just have less and less dollars to actually support our students. Uh for transportation, there's see no increase to the property taxes in that as we are at the municipal tax cap. Um state transportation revenue is expected to go down a little bit uh based on our enrollment declines. Still have to maintain the same number of routes and pick up the same neighborhoods, but the revenue goes down because it's a per student amount. Um, as far as the expenditures go, the minimum wage laws for bus drivers, you know, it's two times the minimum wage. So, as the
037state law around that triggers in FY27, it'll go up to, I think, $28 an hour as a minimum for drivers. Uh, that's really driving that 7.7% increase in salaries. uh benefits largely track the salaries a little bit less because some of it's based on hourly uh on per hour's work not necessarily um an an amount a percentage of an amount contracted services those are by and large drivers anticipating those drivers are going to have to go up by the same amount as well. Um and then supplies would include like fuel so that's kind of the bigger driver in there and capital outlay and insurance going up by a smaller amount. So about a 3.1 million uh budget gap in transportation for a total of nearly $83.5 million budget gap between the two funds. Kind of
038a long-term history of statewide transportation. So this is all districts but up until you know we're fairly fully funded up until about FY17. FY16 is a bit of an anomaly on a spike there. when we started our our contract with the it wasn't reliant whoever the vendor was back then same contract they just kept buying it but we ended up buying like $10 million worth of buses to help buy down the long-term cost of that contract so that's why you kind of see the spike even statewide the district uh ASD skewed that data a little bit but since then you know we've really had these deficits in transportation that are just growing larger and larger and you can see 22 through 26 on you see those those uh expenditures growing and growing and our revenue
039staying the same. So, our FY26 revenue statewide isn't a whole lot different than our FY13 revenue statewide. Um, and that's creating huge deficits across transportation budgets for most districts. So, lastly, just kind of a picture at our our all funds revenue projection. Um you see 56 million in revenue going down, expenditures would eventually have to tie to that. Uh grants going down and um the other ones will flush out a little more, but that's what we know at this time. The capital projects fund again is based on the non-bond funded projects. So as it gets view gets completed this year, that won't be next year. We'll have uh and I don't think Ursa Major is going to start for a while. So, some of those non-bond funded projects that we're doing um are included in
040there, but overall about a $75 million decline in revenue um about 8 and a half%. And the key takeaways on that, it's we're going to require a whole lot of cuts to the general fund and transportation. Um it's going to be programs and a lot of services that uh that families have come to expect. There is a link to the budget balancing simulation. Um, for what it's worth, I'm don't have any plans to go update that with the new $80 million number instead of the 77 because at some point, you know, the exercise is going to be pretty similar whether you're cutting 77 million or 80 million. Um, your level of depression is not going anywhere if you modify it. So, [laughter] that's really kind of don't plan on that. and we don't want it
041really to skew the data that we've already got for the people that have already submitted their uh um simulation. But so we either need to make some really hard cuts or hopefully uh long-term revenue adjustments are going to be coming to help maintain these programs and services for our students. So that's the that's the end of it. I'll jump in with a question first. Um, does our proform pro-form budget anticipate increased costs for uh contracts that will be negotiated during the fiscal year? >> Yes. So, we have four contracts that are going to be out of or they will need to be bargained before FY2 or for the FY27. Uh, we have AEA, the the teachers union, the principal union, I believe custodians and maintenance are also going to come out of contract this year.
042Um, I guess the last thing I have is more of an observation. Uh, our legislative priorities regarding urging the state to, uh, institute a sustainable long-term fiscal plan, um, protect our purchasing power, um, implement meaningful retirement reform, uh, to bring back a pension for our educators and pair professionals, support staffs, not to mention first responders who deserve it. um as well as addressing transportation funding which is fundamentally inequitable and broken um in Anchorage and across our state are aptly developed um and I think highlight some of what we're seeing thus far early in our budget process. So thank you. Are there other questions for Mr. Ratliff? Member lessons. >> Yeah. Could we at least debrief what the process of board guidance needs to look like from your perspective? I see some heads nodding. >> Yeah,
043I mean, I think that would be a a a good thing because I don't think we really have anything set for two weeks of how that's going to look. Um, so if you guys have any good any good ideas of how you would like that to look, um, we can certainly discuss them now. Um, the other option would be the administration just comes back with a a balanced budget. Um, I guess I'll follow up with a question. I mean, you're a professional. This is your full-time work. We are part-time. At least none of us are current um K12 educators to the best of my knowledge. I I don't anticipate that anyone at this table will have expertise that approaches what you could generate. Do you see a good idea for reducing our budget by 77
044million? >> No. There are no there's not going to be any good ideas in here. Frankly, all these programs we have, people care a lot about. They're great programs. That's why we have them. But I mean, when you have to start reducing 77 million, this is going to be hundreds and hundreds of hundreds of people you have to think you have to take off the roles to be able to balance this. >> I have the highest level of respect for my colleagues at this table. I do not anticipate that we'll generate a single good idea between us. Um, but I undoubtedly um expect that we will pass a balanced budget because it's required by state law. U member >> Oops. >> Yeah, I was just going to say if this was the first year we
045had a shortfall like this, I think there might be ideas, but as someone who started with the district in 96, I've just watched year after year where things have been trimmed. um good some good programs have gone away uh and the ones that remain are not robust as they used to be. We don't have the electives we used to be when you actually get into the classroom and we certainly don't have the choice of uh attracting people to hire. Uh but also in the past we've had a lot of programs that targeted kids that had particular needs that you know we could identify why they were failing and and put resources to that to help them and those have gone away. Um I think you might have had a good idea 15 years ago but
046it's been done and uh at some point you just run out of ideas. I I really feel like the district has been slightly starved or heavily starved for a long long time and this this is going to be a real unfortunate process. >> Member Higgins, >> thank you. I appreciate the question how we would like the information. I I listened to a lot of testimony from obviously AEA and other issues raising concerns about our budget and how much money we had in different locations and I didn't have the answers for that and that's unfortunate as a board member. We used to go and get different departments to come in and just give us an overview of what's going on. We've got a lot of increases from 2022 to present in different departments. I didn't know
047and still don't know the explanation of why that's there. If we can end up having some sort of presentation review so that we can end up getting a clear understanding that these expenditures, what could be cut, what can't be cut, the consequences so that we can respond to those questions. I'm up here trying to defend the admin costs and other issues. and it's it's low and I accept that, but it's difficult when you get hit up with actual examples and you don't have the information. I talked to former school board members and they're shocked that we they don't we don't do the same thing they used to do and that is have a couple of days of different department heads coming in just so we're educated on where the money's going and what needs to
048be done and how the the criticality of the money and on those issues. But um my preference is to have something like that. I would really I really think the public would appreciate it. You're going to have a presentation on on Friday with the community with different locations, but we need something more than just a here's here's three areas we're going to increase and no more than that. And that's not information from a board standpoint that I think we need. We need a lot more than that. That's what I'm hoping for. I'm going to end up having a lot of questions. I'm going to have a lot of disputes or issues because I don't have enough information, but I would prefer to use an approach that's a little bit more constructive rather than being that
049critical. >> Sure. And I think, you know, you'll probably get different information if I look back to FY22 to now versus what you might have seen. Um, if you look at just our FY26 budget book, for example, you see FY22 in there, but you see actuals. So, one of the things I saw said was, you know, our grants department increased by x%. You know, we still have the same we have two people in there. It hasn't changed much, but we had a vacancy in that year for many months. So, you see that if you're comparing actuals to what a budgeted amount was, they're just not going to be apples to apples. But, you know, if the board would like to have more time to sit through and walk through more departments, happy to do that.
050Happy to help lead that. I I think those explanations are what we need, but I don't I don't want to do that a generalized statement. I'd really have the specifics and be able to look at it. And if those are the answers, that's okay. But right now, one answer doesn't fit all. And I think we need to have more detail so that we can assess what's going on and be able to respond to the public. We represent the public and the public has a right to know that. member lessons. >> Um, thanks. Well, I want to sort of stay focused on the process standpoint and and maybe this is a bigger uh arc of a process, but I thinking about February. Um, I continue to see value in allowing ample time for testimony. This is
051going to be a budget that when it is an action item is going to uh bring a number of people out. And so if we can plan to have additional opportunities for testimony um perhaps as we did last year or or have a final special special day that we vote on it so that we can you know take all the testimony we need. Um I just want to backwards plan from from that from the sort of the board president and administrative standpoint. Um, I mean, I think it's critical for everybody to be on the same page that we do have our adopted board goals. We have a board policy that's been, you know, rewritten to essentially say that the budget needs to be aligned in support of our board goals. So, that is a critical
052piece of, I think, the puzzle, right? and and really I think it's going to be what will hurt graduation rates, what will hurt eighth grade math and what will hurt third grade reading the least, >> right? >> Um, which is a bizarre way of uh approaching it, but I think that that is that is I would hope there for the administration as sort of ongoing board guidance. Um, I would also uh I'm not going to call Well, I I think it's imperative that every board member submits a balancing act scenario. I know that I did it. I spent some time with it. If you haven't done it, um we're asking the public to do it. And I think it behooves each of us to do it because uh the administration deserves to understand where we
053stand on do you support a PTR plus X or plus Y. do you support uh maintaining this or maintaining that? And that's what we're asking the public to do in this simulation and uh if you have not done it yet, um I would strongly encourage you as a board member to offer that as your guidance. Um and I would al you know as an individual board member I would just say if I could have another you know hour meeting at some point that maybe a series of um individual meetings would be an opportunity for board members to um provide input after additional thoughtful reflection. Um, I think it's going to be hard to get foreheads nodding on every single item, but I guess I would hope the administration can receive as much information as early
054as possible in this process. >> Right. I think there was only one balancing act submission for the uh school board's link so far. So, if we can get everyone else, we can aggregate that data and present that at the next work session as well. And so, here's kind of on on average. Here's what the school board thought. >> Member Belling, >> it's just real stressful trying to do that thing. I'm telling you, it just drives me crazy. But I will finish mine. Um, so I I I trust the the process. I agree with member lessons. Um, more opportunity for public input. Um, more opportunities for us to hear and to discuss. to come up with the guidance or not more but at least because that's a big piece the superintendent and the staff in my
055opinion having been one of those individuals who paraded in the boardroom sat and justify tried to justify every uh penny in my department when as a department we've already done that to me that just uh that I'm not interested in that but for the board members who are um that's fine but I'm I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in uh trying to figure out based on what the specialists have told us, the people we pay to do the job, the superintendent, the executive directors, you you guys are intricately connected to what we are to the work of the board. So, I'm interested in in in uh knowing what it is you need so that we can figure out uh how that matches with what our families need, what our employees need. And then we
056we and then how do we do the impossible? Um it's already December. We have January, February, March, and we and we're going to have to have some more meetings. Uh, but I I'm I'm I'm uh for those so maybe there's a a two pathways for the board. And I'm I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in uh um criticizing or changing what's before us right this minute. I just I'm just more interested in hearing what you know what what is the impact? What what is it that people are are wanting? I want to still hear their hopes and their dreams, but we already know it's going to cost. And I don't know that I'm I'm going to feel comfortable changing those costs just based on the fact that I can't answer a question. I mean, there
057are lots of questions I can't answer, but I have a way to get the answer to them. So, um I'm I'm there's something I just think we need to move forward. I I'm looking forward to the activity. I hope people come out on uh Saturday um because that's a that's a big deal and that that's a that's a way for people to understand just how difficult this is and I think going through that activity also help helps me while I didn't hit submit it it I'm still learning of the things that I took for granted and I know that our families really depend on and they love, we're not going to be able to afford it. And so that to me that that is the proof is in the pudding in that way. So I
058I just wanted to put that on the record. Thank you. >> Okay, seeing no other questions or comments from the board, we'll assume this wraps up our first item, proforma. Thank you, Dr. Bryant. Mr. Our next item is a discussion and our second opportunity to connect with the Oceans Academy charter applicants. So, if you folks would please come forward. [clears throat] Welcome. Um, so for a reminder for the board, we asked um for questions to be submitted to uh prepare the applicants uh for a follow-up discussion today. uh questions were submitted by a couple board members and so we have the opportunity to ask those today. Before we start the conversation and ask some questions, I'll ask if the oceans team has any opening remarks. We're just trying to get the PowerPoint up and running.
059Give us one second. Yeah. As as we're pulling it up, I just want to thank everyone for reading through it and asking those questions. Um, it's really supportive and it helps us kind of rethink and situate what we're doing with this project with the overall goals of the district. Yes. Thank you everybody for your questions [laughter] um and your feedback because I do think that the more eyes that we get on this the better it becomes and that's really our goal. So um yeah we'll go ahead and start. So um this particular slide was in reference to a question um that was asking how the oceans instructional model um specifically improves student outcomes in reading math and ontrack graduate initiatives. Um, and I think there was a little bit of question on if there were
060specifics that the board was looking for, but this is what we've got in the slide. Uh, mastery learning ensures students fully grasp essential reading and math skills before moving on. This reduces gaps, increases course pass rates, and support study progress towards graduation. Project-based learning engages students in real world tasks that strengthen literacy such as reading, writing, and speaking, and apply math concepts in meaningful contexts. This boosts engagement, attendance, and persistence. Uh, MTSS multi-tered supports uses data to provide early targeted supports in reading, math, behavior, and SEAL. It prevents course failures, accelerate skill development, and keep students on track for credit completion. The arts integration which is a foundational part of our program uh deepens literacy and math understanding through creative multimodal learning enhances engagement, belonging and school connectedness which are key predictors of staying on
061track to graduate. Um there was a question about how will an outdoor um learning model guarantee safe, inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments for all learners. This is the slide for our response. Um, an outdoor uh expeditionary model, learning model creates safe, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments by using clear routines, small groupoup structures, and trauma-informed safety practices while offering hands-on real world learning that supports all learners, including ELLs, and students with IEPs or 504 plans. Outdoor experiences provide multiple entry points for language development, multiensory instruction, and authentic collaboration, making content more accessible and culturally relevant. Daily outdoor learning particularly benefits students with disabilities. Students with ADHD experience move improve focus, regulation, and engagement through built-in movement and varied sensory input. While students with dyslexia strengthen vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence through multiensory, low stress, real world
062literacy tasks, this environment naturally supports UDL principles, ensuring every learner can access and demonstrate learning in ways that match their strengths. A typical week for a 9th through 10th grade student at Oceans Academy blends rigorous core instruction, hands-on outdoor learning, and purposeful arts integration within a predictable weekly rhythm. While the official schedule will be determined by the staff hired for Oceans Academy, the following is an option for what a day in the life of an Oceans Academy student would look like. Each day would begin with advisory where students focus on academic check-ins, social emotional learning, and goal setting. Foundations class follows providing targeted instruction in literacy, numeracy, and skills that support success across the curriculum. Students then move into extended morning and afternoon class blocks, which allow for deeper engagement in science, social studies, language
063arts, and math without the time pressure of a traditional bell schedule. Because students take two core classes per quarter, they are able to explore content at a meaningful depth supported by mastery learning workshops, small groupoup instruction, and individualized feedback. Wednesday electives further enrich the week by offering courses in the arts, outdoor skills, and community- based learning opportunities. Arts integration is woven throughout the week rather than confined to elective periods. Students regularly use visual arts, digital media, storytelling, sketching, performance, and design to make sense of academic content and communicate their understanding. A history class might include creating a digital exhibit, while a science class might incorporate field sketching or photo essays during ecological studies. This integration strengthens creative expression, deepens conceptual understanding, and provides students with multiple pathways to demonstrate mastery. Outdoor learning is a consistent
064part of the weekly schedule. Teachers intentionally use Oceans's extended class blocks to transition between indoor and outdoor environments for field work, data collection, environmental monitoring, stewardship activities, and skill building in natural settings. Outdoor experiential learning is directly connected to academic standards and is supported by community partnerships that provide authentic context for inquiry. Frequent movement, fresh air, and place-based learning anchor students understanding in the world around them. For example, during the Alaska studies quarter, students may study the evolution of Alaska's fisheries to understand the intersections of cultural economy, ecology, and governance. Early in the week, they analyze primary sources, examine policy changes, and build historical background knowledge. Midweek, they might visit a local watershed, interview Alaskan Native elders or longtime residents, or design and construct a model fish trap to understand traditional technologies and their ecological
065rationale. Later in the week, students synthesized their learning through an arts integrated product such as a documentary short, multimedia map, or interpretive sculpture that communicates how fishing practices, laws, and cultural traditions have changed over time. This example reflects the typical rhythm of an oceans's week, academically rigorous, experientially rich, and artistically expressive, and deeply rooted in natural and cultural landscape of Alaska. Sorry, that was a long one. There's another one. I'm sorry. [laughter] This one uh this slide is in response to the question that asked for us to describe a potential semesterl long project including standards alignment, instructional strategies, assessments, and safety considerations. A semester long Alaska studies project for nth grade might focus on the guiding question, how have Alaska's fisheries shaped and been shaped by the people, environments, and systems of governance in Alaska?
066Students examine Alaskan Native culture, cultural traditions, watershed ecology, his historical turning points, and political developments through an interdisciplinary project aligned to Alaska State standards for First People's Heritage, geographic reasoning, and historical inquiry. Early in the semester, students analyze primary and secondary sources, study traditional ecological knowledge, and investigate major policy changes, including watershed, ANCSA, and fisheries management systems while interviewing Alaskan Native elders and local experts to understand cultural relationships with land and water. Instruction is delivered through project-based learning and integrated arts experiences. Students participate in outdoor fieldwork at local watersheds where they collect ecological data, document environmental changes, and study salmon life cycles and habitat patterns. Arts integration enriches this work as students produce field sketches, multimedia maps, documentary shorts, or interpretive sculptures that communicate cultural, ecological, and historical insights. Formative assessments include field journals, annotated
067sources, reflections, and research drafts. While summitative assessments include a historical research paper or policy analysis, a scientific or geographic report and an arts integrated final product. Students synthesize their learning through a culminating public presentation or exhibit. Safety protocols support all outdoor and hands-on components. Students receive instruction in outdoor preparedness, wildlife awareness, water adjacent safety, and respectful conduct in cultural contexts. Staff follow district fieldwork procedures, conduct site risk assessments, complete a risk assessment management plan, otherwise known as RAMP, and provide direct supervision during tool use and interviews. The semester concludes with a public exhibit titled Changing Waters, where students present their interdisciplinary work. there. The exhibit may include historical timelines, ecological findings, interview excerpts, maps, models, and arts integrated pieces that interpret the c cultural significance of Alaska's fisheries. Students demonstrate their ability to synthesize knowledge
068across disciplines, apply Alaska study standards, and articulate how Alaska's fisheries illustrate the interconnectedness of land, people, culture, and governance. Uh this is a sample schedule that is derived from um the schedule utilized by Pacific High School in Sika, Alaska with some minor adjustments made. There was a question asking for what this might look like. This is just an example. >> Yeah, not not set in stone. And then this is the tenative graduation plan for students attending Oceans Academy. This allows for students to meet all necessary requirements for graduation and has a built-in safety net for students that enroll in Oceans Academy from a different school and may need to make up some credits. Uh we intend to supplement with online instruction as needed for advanced courses. Oceans Academy may opt to obtain curriculum material depending
069on the need in order to supplement with physical educational materials. Specifics on how to address these situations would be a collaborative effort depending on the need of enrolled students. Additionally, we would like ASD's input on other options. Our goal is to continually and appropriately challenge students education and grow the individual students so that they are able to reach their maximum potential while enrolled at Oceans Academy. Oceans Academy will manage their budget to be able to accommodate any fees that are required for these opportunities. Oceans Academy will ensure that all students have access to courses necessary to continue the educational challenging and growth of enrolled students and ensuring every student has the resources to complete the required credits for graduation. This question um was specific to um how our target of 20 to1 PTR align with
070other charters targets. Oceans Academy will strive for a 20 to1 pupil teacher ratio calculated by dividing full-time students by full-time equivalent teachers. If positions cannot be filled, the APC may approve a PTR up to 30 to1 or limit enrollment to maintain ratios. As a charter school, Oceans will manage its budget and staffing to maintain smaller class sizes where appropriate, ensuring instructional quality while remaining fiscally responsible and flexible to enrollment changes. Um, there is a question on who is responsible for student devices. Uh, Oceanceans Academy has built this into our budget and students will also be encouraged to bring their own devices if they have them. And then there was a question about um expected timeline for pursuing accreditation. This was one of our questions also. Um and per ASD, we were told that there would
071be no need for Oceans to independently seek accreditation because it will fall under ASD's accreditation. Oceans Academy will build authentic and equitable family engagement by centering community partnerships, cultural connections, and collaborative learning experiences that bring families into the heart of the school's mission. The school will host community- based events, celebrations, project exhibits, and studentled conferences to make participation natural and meaningful. Oceans Academy works to ensure that every family is heard and acknowledged. Multiple forms of communication such as newsletters, digital updates, and when necessary, verbal check-ins will be implemented to connect with families in ways effective for the individual family. Additionally, Oceanceans Academy will utilize surveys sent out to families to gain insight, feedback, and perspective for improvements in family appropriate decisions. Parent volunteers are not mandatory, but they are encouraged. Parent volunteers with Oceans Academy
072ensures the success of the program and increases family engagement. When parents are involved in their student school, families have an increased sense in school connectedness and community, which is a foundational part of Oceans Academy. Additionally, students feel more connected and take pride in their education and are more likely to engage in aspects of the program. >> [clears throat] >> This question was um in regards to what high schools do stream students traditionally metriculate into. And I'm going to answer part of it and then kick the rest of it over to ASD because I think they can provide probably a more comprehensive answer. Um but based on last year's graduating class of eighth graders, the majority have gone to East High School and Bartlett High School. Some students have opted to lottery in and accept seats
073at Highland Academy. And there are some students who have opted to enroll in their neighborhood schools such as Diamond High and Service High. Oceans does not intend to compete with these schools, but rather offer an alternative avenue for education of high school children in Anchorage. This was also a question that's been asked a lot, I think, by everybody that we've talked to, which is why should the board approve a new charter? um when we're hearing stuff like we did earlier. Uh and our response is that the board should consider approving Oceans Academy because the district's right sizing efforts focus exclusively on elementary schools while Oceans is a high school model designed to serve grades 9 through 12. Neighborhood high schools in targeted zip codes 99504 and 99508 include East and Bartlett are not experiencing enrollment
074instability and are not part of the right sizing process. Meaning the approval of a new high school charter will not exacerbate consolidation pressures. Instead, Oceans Academy will expand highquality options for families, meet growing demand for innovative secondary programs, and retain students who currently leave the district for alternative or outofd high school models. By offering a specialized community centered program that complements not competes with existing high schools, the school helps the district keep more students within ASD and strengthens overall system health without negatively impacting already stable neighborhood high schools. Oceans Academy is committed to minimizing any impact on nearby schools by being open to collocation, sharing services such as transportation, and partnering with neighborhood high schools and community organizations. These strategies ensure Oceans complements existing schools, expands opportunities for students, and strengthens the district's overall educational
075system. Oceans Academyy's budget and staffing model is designed to be sustainable and flexible based primarily on studentto staff ratios and Anchorage School District funding. Staffing and program costs scale with enrollment and facility or transportation needs are regularly reviewed to ensure financial stability. To provide additional resilience, Oceans will operate a supporting nonprofit organization called Orca to fund raise outside of the ASD budget, allowing for supplemental programs, resources, and contingency funds. This dual approach ensures the school can maintain highquality instruction and operations even if enrollment, facility costs, or transportation needs fluctuates. The overall budget is based on a number of students, but funding would be allocated differently if any given line item did not require all allotted anticipated funds. Oceans is willing to share facility expenses or reallocate these funds for transportation and other programmatic needs. We
076do not anticipate putting any funds into savings at this time as program benefit and student need will be a top priority. Oceans Academy will maintain small class sizes by staffing according to studenttoteer ratios that support individualized instruction. Staffing plans include dedicated roles for MTSS interventionists to ensure personalized support and enrichment. Teachers will receive collaborative planning time to design project-based off-site learning experiences with parent volunteers supporting supervision and student engagement. As the school grows, staffing will scale intentionally to preserve these structures, ensuring all students continue to benefit from small class sizes, robust supports, and experiential learning opportunities. Oceans Academy will ensure equitable access and success for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students of color, and underserved families through IEP 504 aligned supports, trauma-informed practices, and inclusive project-based learning. Flexible transportation options remove barriers to attendance, and
077the school guarantees that no student will go hungry with parent provided lunches, campus facilities, off-campus options, or support from Orca to meet food needs. Combined with family engagement, advisory, arts integration, and MTSS supports, these measures promote retention and help all students thrive. Oceans Academy will ensure transportation and meal access are not barriers through a multi-tered approach. Families provide drop off and pickup or students may drive themselves. Public transportation, carpool connect, walking and/or biking, and ASD transportation will also be available. For meals, parents may provide daily lunches with hot water and microwaves available, and students may leave campus at designated times. Oceans will seek a facility with a cafeteria or partner with an external vendor if needed. These measures ensure all students can fully participate in learning. for nutritional needs of families whose students whose students
078would otherwise rely on free or reduced lunches provided by ASD. Oceans Academyy's nonprofit parent group, Orca, will work to facilitate nutritional support and ensure that students in need have access to food during school. Uh there was a question specifically on how a hub and spoke model might work with different start times and um our response is that start times can be changed to work with a hub and spoke model if needed but this is likely not the primary means of transportation to school and would be considered only if there was a need for this based on student enrollment. Start times and transportation models, including a hub and spoke approach, will be determined based on student enrollment, locations, and the final facility. Adjustments will be made as needed to ensure equitable and efficient access for all
079students. Field trips are included in the school budget and will take advantage of green space around the school for walking trips as well as free transportation via the people mover. Oracle will fund raise to assist in supporting any trips that require additional costs. And for families who cannot afford paid trips, scholarship opportunities will be provided to ensure all students can participate fully. Um there is a question on how do funds for providing sped services work in a charter school and the short answer is we're not sure. So we're going to ask ASD on that. Um but Oceans will follow ASD's policy surrounding this. Oceans Academy will follow district policy regarding safety and risk management when engaging in outdoor experiential learning and transportation for field trips. Oceans Academy students will not be permitted under any circumstances
080to transport themselves or peers via personal vehicles during school hours to school sponsored activities. All students will have a on file a signed agreement for outdoor learning that includes parent guardian permission and special considerations and announcements may be given to students and families depending on the season and anticipated weather. Implications for the specifics regarding each outdoor learning experience will also be considered. All shop running volunteers must have volunteer form completed and approved. Staff will utilize a schoolwide spreadsheet for sharing important information regarding all field trips in which students leave campus. There are three tiers of safety and risk management which oceans academy will observe with corresponding considerations. The first tier um or level one is for onampus and that is within sight and sound of the school. The supervision ratio would be one adult per
08120 students. Level two is off-campus within walking distance where medications may be required for travel. they are not within sight or sound of the school and staff will review health alerts of participating students and plan accordingly. Parents will be notified prior to activity and they will be provided with a list of necessary gear for students. For this level, there's no additional permission forms required. Uh application or applicable medications will be transported by the assigned staff member for the individual students and these students would be signed in and out of the school and reviewed with the UAP or school nurse. Student nutritional needs would be coordinated in advance and the appropriate adult to student ratio at this level would be one adult per 20 students. Level three is off-campus transportation required and medications transported with the
082student. This at this level they would be out of sight and sound of the school. Transportation would be required via bus, people mover or parent drivers. There would need to be a specific permission form required. the same medication considerations as level two. So that would be reviewed with the UAP or the nurse depending on the students needs. Um and similar volunteer or supervising adult considerations with the exception of the ratio being one adult per 10 students. and Oceans Academy will ensure that all learning experiences are appropriate for every student. ADA compliant and aligned with district policies regarding special education, safety, and inclusion. The school will provide accessible adaptations, IEP504 aligned supports, and train staff to meet individual needs. Outdoor and project-based activities will feature universal access, sensory regulation areas and quiet zones, while trauma-informed practices
083and safety protocols ensure both emotional and physical well-being. These measures guarantee that every student can fully participate in hands-on experiential learning in a safe and supportive environment. >> Thank you for the presentation. And I'll jump in with a a [clears throat] question really quick. Um during the presentation you mentioned that you were committed to um equity of access. Is that can I take that to mean that Oceans won't deny entrance to any ASD eligible student who's seeking to participate in the Oceans program? >> I believe that would be against ASD policy. Um and uh the short answer is no. That's the short answer. >> Okay. Member Higgins. >> Thank you. Do you have a location identified for this? My issue is going to be I don't want kids. We've done this with safety with programs
084before going into schools that were not designed to survive an earthquake. We've got ASD kids and staff and visitors and all in that building and and that's the concern. We've worked to, you know, we've got two schools that have moved in now to ASD facilities. We've talked about combining uh schools or doing things so that all these schools, these kids can be safe and adding another school that doesn't have that safety component is a big concern to mine. Do you have any plans or ideas on how you might achieve that? >> Uh we are still looking for a location that is we looked at a place last week. We've got I think another place scheduled for next week and we've got lots of calls out to lots of different places. Um, with that being said,
085we do have every intention of coordinating um, with ASD to make sure that whatever location we select is uh, meets all the criteria and of course is safe for students, staff, visitors um, and all that other kind of stuff. Uh, because safety is if not the top priority, one of the top priorities for for our students and staff. And my other question, well, I was on the board when Stream came in and we approved it and I got to tell you, I I've got into quite a discussion where they could have taken over part of of Begage and done it that way, but they wanted to be on their own. I understand. But what I think and I'm very happy with their success. It's it's it's a lot to be proud of. But what they
086had is they had a group of teachers that were all so committed to it, they just they went to it. So they staffed it very quickly with with staff that was totally committed to thing. Do you have a core group out there or something that to do this? Because that's going to be an issue to me to get because it's not just a matter of of of you know um finding a employee. You're trying to find the right employee to do this. We had the problems with with with different optional programs. Monway is a good example, but other programs as well. And I'm just wondering what process or where do you think that might be? >> Yeah, you're you're looking at two of them. [laughter] >> I was going to say I'm sitting between two.
087>> I kind of guessed that, but but there's looking at two staff. Okay. I'm just guessing. >> Yeah. I think we're going to start off with three teachers, one principal to start with. Um and then we're kind of we're going to build up from there. And I can assure you there's lot many teachers I've I've been in conversations with um across who who expressed a lot of interest in in pursuing this. >> Well, like I said, I know that stay up is totally totally committed to that and they're long-term and that's I think is a major part of their success. You know, uh we've got elementary schools where kids staff are there for a long time and their success exceeds the school district as well. So I would that's reason why I'm asking that question.
088But thank you. I I do view the location as a make or break point from my vote. I am not interested in just finding a place that you can you rent. I don't want a strip mall uh type of approach. Um uh we've had done that in the past. Um you know in line with it and just we're moving away from it. I don't want to move expand that at all. Thank you. Can I ask a question back to you then? And [laughter] uh do you um do you have any places in mind that you would like to see? [laughter] >> I I I I do, but let me talk with administration. I think I think there's ideas out there that may do it uh within that. But I think that we've got to look
089we we we've got to look internal and we have to be supported. This is not new students coming in. this is a different program and how we manage that and what we do. I think this program is probably is going to be great for kids academically. Uh I think it adds to the success. So that makes me a supporter that way. But like I said, I want to I don't want to speak the administration's going to have to live with whatever they do [laughter] and and I'm I'm not proposing that, but I think there are probably options out there administration will look at. Thank you. Good question. No. >> Go to member Wilson and member Halman. >> A question if Stream would agree and I don't know if any of this conversation has already happened,
090but could you put uh picture oceans to be an extension of stream versus a completely separate program? >> I teach at stream. Um Adam does not want to do that. Adam Melk is the principal. Um, so no, it doesn't look like it's gonna happen. >> And I believe that comes directly from the original founders of Stream. It was really important to them to keep it a middle school to focus on that delicate time in uh kids' lives. And um but that has been a question that's been asked uh at every point in this process. Um but also in addition to that, I would say that the Naka Valley just doesn't have the space to support streams growth and also coast oceans. Thank you, Member Wilson, member Halman. >> Um, and partly in response to Member
091Higgins, I I don't think you'll have any trouble finding some really outstanding teachers that want to be in your program. The real question is how does Dr. Bryant replace those in our neighborhood schools after they've been drawn away? Um, do you have a target student body number? Um for the first year our target is 100 students >> but as a destination >> um like our cap our max our absolute maximum was 400. >> Okay. And I >> not the first year. >> Yeah. Please know >> I think member Higgins raises a a good question and kind of apart from your application I I don't want it to sound like this is something that falls to you but I've realized that that one of the struggles we're facing is the success of our optional alternative and
092charter programs that is shrinking our student base in our neighborhood schools. Um, and especially as a charter, you have the ability to put some caps in place that insulate your students and staff from some of the budget stresses that that are neighborhood schools face. In fact, they exacerbate it a little bit. Not intentionally by any means. Um, and I I think as a board at some point we have to kind of step back and look at that. I don't think anybody at the advent of charters and optional programs saw where we would be today, but it is having that effect. We we have fewer students in our neighborhood schools partly because they're enrolled in special programs. And personally, I'm a really strong believer that having options like that lets students land in the program that's
093right for them. and and students that would be very unhappy and struggling students can move across the street to a different kind of of program and thrive. And the the only way you let students do that is having a bunch of programs for them to go to. But it does create this situation down the road because of the the logistics of how we're funded and and what's going on that we we have to figure out how we're going to deal with that. Um because you may not be the last charter program that comes and applies. I mean, I think it sounds like a fun place to go to school. I think it sounds like a fun place to teach. Um I'm too old for either, unfortunately. But um it it's a neat thing to have
094in our district for the right students. Um but where it's housed is a a really big question. Of course, one thought is could you co-house? I suspect you can't. Um we do have a few programs that co-house, but it just has to be almost a a perfect fit or or the building has to be designed in such a way there can be a whole lot of separation and everything. It's it's not a common thing. Um but yeah, thank you for for thinking it up and bringing it forward. >> Yeah. Yeah. Can I build off that just a little bit? I mean I the idea of co-housing is really interesting budgetarily be beneficial for sure since we aren't sending the money outside of the district, right? Um and I could also see it as a way
095of strengthening neighborhood schools as well. So it actually instead of a way of kind of detracting or pulling away like perhaps it's a way that creates um a school in a neighborhood m makes it more vibrant because you have more options in a spot that's more accessible to to neighbor to a neighborhood. So in some ways it could actually help build it. >> Yeah. I I think overall it's a positive. Um it just it creates some logistical issues that we're struggling with. It's not anybody's fault. It just is what happens when you have this many. I I do also agree with member Higgins strongly that that we want students and staff in safe buildings and and most buildings aren't as safe as what we build when we build them, which is part of the reason
096they're so expensive. But um yeah, it's finding a place to be in Anchorage is a logistical challenge. Also, >> um, member lessons, we have three minutes left, so if we can be quick with your question, we think we have time before executive session. >> Um, a comment and then a question maybe for the administration. First, thank you for dreaming big, right? This is I feel like we are in some dark days. There's not a lot of dreaming going on. And I think what you're proposing um there's a lot of evidence to support the quality of learning that students um can glean from handson using their environment deeply interrogating questions over a long period of time. I think that's really exciting. So thank you and thank you for addressing a number of the questions that um
097I was able to generate from reading the application. Um, I think one of the concerns that I have, um, has developed as I've been on the board and and heard and visited charter schools that are in less than optimal locations is that I really don't I wouldn't want to see you in a place that is bad for learning. I mean, safety is an important thing, but but I don't want it to be in a cavernous space, right, where you cannot have a conversation um, where you have dueling conversations, right? I don't want you to be I wouldn't want students to be um to have their learning environments compromised. Um so I I do see value or I would see value in co-housing a procedure. We haven't entertained a new charter application in the last four
098and a half years at least that I've been on the board. From a process standpoint, does would the board have to approve a charter before a location is is lo is is determined or is it location determined before the board uh sees this as an action item. >> So, it's a process question. >> My understanding and then somebody please correct me if I'm wrong even from the back of the room. Uh my understanding is that we need approval before we need charter approval before we can secure a location because that uh is done by ASD purchasing. Um we actually have little to no involvement in that process other than saying, "Yeah, we'd like this. We'd like this space. It fits our needs." Um but ASD purchasing can't do that without an approved charter. Um, so
099from my understanding, and again please correct me if I'm wrong, somebody is that we need charter approval before we can get a location officially secured. Uh, based on this discussion, it would be prudent for the charter to identify a location and then if possible to secure some memorandum of understanding that if your application were approved, you would be you would be approved for that building. And it sounds based on this discussion up here that the board um has a strong um has a variety of reasons why they want to have a location assured before the charter will be approved. >> Okay. Um oceans team, thank you so much for uh being with us again today. from a process standpoint for both yourself and on the board. I I anticipate uh our board having another work
100session uh in the near future where administration can weigh in on the application then field a number of process questions and and then we will take it from there and so um certainly keep you guys in the loop and I'm grateful for your time tonight. With that said would entertain a motion to adjourn to executive session for the purpose of legal updates, negotiations and contracts. >> I so move that we Moved by member Bellamy to adjurnn to executive session for the purpose of legal updates, negotiations, and contracts. Seconded by member Hollowman.