11/18/2025: School Board Meeting

001Good evening. We'll call the Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 ASD School Board meeting to order. It is 6:00 p.m. here in the ASD Boardroom. Present in the Boardroom are members Lessons, Donley, Jacobs, and Bellamy. Members online are members Holloman and Wilson. We'll notice the public if member Higgins is able to join us. Uh we've called ourselves to order and had a roll call. Um student representative Madison, if you could lead us in the flag salute and then land acknowledgement. I pledge allegiance I to the republic for which it one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We acknowledge that we gather here today on the traditional lands of the Dena'ina people of the Upper Cook Inlet. For thousands of years, the Dena'ina people have been and continue to be the stewards of this

002land. ASD is committed to diversity and 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 Anchorage 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. Our next item of business is to approve the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda as drafted? Mr. Chair, I move to approve the agenda as presented. Made by member Bellamy. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by member Lessons. Is there any objection to approving the agenda as presented? Hearing and

003seeing none, we have an agenda. Thank you, everyone. We'll move forward to item B, reports. Student representative report is up first. Um student representative Madison, the floor is yours. All right, thank you. So, first of all, um student advisory board did have their November meeting today. We had a very productive meeting, and especially one of the most important parts of that meeting was that we had a student from Diamond High School as well as a few other um girls that came along with to present the resolution from Girl Scouts. Presented a resolution about eliminating plastic glitter as an intentional microplastic in ASD schools. Um hopefully that this resolution can take forward in ASD. I would love if this board could take consideration for this resolution. Um I did send an email out, so hopefully sometime

004in the next board meeting we can um discuss how this resolution can move forward. And they passed this resolution with noted opposition, so overall SAB does greatly support this resolution and hopes to see an impact with it. Um next over, other than that, uh we're mostly just working on making sure that we can get more attendance for the spring Alaska Association of Student Governments conference. I'm trying to reach out to more ASD schools. I know West High School expressed interest in coming to Juneau in the spring for our next AASG conference, but other than that, I'm just trying to communicate with the schools and stay up to date. Thank you. Thank you, Madison. Are there questions for our student representative? Hearing and seeing none, we'll move on to conference and committee reports from the board.

005Is there a board member who wishes to make a report? Member Lessons. Yeah, this is um a a brief report. We, a number of us, attended the Alaska Association of School Boards meeting over the extended weekend. And for me, one of the takeaways was from a couple of sessions on artificial intelligence. And there was a suggestion that districts consider adopting an AI matrix that would essentially allow teachers um to have a common framework for um for when they would totally exclude the use of AI, totally include the use of AI, or be at a level somewhere in between. And it seemed like something that might be a helpful addition to the ASD, so um perhaps that's something we can talk about in governance at some point, possibly through revising the um the plagiarism policy that

006we revised about 2 years ago. Um that might be worth uh a conversation. Thank you, member Lessons. Member Holloman. I just wanted to say we will have a governance committee meeting this Thursday. And uh correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if our student advisory board got their resolution to us or to Ms. Sullivan, uh we would be able to take a look at it at that meeting. Thank you, member Holloman. Seeing no other members with a board conference or committee report, we will move on to section D as we are not uh engaging a goal monitor tonight. So, we're on to public comments. I would like to welcome everyone to the board's uh opportunity for public comment this evening. The board has uh set aside a time slot at the beginning of our

007meeting for all public comment. Traditionally, that's 1 hour. At our previous meeting, uh the board committed to hearing from uh everyone on action items at the start of our meeting, so we'll be doing that tonight. During public comment, board members will not answer questions or engage in discussion with member of with members of the public. This is the public's time to speak and the board's time to listen. The school board welcomes public the public to observe and contribute to our meetings through their comments. Uh to be productive, our meetings must be structured and civil. We utilize Robert's Rules of Order, uh which has have been used since the late 1800s. Uh they have specific stipulations to like like do not attack a member or speaker's motives, no profanity or foul language, refrain from disturbing the

008meeting. Please no cheering, applause, outbursts, or waving of signs or posters. If you have handouts that you wish to share with the board, you may give them to Ms. Sullivan, who's seated to my left. Uh I am tasked with keeping decorum in the meeting, and I will attempt to do so and appreciate your help uh in that effort. We'll begin with our student testifiers and then the parents if they signed up to testify, as well as is our past practice. Our first two testifiers today are McKinley Castellucci and Brandy Castellucci. Welcome, McKinley. You have 2 minutes. You can begin when you're ready. My name is McKinley Castellucci, and I'm I am in second grade. I like go to Stellar Elementary. My teacher is Mr. Mack. I love my school because I it feels like well,

009my teachers help me when I am having a hard day, and they make me learning fun. My friends are there, too, and we all feel safe and cared about. If you close my school, I will have to leave my friends and teachers, and the place where I feel safe and com- comfortable that makes me really really safe and scared that place keep please keep like Otis Elementary open so kids like me can keep like Otis learning in a place where we feel happy and safe. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your testimony. Uh welcome. If you'd like to testify, you have 2 minutes. You can begin when you're ready. Okay. Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Brandy Castellut and I'm the mother of a little girl who absolutely loves her

010school, Lake Otis Elementary. On November 17th, I had my birthday and instead of wishing for something for myself, I closed my eyes and wished for something much bigger. I wished for Lake Otis to stay open because that's how deeply this decision affects and hits our families. Lake Otis is not just a school to us, it is a place where my daughter feels safe. It is where she is understood, encouraged, and welcomed every single day. She walks into that building with excitement and comes home proud of what she learned. That isn't something you can recreate by simply moving kids around on a map. Closing Lake Otis wouldn't just shift students, it would break apart a community. A community of teachers who stepped up for our kids, who know their names, and who knows their struggles, and

011who shows up even when the families like mine are dealing with illness or stress. These are educators who go beyond what their job description requires. We talk a lot about numbers and right-sizing, but we cannot lose sight of the human cost. Children are not numbers, families are not numbers. And ripping a child from the place where they feel safe and supported has consequences that last far beyond the school year. Research shows that kids who lose their school community lose confidence, lose academic progress, and feel anxiety that follows them for years. We cannot pretend those outcomes aren't real. Financially close closures rarely save what people think they will. transporting hundreds of displaced students, overcrowding other schools, and addressing the behavior and academic fallout. Those are real costs, too. Often much higher ones. Thank you. And thank

012you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Gwendolyn Blau and Shannon Blau. Welcome, Gwendolyn. You have 2 minutes. You can begin when you're ready. Good evening. My name is Gwendolyn Blau and I am in second grade at Lake Otis Elementary. Go Huskies. I wanted to speak to you again tonight about how important my school is and what it means to me. I love my school because all of my friends are are there. All of the teachers are so fun and great. They make us feel welcome every day. Our our close our close our close ties to each other make make our school special because we get the times with our with our teachers that we need and we bribe because we are so close knit and I myself I have have been with my

013friends for these past 4 years and I love growing and learning with them. We also have 21st Century and after school program. Not many schools offer including the schools our plan you plan to send us to if you close Lake Otis. Again, we are thrive in our programs. This one especially is is fun for our for me because it and I for all of us. Thank you. And welcome. Uh you have 2 minutes if you'd like to state your name for the record and begin your testimony. Good evening. My name is Shannon Blau and still a proud parent of a Lake Otis Elementary student. Hopefully two for next year. I continue to stand with our school in hopes that we can keep it open. I continue to strive for stability and tradition in our school.

014Our tight-knit family is built with many teachers who have been part of this school for longer than my daughter has and have seen and met so many kids through the years. And they still remember my girls' name. Why? Because of love and care from them. They love their careers, they love their kids. Every class is special, every child is special. Uh do do do do do. It's funny how three-tier schools and up, the fancy ones, don't really have to rally together and fight for their schools. Being an elementary school and all, learning about life, making core memories with their friends, not worried about the possibility of being ripped from their schools, friends, and teachers that they have grown to know since starting in their schools. However, all of these schools, all of these tiers, they

015all have students who benefit from keeping Lake Otis open. Parents who have zoned in but our schools offer what they need. Every child deserves an education. Every child deserves to feel comfortable in their classrooms. Every child deserves breakfast, schools, and lunch. Break- School breakfast and lunch. Our programs are a major part of who we are as a school. Several life skill classes, prime location for 21st Century. The fact that we are a Tier 1 school, this means free lunches. I brought this up in the last testimony. This is a huge issue. We're talking about closing two Tier 1 schools. How is that fair for the kids and the families who rely on it? I'm sure they are not prepared for what the school year brings for for next year. Nobody is unless we stay put.

016Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two testifiers are Anaya Malope and Filoa Malope. I'm sorry. We're just hearing from Anaya tonight. Um Perfect. All right, Anaya, welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening, school board members. Today, I'm here to tell you about how Lake Otis students feel about the Lake Otis closure. Second grade. Second grade thinks that it's not fair that you're not just closing one but two Tier 1 schools down. They think that it's unfair. Third grade. Third grade thinks instead of sending zero members of the school board to check on our school, you should send one, two, or even three people to check on our staff, teachers, students, and principals. Fourth grade. Fourth grade thinks that it's unfair for their little siblings to not have

017as much fun as they did when they were younger. You did not just take down one but two of our most lovable playground materials. Fifth Fifth grade. Fifth grade thinks that it's not fair for fourth grade cuz they've known fourth grade for a very, very long time. Fourth graders want to finish their last year for next year, but you are taking away their possibility to do that. In my opinion, you say that you are doing everything that you can, but you are not closing just one but you are closing now two Tier 1 schools. Tier three and over don't have to worry about that, but two and lower have to. I'm not trying to be mean about it. I'm just saying the truth. Thank you. And thank you for your testimony. Our next two testifiers

018are Phineas McColley and Sarah McColley. Welcome, Phineas. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hello, my name is Phineas McColley. Please keep Fire Lake open. The teachers are nice. They make fun games to help with learning like around the world and sparkle. Sparkle is a game for spelling words. When we are practicing our spelling words, we get in a circle. When it is our turn, we say the next letter in the world the word we are on. When we are done, the last person says sparkle. The principal is fun. He does a 6-7 meme. It shows he is in touch with the students. My mom volunteers there. The kids like her because she gives them stickers when they are done working with her. It would be a bummer if Fire Lake closed because

019I don't know if my friends would go to the same school as me. I would miss my friends if Fire Lake closed. Please keep Fire Lake open. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. All right. Thank you, members of the board and Dr. Bryant for hearing our testimony tonight. I've been a parent volunteer at Fire Lake for 5 years now. I started volunteering with the intention to give back after the pandemic. Remote learning was not a success at my house. I couldn't figure out how one person managed to teach 25 to 30 students each day when I could barely get through with one. I went into Fire Lake with little to offer, but the best of intentions. The teachers I worked with were gracious in letting me

020into their classrooms, even if I had to chase some of them down to sell my services. They didn't ask to be part of our lives, but my family has benefited from our journey at the school. One of my weaknesses as a parent is not recognizing when I'm pursuing my needs for my kids and not their needs. Through the relationships I've developed with the staff, we've grown comfortable enough to give suggestions, share ideas, and re-evaluate approaches. And that helps me to recognize when I need to be putting my kids first, meet them where they're at. The staff at Fire Lake became part of the village that is raising my kids. I will forever be grateful because our village is small. I'm asking you to keep Fire Lake open and keep my village intact. Members Donley, Higgins,

021Holloman, and Lessons, I'm hoping for your continued support. Members Bellamy, Jacobs, and Wilson, this is an opportunity to show the students at Fire Lake that you really do care about them. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Dakota Martinez and Sarah Martinez. Welcome, Dakota. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hi, my name is Dakota Martinez and I am a third grader at Eagle Academy. I want to tell you why having a real school building would help kids like me. Right now, our school is really small. My speech therapy is in the middle school annex. Sometimes it's really noisy and it's hard to focus. Having a bigger building would mean we could have a real speech room. That is quite quiet that and made for

022learning. All of us have to eat All of us have to eat in our classroom because there is no cafeteria. In a real building, we can eat in a cafeteria and have more space to relax before going back to learning. We also don't have a playground. We also have a few options to play on and there isn't much room to run. If we moved to another school building, there would be a real playground where we could run, climb, and have fun safely. To get to our playground, we have to walk through a parking lot that we share with other busin- businesses. For For field day, we all walk on main roads to get to Eagle Academy Eagle River Elementary. Finally, I wish we had a real library. At our school now, we have a few

023bookcases in the hall plus some in our classrooms. If we moved, we could have a real library with books and places to read. I love my school and I am proud of how hard everybody everyone works. I just think we could learn even better if we had more space dedicated Thanks for listening. And thank you for your testimony. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening. My name is Sarah Martinez and I'm a paraprofessional and a mother of two at Eagle Academy. I want to begin by speaking with respect and empathy for Fireweed community. Their students and staff are dedicated. Their programs are meaningful and any change will be deeply felt. Honoring their contributions means ensuring that any transition is thoughtful, supported, and centered on student well-being. But honoring them also

024means acknowledging the larger responsibility you carry to make decisions that best serve all students district-wide now and into the future. The decision you face today is not just about buildings, it's about whether you will stay true to the core values this board has pledged to uphold. Today, our current EACS facility makes it beyond difficult to fully uphold the values that we share with you. In our school, essential services often occur in rooms barely bigger than a closet. We are continuously having to improvise in the limited space to ensure that IEP and 504 accommodations are met. It's challenging, to say the least. Middle school lockers are in classrooms, not the hall, and students grade 3 through 8 eat lunch in their classroom, limiting their breaks from a learning environment to about 30 minutes a day. These

025are not the conditions that allow students to grow to their full potential. We cannot hold students and staff to a high expectation when the environment itself limits what they can achieve. Noise interruptions, lack of dedicated learning spaces, and insufficient room for differentiation make it difficult for educators to meet the standards this district sets and that our families expect. You cannot claim to prioritize safety when our campus lacks school zone signage, reduced speed limits, secure entry monitoring, or a fully recognized school footprint. The safety concerns we face are not hypothetical. They have occurred repeatedly. A district that values safety cannot accept the status quo that places staff and students at risk. The right-sizing plan supports long-term stability. It consolidates resources, strengthens programs, and positions the district to serve all of the community more efficiently. This is

026a complex decision. It impacts real people. Leadership requires the courage to act in the best interest as a whole. The question before you now is, will the core values and beliefs that are meant to guide these deci- And thank you for your testimony. That completes our our student and parent testimony. We'll move on to our community speakers to be heard list. Our first two testifiers are Misty Nelson and Drew Huskinvelts. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're >> Members of the school board, my name is Misty Nelson and I'm here to speak on behalf of the dedicated staff and families of Lake Otis Elementary. Over the last month and a half, during a time of tremendous distress and uncertainty, our staff has continued to show up for students in every way possible. They

027have kept essential programs and traditions running, not because it was easy, but because our students deserve stability, enrichment, and joy. Our 21st Century program has remained fully operational, providing academic support, enrichment, and a safe place for our students every afternoon. Battle of the Books continues to go strong with a focus on nurturing teamwork, literacy, and a love of reading. We hosted our annual Math-A-Wee Night, a family event that brought learning and laughter together, reminding our children that school can be a place of fun events in uncertain times. We have a strong student council and we held a very successful book fair. And tomorrow evening from 5:30 to 7:30, we will hold our turkey shoot, a beloved Lake Otis tradition that families look forward to each year. Despite everything happening around them, our staff continues to

028create moments of community, connection, and normalcy for our students. At the same time, these very same educators have been advocating relentlessly for their school and for the families they serve. We've held three Friday afternoons of sign holding. We've gathered over 1,000 petition signatures. We've attended school board meetings, written to legislators, community councils, and assembly members. We tried to do everything we could to ensure our voices, the voices of our students and families, are heard. Lake Otis staff are proving day after day what the commitment to public education looks like. They are supporting children academically, emotionally, and socially while also fighting for the future of their school. Tonight, I ask you to recognize their efforts, hear their advocacy, and protect the program, stability, and community our students rely on. Our children deserve nothing less. Thank you.

029Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening. I'm once again going to break pause in the time to talk about the teacher ongoing negotiations in the contract happening right now. Listening to the testimony and the many discussions between my colleagues and friends the last couple weeks, I feel compelled to share with you some information about how your educators are feeling tonight in Anchorage. We, the teacher community, are no longer ignoring the fact that the state funding in this district is being grossly misdirected, a fact that you also as school board members cannot continue ignoring. It is your job to direct those funds to better support ASD's core mission, which is again fulfilled by the teachers. Dr. Bryant, we are going about our fight in Juno all

030wrong. We need to first redirect funding to the teacher salaries. Then, we can all go to Juno and fight for the increase needed in order to sustain a retainable workforce at a number that better serves our students. Why would we as teachers choose to go to Juno to fight for an increase in the BSA when the board continues to allow the administration to direct those funds inappropriately and wastefully to programs that do not do not benefit students or teachers directly. In 2 months, your teachers will vote for a strike. Wouldn't you rather be proactive and help solve this issue before that point? Or will the collective voice of 80,000 plus parents and community members that are directly affected by a strike be the wake-up call before it's after it's too late? Once again, that decision

031lies with you and the individuals along your wall to the right. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Paul McDonough and Delaney Schneider. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening, Mr. President and members of the board. My name is Paul McDonough. My work is in education policy, and I used to be a classroom teacher. But tonight, I speak as a father of four kids. First, I acknowledge and honor the processes that you follow to lead this community. But even in a crisis, this board must not allow governance through shortcuts. We cannot let urgency justify losing our core beliefs. Anchorage is an inclusive community, not a divisive one. This year's right-sizing process has failed to satisfy the question of whether the objective criteria were adequately applied

032when selecting schools. In fact, earlier today, the chief operating officer said an equitable application would have resulted in five schools being selected. Instead of diligent, this process looks coercive. To the victor go the spoils. This year's process has not meaningfully progressed our mission. It has resulted in a senseless competition between neighborhood schools and charter schools. That is not who we are. Our mission is education for all kids, not just some. So, Mr. President and members of the board, tonight you must affirm what Anchorage deeply needs in this moment, leadership that refuses to compromise integrity for any reason. When we make decisions in solidarity, we ensure that the light we shine forward lasts decades. I believe we can meet today's crisis by doubling down on our values, inclusivity, transparency, and the promise that every child deserves

033opportunity. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. The Anchorage School Board has five core values they should be holding themselves accountable to. The first of these being potential. Every student deserves the opportunity to achieve his or her potential. One way to better reach student potential is through more accountability on students and families. 3 years ago, I had a fifth grader show up to school less than 10 times the entire year. No matter the F's received and glaring lack of attendance, this school district passed this student on to sixth grade. Not me. I want to give you an example of accountability and how far behind our district is lacking in public education. 9 years ago, I taught Title 1 third grade in Florida,

034and it was a mandatory retention year. If third grade students were not meeting proficient scores by the end of the year, the state would hold the families accountable for summer school. Otherwise, the student is automatically retained. That's what true accountability looks like on students and families, and not requiring teachers to do more documentation of students' failed progress, or letting students pass on to the next grade level before they reach foundational skills. The second way is through better compensation. Teachers are adaptable and should be compensated for it. I'll say that one more time in case you missed it. Teachers are adaptable, and we should be compensated for it. In a Title 1 school, majority of students tend to be one to three grade levels behind. Struggling students students need more attention and interventions. But this can't

035happen when class sizes are too large. Class sizes will occasionally get larger when there is no sub coverage. Imagine already having 28 students on your roster, and one morning you are told you are getting nine more students from another class or grade level, and just adapt and get it done. Teachers and students are resilient, and we work through these struggles together every single year. But it's time you step in and help. Right-sizing by closing schools and reallocating students does not give students the opportunity to reach potential. Allow students to reach potential by giving them a stable class size, and compensate teachers that maintain that stability when class numbers exceed the space and chairs we have available. Potential. Every student deserves the opportunity to achieve potential. The focus is within. Right-size class numbers, and right-size compensation

036for the teachers that are the backbone of your system. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Deborah Wright and Emily DiMico. Yeah, I think last time I was the only one up here. Okay. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hello, I'm Deborah Wright. I found the two community conversations very insightful, as was the school board meeting on November 5th. The biggest takeaway for me is that so many issues boil down to a very basic sense of right and wrong. I believe it is wrong to close Title 1 schools when there are other options available. They are Title 1 for a reason, our most vulnerable students and families. Dividing Manoug's Isle in half so neighboring kids are bused to different non-Title 1 schools is wrong. The shuffling

037of special education programs from Kasuun to Ocean View to get their numbers up is wrong. To spend millions rebuilding Inlet View with low capacity was wrong, and to prioritize charter schools over neighborhood schools, both Lake Otis and Fire Lake, is wrong. I was saddened to hear how top-heavy ASD administration has become. I retired in 2022 from Lake Otis. My position was Title 7 Indian Education Youth Development Tutor. I saw daily the hours, energy, and care staff give to students. Teachers do not deserve a take um a decrease in take-home pay when more and more is expected of them. Please negotiate a contract in good faith. Return to the table and listen. They show up every day and give their all to students. We should all care about the future and want an educated public. Teaching

038in Anchorage should not be a thankless job that nobody wants. Please, do what's right. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Members of the Anchorage School District, Superintendent, and district staff, my name is Emily DiMico, and I am the special education teacher at Eagle Academy Charter School. I speak today on behalf of our entire school. We are a high-performing integral part of the Anchorage School District. Our consistent exemplary success in district and state test scores proves that our educational model works and maximizes learning outcomes for ASD families. However, despite this academic excellence, our current physical environment is a significant challenge that directly impacts the quality of education in our delivery. We face critical overcrowding, and more importantly, our co-located next to an active CrossFit gym. This results

039in unavoidable frequent noise and activity disruptions. These external distractions severely compromise student focus during core instructional hours, hindering our students' ability to learn effectively. As the special education teacher, I can personally attest to the most unacceptable consequences of this facility. We are forced to do to use shared ill-suited spaces for critical intervention supports. Effective confidential support for our students with special needs and those requiring targeted academic help demands dedicated private space. Using shared areas compromises the privacy and the quality of essential services for ASD children. Our staff are are creative problem-solvers, but their energy should be spent on instruction, not on constantly mitigating external noise and repurposing inadequate spaces. This limits their instructional impact. Our exemplary test scores demonstrate our commitment to the ASD mission, but the constraint of our current building, the overcrowding, the

040noise, and the lack of the appropriate intervention space are now limiting our potential and compromising our ability to serve every student optimally. We urge the ASD School Board to recognize Eagle Academy Charter as a valuable and essential part of the district. We are asking you to invest in a facility that will support the continued success and growth. Act now to remove this physical barriers, giving our students, especially those who need the Ma'am, thank you for your testimony. You're welcome to submit your full written comments to the board. Our next two testifiers are Tish Craigan and Erica Arnold. >> Welcome. Are you have 2 minutes? Please begin when you're ready. My name is Tish Cragan, an ELL teacher at Lake Otis Elementary. I come to you in the 11th hour on behalf of my students to

041beg you to please vote tonight to keep Lake Otis open. Change is hard for any student, but it can be devastating for language learners who depend on familiar faces and trusting relationships to find their voice. Last week an ELL student shared in our group his family's experience in the detention center when they came to America 3 years ago. The rest of the students in the group were enthralled and asked questions of his experiences of which he openly shared. It takes a long time for students to get to that comfort level with each other. If you close our school, those very students will be split into at least three different schools. Splitting our students up will undo all those relationships, removing that comfort level and trust level share personal stories like this. Yes, as mentioned in

042the work session tonight, they will receive their ELL services wherever they go, but they'll lose those relationships that take so long to build. I know you wouldn't fully be doing your job if you didn't look at the numbers to make your decision. But I come to you tonight to remind you that behind every one of those numbers is a child trying to find their place. Please do not uproot our kids. For most of our title one students, our school is one of the few stable places in their world. Closing title one schools places places the heaviest burden on the families least able to absorb it and least likely to speak up. You, as our school board, have the power tonight to vote in a way that says we won't let title one schools be targeted.

043Those kids need protection, too. Right-sizing disproportionate disproportionately impacts title one communities. Benefits of closure do not outweigh the adverse impact on families and community. Please protect our kids and vote to keep Lake Otis open. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, Ms. Arnold. Do you have 2 minutes? Please begin when you're ready. Hi. My name is Erica Arnold, and I'm a proud and outstanding teacher here in the ASD. It's been over a month since my last testimony, and I'm still working without a contract or a pension. I'm still coming to work and staying late, still coaching Battle of the Books, still working on weekends, still planning for fun things in my class like salmon dissections, and Middle Ages Day, and next week we're riding the Mayflower. We're at a tipping point. The ASD and their negotiation

044teams and lawyer can make a choice to save our district from a mass exodus of educators because they've been pushed past a breaking point. This would be detrimental to our students. We're in a crisis, and you all can tip the scales. Can you advocate for us? Will you advocate for us? Can you place your hand on the scales to back up those words that you've so easily said? Do you care for us? Will you fight for us? Educators are leaving in droves, literal droves. Do you know how many educators have left so far this year? Almost three dozen. We have long-term substitutes, so many in our district that that our district can't even tell you the exact number that they employ. What is a school without the educators? How do students learn without their teachers?

045How does a district succeed without their educators? We touch lives, we create spaces for kids to find their best selves. I am so lucky to be a part of these kids' lives. We aren't just people in a classroom going through the motions. We hold these kids in our hearts, and we keep them safe, and we teach them. Teachers are givers, and I believe each and every one of you here know that our priorities go far deeper than a paycheck. I believe that our kindness is often taken advantage of. Please know that we know our worth, and that for this district and our students, and we need you to know, too. We need you to help ASD show us that they value us. Thank you so much for hearing me. And thank you for your testimony.

046Our next two speakers are Natalia Clark and Heather Caldwell. Thank you so much. Welcome, Ms. Clark. Do you have 2 minutes? Please begin when you're ready. Thank you. We, the people, have gathered here today to hear the voices of our community. We are opposed to the closure of Lake Elementary School as proposed there by by the Anchorage School District Administration. Let's just look at the numbers as I believe numbers speak volume. Our school has 70 bilingual students, the largest number of bilingual students compared to other schools. We have 12 students in transition, more than many schools. Some schools have zero students. We have 66 students with disability, 60 students of title six Indian education, over 32 life skills students, and 181 economically disadvantaged families. Having such a diverse population, we were able to build a

047strong community with cultural connections and ability to provide stability and belonging. According to Dr. Brian's words, I understand and totally agree with him. What I don't understand is why we need to demolish this stronghold. Why do we need to prioritize charter schools over neighborhood schools? It appears that Lake Otis is an easy target. Is it because of title one minority low-income families? Families that are working several jobs to make a living? Some do not have a good command of the language, and they are not confident to speak up. These are the families who rely on us, our school, the services that they are guaranteed at our school. These students thrive during school hours and after school hours as we have a wonderful after school program. Everybody everybody will be affected by your decision. This unique

048school means a lot to this community. My final final words to the administration. If the success of our students is your number one priority, please as a as a school board member carefully consider your decision. Please vote no on closing Lake Otis Elementary School. Let's have justice and fairness for all. And thank you for your testimony. >> Thank you so much. Welcome, Ms. Caldwell. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Uh members of the school board, my name's Heather Caldwell, and I'm one of the teacher representatives on the Academic Policy Board at Eagle Academy. Over the past 12 years as a parent and staff member, I have seen the school excel in academic performance, consistently achieve high test scores through rigorous academics and full inclusion. However, our current facilities are limiting our potential

049to serve the community effectively with many students wait-listed. For our for two decades, we have searched for a location that meets legal and functional requirements, but options have been elusive. Our current placement in a strip mall poses significant safety risks, such as sharing a parking lot with businesses and proximity to the highway. These factors and in inadequate school zone signage have led to multiple stay-put situations, endangering our students, staff, parents, and neighboring businesses. To ensure the success of our students, we need a facility specifically designed for education, a space that supports legal compliance and reduces distractions. This will enable us to expand our offerings and allow students to reach greater heights. We urgently request your support to re relocate to a safer and more accommodating facility. Supporting Eagle Academy, one of the highest-performing schools, will

050ensure we continue to provide top-level academic success. As a charter school, we aim to benefit the community, and without action, we risk losing opportunities for current and future students of Eagle Academy. Thank you for considering our request to secure a better future for our Eagle Academy charter school family. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Michaela Colrock and Deanna McDonald. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Thank you. Hello, school board. My name is Michaela, and for the past 12 years, I've been a dedicated special education teacher in self-contained settings for the Anchorage School District. I'm here to talk to you today about a health care crisis facing our educators. This summer, I made the devastating choice, along with many of my colleagues, to switch to a lower benefit,

051lower premium health care plan. I know that the way that the private market works, health care costs go up, and it's inevitable. But for teachers like me, our salaries are not increasing to meet those costs. When I found out that my premium would essentially double, I knew that the only choice I could make as a single mom in a single income home was to drop to a lower benefit plan. So, what is my health plan? It's to go to the doctor as little as humanly possible, and reserve the health benefits for my children for when they are sick. I work with a population that requires a tremendous amount of personal care. I toilet children. I clothe them. I lift them, but I can't go to the doctor when my back hurts. I work with a

052population who comes to school sick because their parents are in the unfortunate circumstance of not being able to secure child care for special needs kiddos. So, they're with us and I'm happy that they are. But in turn, they get us sick. And instead of being able to go to the doctor, I have to wait till I literally can't breathe like I did this last October because I knew the entirety of that cost of that visit would fall upon me and would impact my family's budget. Your educators deserve better. We deserve to be able to go to the doctor when we're sick. We deserve to be able to put our kids in after-school activities rather than thinking about how we need to take our household incomes and redistribute them to meet the rising cost of health

053care and just living in the United States. I ask that you really think about the priorities we're making as a district and start putting your educators first. And thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Chelsea Ambrose and Alyssa Wardwell. Oh, uh Ms. McDonald, welcome. We'll welcome Chelsea Ambrose up front. Uh Ms. McDonald, welcome. You have 2 minutes, please begin when you're ready. Good evening. My name is Deanna McDonald and I'm a math teacher at Chugiak High School. I'm here today to talk about some numbers. This year as an 11th year teacher with three college degrees and maxed out on credits, my base salary is 86,000. In Mat-Su, I would be earning over 98,000 with the same experience and education. A difference of over $12,000. I am left with the feeling that I

054made a huge mistake choosing Anchorage. Inflation has been a major topic, so I looked back at some numbers. When I started in 2015, a maxed out lane 10 teacher made 74,000. Today, my salary is 86,000, an increase of 16% over 10 years. I wanted to know whether the pattern held across the district, so I compared the 2015 and 2025 budgets. School board budget, 715,000 to 933,000, a 30% increase. Superintendent, CFO, CAO, COO, and HR combined, 6.4 million to 8.1 million, 25% increase. Payroll department, 870,000 to 1.1 million, 31% increase. Technology, 15.9 million to 29.1 million 82% Meanwhile, teachers, those directly responsible for student outcomes, have seen only 16% over the same time span. As a tier three teacher, I do not receive a pension. I cannot contribute to social security and unlike state employees, I

055do not even have an SBS alternative. You as the board may not have control over retirement, but you do have control over this district's administration and how we allocate funds. You are the elected representatives of the community and the community is clear. They want fewer administrative costs and competitive salaries for teachers. They want to keep the talent from leaving for the valley or leaving Alaska entirely. Quite honestly, it is political suicide to ask for a raise to the BSA, get one, not pay your teachers, and then turn around and tell the state that you need more money. If you want to be taken seriously, pay your teachers. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. Welcome, Ms. Ambrose. You have 2 minutes, please begin when you're ready. And and I appreciate the applause, folks, in the effort

056to try to hear from everyone as quickly as we can. I'm asking that we limit applause at this time. Welcome, Ms. Ambrose. Thank you. You have 2 minutes. Hello. My name is Chelsea Ambrose and I teach elementary art at Kincaid and Girdwood Elementary Schools. Again and again, I hear educators expressing frustration and despair that their salaries have decreased this year due to the drastic increase of health care health insurance premiums while district contributions remain stagnant. The problem can be solved today independent of the outcome of bargaining. I respectfully request that this board increases the district's health care benefit contribution for AEA certified educators. Why do certified educators have to smile and nod and take a $1,900 health care contribution while ASD provides a contribution of $2,167 for Totem, ACE, principals, exempt employees, and other bargaining

057units participating in the ASD health care uh health plan program. That is a difference of $267 a month, $3,204 a year. That is $3,204 I could put towards a plan that actually covers our health expenses in our household. We had to switch to the high deductible health plan this year. The story of many educators here wanted what you just heard. The cost has us forgoing basic health care. I'm a professional. I have a master's degree. I devote so much of my time to my students. But when my doctor asked about running about running a simple blood panel this year at my annual, I had asked how much would it cost and then decline it. I hope everything's fine. I'm a little tired tonight, but it could be the undetected anemia. Educators across district are more

058than a little tired. This district asks us again and again to bite the bullet for the good of others and we're done with it and we're sick from it. The dismal retention rate shows it. I respect And thank you for your testimony, Ms. Ambrose. Our next two speakers are Alyssa Wardwell and Tara Devlin. Welcome. You have 2 minutes, please begin when you're ready. Hello, board members. I'm a current high school teacher and I've worked for ASD for 18 years and I'm speaking to you today in regards to the information disseminated by ASD on November 4th, 2025. In this, ASD explains Oh, I've included in the second page of the packet there. I've uh ASD explains that this information is intended to quote help stakeholders understand the primary cost drivers in the Anchorage School District's contract

059with the Anchorage Education Association, end quote. The chart shows that there's been a 31.6% increase in inflation from 2011 to 2024 and that the average AEA salary has almost kept up with that rate providing a 26% increase over that same time period. This equals a discrepancy of 5% in the school year ending in 2024 when our last contract ended. I'm here tonight to add another perspective. In front of you, I provided two charts that give a competing narrative. These charts show that the teacher pay scale has not stayed within 5% of inflationary levels. In the first chart, you can see the salary for a new teacher to the district between 2011 and 2024. In order to keep up with inflation, ASD needs to offer a 12.4% raise in 2025. In the second chart, you can

060see the salary for a mid-career teacher between 2011 and 2024. In order to keep up with inflation, ASD needs to offer an 11% raise in 2025. I'd like to add my specific scenario with 18 years experience. You're currently paying someone with my education and experience 17% less than you were in 2011. In order to keep up with inflation, you need to offer me a 17% raise in 2025. So, to summarize, ASD sent out information to the entire community indicating that the average AEA salary was has risen to within 5% of inflationary levels. Depending on years of experience, these three data points show a 12%, 11%, and 17% decrease in the monetary value placed on teachers. No wonder we have a problem with recruitment and retention. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes,

061please begin when you're ready. My name is Tara Devlin. I teach high school here in Anchorage School District for the last 7 years. Um and I'm going to continue what my colleague was saying about the reality of what the 3% increase offered by the district means. Um so, let's look back at that chart. You guys have the um fact sheet regarding health care contributions. This chart indicated that the district has increased their contributions to AEA health care 48.3% between 2011 and 2025. I will give one example over the past decade for Alyssa Wardwell. Between 2015 and 2020 2025, the district indicated they had increased the health care contribution by $360 a month or 23.3%. Alyssa paid $770 in premiums in 2015. 10 years later in 2025, she will have paid $4,209 a year even though

062she opted for the high deductible high premium um plan, the cheapest plan with the highest deductible for her and her family. In 10 years, her monthly premium increased 446% while ASD's contributions increased 23.3%. I believe that the charts that ASD published sends a message that teachers are being greedy if we ask for higher than 3% wage increase and this is unacceptable. No wonder we have a problem with recruitment and retention. We are the teachers standing before you for hours of every meeting demanding fair compensation and not and not close our title one schools. We are the teachers who didn't leave. We are the teachers who didn't leave when the pandemic. We are the teachers who didn't leave in the mandatory masks for years. We didn't leave when they started another year working without the contract.

063They didn't leave when we got a pink slip this summer. Who didn't leave when parents wrote us angry email after angry email threatening our science teachers to not teach about dinosaurs or the social studies teachers to not teach about civil rights movement because it makes white kids feel bad. We didn't leave. We stood up for our students, our curriculum, our families, and our schools and now we are standing up for ourselves. We will walk out together unless you can help the district see that 3% is not only disrespectful, it is not attached to reality. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Sarah Engmann and Lisa Sparrow. I wonder if you guys get my joke. I'm not sure. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hi, my name

064is Akara Engmann. Recently, I was sitting in a coffee shop when a former student stopped by my table. He told me he had just finished his military service and was now pursuing pursuing a degree in mathematics. He said his love for math began at East High School because of the teachers who inspired him. Hearing his story truly made my day. But here's where the story shifts. When I asked what he hoped to do with his math degree, he said he was thinking about earning his teaching certificate and becoming a teacher. I want you to imagine something something. When you visit a doctor, buy a car, or receive any professional service, you're often sent a follow-up survey. In that moment, hearing this young man say he wanted to follow in our footsteps felt like the most

065meaningful survey response I could ever get. It validated that the work I do matters. I want to pose a question to everyone who works directly in classrooms. How many of you would confidently give a 10 out of 10 would recommend to a young person considering this profession right now? Please raise your hand. I'll be honest, I could not. I told him not to become a teacher, at least not right now. And that broke my heart. I explained that despite educators' dedication, we are not treated as essential professionals. And that feels especially painful because during COVID, we were told constantly how essential we were. So, my question to this board is how did we go from being celebrated as essential members of society to being treated as though our expertise is optional? What changed? Because it

066wasn't my commitment or their commitment to our students. Tonight, your question or my question is this, will you help rebuild a profession worth recommending, or will you watch it continue to erode? I'm asking you to choose investment and choose the people who shape every future this community And thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Lee Butterfield and Mindy Edison. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hello, my name is Lee Butterfield and I have no charts. I have none of your numbers to show you. And I'm humbled by the people who have spoken to you tonight. What I'm about to say is hard for me because I was raised not to be boastful. I'm an Alaska alternative teacher of the year. I'm a BP teacher of excellence. I was

067nominated for more times than I have frames. I'm a national PBS digital innovator. I'm a national PBS teacher innovator. I am the state of Alaska's new CTE teacher of the year when I started. I've been here for almost two decades. I've written three CTE pathways for this district that are now used in three different schools. I have taught thousands of students. And I feel small compared to the people that have come and spoken to you today. And if I'm asked to vote on whether or not to strike, I'll vote yes. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Mindy Edison. I'm a 25-year ASD teacher with the past 20 years at Eagle Academy Charter School. I also serve as

068president of our PTO. I want to begin by acknowledging something important. As an Eagle River educator, I do not want to see Fire Lake Elementary close. I recognize the deep emotion and disruption that community is facing. These decisions are incredibly hard and the impact on families and staff is real. But right-sizing cannot be about protecting one school at the expense expense of the entire community. It must be about doing what is best for all students, even when those decisions are difficult. And in this case, that includes voting to close Fire Lake and offering the building to Eagle Academy so we can finally serve our students in an appropriate facility. For 13 years, Eagle Academy has been searching for a larger building. We have long waiting lists every year showing strong and sustained demand for our

069program. We expanded to serve grades 7 and 8, yet our facility has not grown with us. We have outgrown our building to the point that interventions take place in hallways. Students are constantly distracted. Our middle school math and science classrooms sit directly next to a gym that plays loud music throughout the day, consistently disrupting instruction. These conditions limit student learning and are not acceptable in the long term. As PTO president, I want to be very clear. Our parent community fully supports a move and we are prepared to step up in any way needed. We are ready to partner with ASD to make this transition successful and smooth. Right-sizing must be grounded in what will benefit most students across the district. Thank you for your time and your willingness to make difficult Thank you for your

070testimony. Our next two speakers are Matthew Shenard and Imre Manyoki. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening, members of the Anchorage School Board. Thank you for your time. My name is Matthew Shenard and I teach middle school at Eagle Academy Charter School. I want to begin with what cannot be disputed. Eagle Academy is the highest-performing school in the Anchorage School District and has been for several consecutive of years. Last year, our AK STAR results ranked at the top of the district and we have been awarded with the National Blue Ribbon School designa- designation, one of the highest honors in the nation for sustained academic excellence. This recognition is not given lightly. It reflects years of consistent uh achievement, growth, and instructional excellence. Our enrollment continues to increase steadily, even after

071expanding to the middle school grades. We have wait lists at nearly every grade level, year after year. Because the families know that the academic outcomes at Eagle Academy are proven. The demand far exceeds the space we have. And yet, we are doing all this in a facility that is inadequate by nearly every standard. Let me be clear. We have no dedicated library for students. We have no cafeteria, requiring students to eat in their classrooms every day. We have one special education teacher working in what is essentially a closet. Our nurse's office does not meet current health and safety guidelines. The CrossFit gym next door plays music so loud that it regularly disrupts instruction. Our proximity to the highway has resulted in multiple emergency response incidents near our campus, raising safety concerns for staff, students, and

072families. Our building is too small for a K-8 school that continues to grow. Despite all of this, despite every structural dis- disadvantage, we still outperform the entire district academically. That should speak volumes. What our students and staff have achieved is remarkable, but the question now is why should they have to continue achieving excellence in a facility that limits them? Why are they high Why are the highest-performing students in the district learning without a cafeteria, without a library, and without an adequate special education environment? I urge the board to acknowledge the reality. Eagle Academy Charter School is not asking for special treatment, we are asking for appropriate treatment. Welcome. Um my understanding, Imre Manyoki has joined us, so please come forward and then Reanne Astor. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hi.

073My name is Imre Manyoki. Um and I have an interest in innovating the public school system and making substantial improvements. Uh I've submitted a proposal on uh November 4th of this year to the school board to provide an alternate plan uh that involves keeping these schools in question open and um uh and it's also a program that would uh potentially make substantial improvements uh across the district. And basically, um what I'm what I'm hearing, not just in this proposal, but in many other uh talks about budgetary issues, is that because a group of adults um are making poor decisions and and can't um figure out the budget budget issues, then uh children are being having their uh education depreciated. And I think this is just uh a a fundamental moral concern for me because there's

074a sincere lack of um lack of agency going on here. And that this community deserves better agency. And I also have a picture of my daughter in first grade here. And she's walking around outside outside in the open there with a mask. And her teacher has a mask on like a couple of storm troopers. And so the it's not just this thing in particular. It's the general way that the decisions are being made for this community is not not in the best interest of the community members. Uh so I asking you to consider my proposal seriously and make improvements. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. My name is Rianne Astor. I was raised in Anchorage and attended ASD schools. My parents attended ASD schools. My great-grandfather

075was superintendent of ASD schools some 80 years ago. So believe me when I say I support public schools and want a bright future for this district. But I'm concerned that ASD and the school board are making short-sighted choices that my own kids might not get an excellent education here. For years teachers have been sounding the alarm about compensation falling behind inflation, behind a livable wage, much less a competitive one. And year after year we hear the same thing from the school board and administration. We'd love to increase your compensation, but there just isn't the money right now. Take the low offer this time and next time we'll make it up to you. It's all the state's fault and we don't have a choice. But you do have choices and you are simply making choices that

076put teachers last time after time. By continuing to suppress teacher salaries the school board and district are hiding the true cost of education from the legislature. In the short term this might help the books balance without having to cut your ever-increasing peripheral budgets. But in the long run it is undermining the district's mission and future. When the BSA increases 12% and you say the best you can do for teachers is 3% that sends a message about your priorities. It makes it easier for detractors to say the district doesn't need more funding because it is misusing what it has already. The public and the legislature want to see dollars going into classrooms as directly as possible, not being stashed away into savings on the back of dozens of vacant positions or swelling the administrative ranks. On

077paper adjusting teacher compensation to a competitive level might come with an alarming increase in class sizes, but the reality is that class sizes are already increasing each year because you can't fill the positions you have with the wages you're offering. That problem will continue to get worse unless you take action. You have choices. Make the long-term choice to attract and retain teachers instead of the short-term one that continues a decline in the quality of education available to students. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Kristen Patterson and William Baxter. Kristen Patterson and William Baxter. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. My name is Kristen Patterson and I'm an Alaska Native educator belonging to the Tlingit and Haida peoples. Speaking in front of adults, especially into a

078mic, is outside my comfort zone. But after watching my 7-year-old daughter Mabel bravely speak at the last meeting, I knew I needed to find that courage. I am speaking to you today as an indigenous educator because our voices deserve to be heard. To start out I would like to share some of the Alaska Native values. The first value I would like to mention is showing respect to others. I am a proud product of the Anchorage School District and it was my first grade teacher Mrs. Armstrong who inspired me to become an educator. Throughout my middle and high school years I had several amazing educators as well. Mr. and Mrs. Sather, Mrs. Erb, Ms. Steinhauser, Mrs. DePriest, Ms. Renshaw, Ms. Torbenson, and Mr. Segita all had a positive impact on my life and still do to

079this day. I share these names to highlight the exceptional experience I had as a student in the Anchorage School District. Sadly, my experience as an ASD employee has not reflected that. As a third-year educator I often feel unappreciated and undervalued as though I am simply a pawn within your district. I was displaced each year each year and it's very frustrating and defeating. The Alaska Native value that ASD should uphold is taking care of others. I want the district and all of you on the Anchorage School Board to understand that I'm exhausted. Given these ongoing challenges, increases in health premiums, and lack of value I feel as an employee, I am left wondering at what personal cost can I continue to endure this level of disruption and stress? Not just for me, but for my own

080children and our students. At the end of each year many upcoming students and families have expressed how excited they are to have me as their teacher next year. And each year I've had to explain that I will not be at their school. I make sure to let them know it wasn't my choice. Our students and families value me, but the district does not. You're losing amazing educators, but it's not only about your educators. It ultimately affects our students. We need a competitive contract and financial stability. You can help make that happen and I am prepared to vote to strike. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. I'm William Baxter. I I volunteer for FFA. FFA Farmers of America. I when I went hunting this this couple years

081ago, I Emmanuel Hot Springs up past Fairbanks. They shut down their school because not enough kids. And out in out in uh and I went through the uh Glacier Glacier School in the Valley. View School in the Valley is talking about uh shutting down their school because of too not enough kids. When I went to the FFA state convention uh uh Glacier View School had a lot more just as many kids at their at the that that uh FFA convention as as the other ones and uh thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Susan Ritter and Nathan Levine. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening. Susan Ritter from West High School. I am speaking on behalf of a teacher who does not feel comfortable speaking

082to you for fear of retribution from her administrators. Here we go. Dear ASD School Board, I moved to Anchorage from the lower 48 in 2011 when I was offered a teaching position in Anchorage that paid 20% more than my teaching job in my home state. I found a house to rent in for $1,500 a month in Anchorage. My child could attend school in a kindergarten class with 18 students, one teacher, and two paraprofessionals. I didn't love the fact that I would not have a pension, but felt that the low rent, high pay, and small classes for my kids outweighed the lack of a pension. Since 2011 everything has gone up except my salary. My youngest is in a large class at school and where they can't fill teaching positions. In 2011 Carol Comeau was superintendent

083and she took a pay cut when budget cuts needed to happen. She cut administrators from headquarters to spare staff who work with kids every day. Today the number of of high-paid administrators who do not interact with kids regularly has increased dramatically. What is worse is that every teacher I talk to feels that administrators working in the district headquarters are not very experienced, not very helpful, some are unkind, and most are dismissive of teacher concerns. And some of these administrators are involved in bargaining with AEA and it's not going well. I am an experienced certified teacher. I could go back I could go outside and make more money, have a pension, and my kid would have a uh a school with smaller classrooms, but I choose to stay. I ask you why should teachers stay in

084Anchorage? Why should a teacher with young kids move to Anchorage? What can you do to ensure that teachers feel supported, valued, appreciated, and safe? Teacher morale is the lowest it has been in a long since I've been here. And one teacher said, "I just have to get out of here." And I didn't have to ask her to elaborate. The very least you can do is as a school board Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. So hello and good evening. I thank you for the opportunity to testify tonight. My name is Nathan Levine and this is my 17th year teaching orchestra in the Anchorage School District. Um I have two numbers that I want to share with you tonight. First number is how much my take-home pay

085has changed from last school year to this school year. It's $4,550. That's $4,550 less than I will receive this year as compared to last year as my take-home pay. Almost a $5,000 difference. It just feels like a slap in the face after nearly two decades of working for ASD. Um and apparently I didn't get the memo about um changing to a high deductible plan because I find the second number to be even more horrifying. $17,000. That is how much my family's health insurance is costing us this year out of my salary. $17,000. As a point eight teacher that is exactly 23.5% of my overall salary. Highly qualified teachers cannot continue to choose to be employed by ASD with numbers like these. I want to continue working with the young musicians that have brought so much

086joy to this community over the years and have performed in this board room for you as well. But I cannot if ASD continues to negotiate in the way that it has been and a fair deal that is equitable for all teachers is not ultimately offered to us. I think you all know that I and many of my colleagues are absolutely ready to strike if that seems to be the only way to stop getting such a raw deal from ASD. I truly hope that it does not come to that. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Caitlin Wolf and Dr. Lynn Mills. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening to the esteemed Anchorage School Board members and Anchorage School District Administration.

087Thank you for this opportunity to come before you even while having to make the difficult decisions to balance our school budget in the with the looming $77 million deficit we face that could change how our school district looks for our students and staff. I've had the pleasure of working in a few schools in ASD, all of which have amazing staff, very special students, and great families. I am currently the principal at Eagle Academy Charter School, where not only high academic performance leads to high academic achievements, but where we foster students as a whole child to include their families and the community. For the past 20 years, the staff, no matter who works in the building and there is longevity, continues to use an educational program that works to get all students achieving at their highest

088potential academically, meeting the superintendent's guardrails. The goal has always been to expand our program. We took the initiative to do so from K6 to K8 just a few years ago. Our community has continued to support it and looks even now for an expansion with multiple classes per grade level. We cannot do this in our current location. The space is completely used with no room for normal daily activities for our students, much less growth. We are capped. But as you know, inflation each year is imminent. My team and I must think of creative ways to keep our students and families safe while keeping the peace with the neighboring businesses in the strip mall we occupy with not much so much as a recognition from any municipality as an anchor school district school. School safety and equal

089access to scholastic learning environment for all ASD students are our number one priorities when considering ASD administration's right-sizing plan and to do what's best for our students. Please consider also that Eagle Academy Charter School students are ASD students as well. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Andrea Pierce and Michael Jones. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hi, my name is Andrea Pierce. Thank you for the opportunity for me to come and speak today and for listening to us. I am speaking on behalf of my colleagues at Chugach Elementary School. Um One colleague, I'm just wrapping this up, but it kind of gives you an idea of how I think the whole district's feeling. One colleague said she's making $300 a month less than she did

090last year, which of course we have all this inflation that keeps rising and rising. I have another colleague who had to drop her husband off her health benefits to accommodate for the increase of health care costs, which have decreased her take-home pay because she did not get a raise. Um my colleague Lisa's husband is a veteran and he continues to work for the government. During the government shutdown, they felt the strain on their lives because of his furlough and the stress of her own non-contract. Uh Sarah said that her insurance went up and her paycheck decreased by $200 a month. She is the only income provider in her home. Without a contract that is workable, she will have to consider leaving the district to to go to one that pays better. She doesn't want to

091do that because she does love it here. If she joins the many others who will leave, money will be spent in excess on training new people who will likely become unhappy and leave within the next few years. The district used to be competitive in pay, but we have fallen behind. Beth also had to take family members off of her insurance because without an increase in the ASD contribution to the health benefit, it's not affordable. My co-worker Esther is the sole provider of a family of four and her health care doubled. Um Tiffany had to change health insurance plans and feels the stress of being displaced. Another colleague worried about class sizes and job security. Um I have also been affected by this. Um take home less. I'm a sole provider of my family and I

092was displaced twice last spring from Fire Lake, which was then wasn't and now is again supposed to be being on the closing block and I ask you again to look at the options that are in the hundreds of emails from last year and this year of taking other options and not closing Fire Lake. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. You know you have received misinformation, disinformation, and the omission of information from the school district in an effort to close specific schools. In this kind of environment, how can you know that the vote to close either of these schools is the right one? Well, you can't unless you ask the right questions and receive honest answers. And at this point, there's only one right question remaining. What

093is best for children? Are you doing what is best for the children who need you the most, who need you to be their champions? Are you asking what will cause the least harm to some of the most vulnerable? If Lake Otis is closed, you will break apart an established community and its social supports by sending kids to six different schools. You will cut in half Nunaka Valley, home to a majority of our students and send that group to two different schools. Because most of these schools would not be sent to other Title 1 schools, you will take away academic and enrichment supports that are already in place to help raise disadvantaged students to reach their greatest potential. You will take away nutrition supports and school-based social services that are already in place. You will end

094partnerships that are already in place with community organizations and you will empty kids from an environment that has been hailed for providing stability and belonging because social-emotional learning is entrenched in the school climate. It is already in place it has been for two is not just about a change in population. It's a sign of something else, but no one from ASD has asked families why they are not choosing these neighborhood schools. What is the perceived problem that needs to be corrected? What is the real problem that needs to be fixed? Right-sizing must be influenced by that information. ASD is not a for-profit organization. Decisions must be about students first. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Shannon Ervin and Alicia Music. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Okay.

095Hello, Anchorage School Board. My name is Alicia Music and I am reading submitted testimony on behalf of Candace Pollock, a parent at Fire Lake Elementary advocating to keep Fire Lake Elementary School open and the children who depend on it so much. I am Candace Pollock. You may remember from my testimony on November 4th. I am the proud mom of two autistic children who attend Fire Lake Elementary. I have shared how much progress my children have made many thanks to the efforts of the incredible staff, the people who gave my children a voice when no one else could. You also heard my son Hayden who bravely testified how Fire Lake staff patiently helped him control his anger. Since hearing that his school might close, all of that progress is slipping away. My son is now having

096severe anxiety attacks. His anger has returned. He is struggling in class. He is trying to elope during the day. This is not okay. This is not safe. Hayden will be not only the SLC child to experience this kind of regression if the closure happens. Imagine now a classroom of eight to 10 special needs students, half of them panicking, crying, or trying to escape because their world is now crumbling. This is not just about a different school. It is about safety. It is about support. It is about trust. Children remember who to trust and if you close Fire Lake, you risk the trust of precious children and those who you have promised to educate. The school of Hayden he would be moved to is close to a highway, Birchwood Elementary. As part of a student who

097tries to escape the school, I worry every single day what would happen if my son elopes. We have been in several schools and had different principals. Principal Inch is the only one who truly understands autistic behaviors are not defiance. They are communication. His compassion and experience make Fire Lake a safe place where children like mine can thrive. I am using my voice to advocate >> Ms. Music, thank you for your testimony. Please consider submitting your foreign comments. listens to our concerns and chooses to keep Fire Lake open and the small learning communities in place where they belong. And Fire Lake is not just a school. It is a lifeline and a promised institution by public policy and private public taxes. Thank you. Welcome, you have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening, members

098of the school board. My name is Shannon Ervin. I am both a parent of a special needs student and a para who has worked in each of the SLC classrooms at Fire Lake Elementary. If you were able to visit our incredible school, thank you. Every single day I see the unique challenges that special needs students and their families like mine face. Challenges that go far beyond academics. These children need more than just education. They need stability, understanding, and a safe place where they are known, valued, and supported. Oh, if you could truly see our students. Our inclusive environment and specialized SLC programs are not just services. They are lifelines for kids who might otherwise fall through the cracks. Describing SLC, we are talking about inclusion, curriculum, schedules, meltdowns. Words only go so far. Experiencing these

099classrooms, the students and the employees is eye-opening for what the structured learning program is and what it needs to be. Stability and structure are the first words that come to my mind. Closing Fire Lake is not in the best interest of students. I urge you to truly consider what is at stake. Closing Fire Lake is just not it's just a budget line. It is not a budget line. Let's invest in what makes Fire Lake special and support its growing population. Let's show our most vulnerable students that they are that they matter and that this district will stand by them. Remember the voices that showed up at the last board meeting? All those voices fighting fighting for our school? Remember that Fire Lake opens its doors and serves all students. Our staff and families have advocated

100loudly the last several weeks. We have pointed out alternative locations and solutions to giving Eagle Academy a more reasonable space. Fire Lake is not the space for them. I ask you to remember all of our talking points. The solutions need to be list And thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Catherine Smith and Christie sits. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Good evening. Catherine Smith, thank you for all being here. In the season of giving, I would like to say thank you to all of the teachers that are in this room. I have been listening and I do appreciate everything you do even though you are not my son's teacher. Um with that said, I'd also like to thank the school district administration. Again, they have brought forth

101several recommendation to you the school board over the last several years of right sizing. The most recent recommendation may be the most important to the future of the Rilke program. As the current facility is only a temporary location. Your last directive was not to improve the building and to close the building at the end of the 27-28 school year. As a reminder, memo 128 does not satisfy the priority status given to the Rilke under memo 106 which does state, If Rilke Schule German immersion school temporary occupies Abbott Loop facility, it would allow the school sufficient time to coordinate with the district and find a permanent location through the continuation of the ASD right sizing process as outlined in ASD memorandum 106 which was approved by the school board on March 4th, 2025. I again encourage

102ASB to work with the ASD administration to understand the importance of these recommendations. Please remember the Rilke students are ASD students. Again, Rilke stands for respect, integrity, leadership, kindness, and excellence. And again, I want to thank you all in the season of thanking and Thanksgiving, all those teachers, all the school district board members, and the administration for everything you have done because I do want my son to have a future at Rilke. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hi. My name is Christie sits and I'm sharing the testimony of a teacher that fears contribution in her building. Her first 4 years of teaching in ASD, I lived in Anchorage with a small 20-minute commute and loved every minute of teaching. Life took me on

103an adventure out of state to teach, but ultimately, my heart was in Alaska and I knew I had to come back. When I came back to Alaska, I chose to live in the valley, but knew that I wanted to continue teaching in ASD. Was very happy with my salary, insurance, workload, and more. However, 10 years later, I feel completely opposite. While I continue to drive an hour and 15 minutes on a good day to my work site, I'm struggling to find the reason. I loved ASD, but with a cut of $300 to my paycheck due to insurance and a lack of pay increase, I can no longer afford the gas for the commute. Working the 21st Century program has become a necessity for survival rather than a method of additional income for savings. Living paycheck

104to paycheck is not how I saw myself after 10 years with the Anchorage School District. I have three elementary schools near my home in the valley who have all reached out for employment next year. While I love my school, the staff, the students, I do not love how ASD is demonstrating their support and value of their educators. Please show your educators you value them. Thank you for your testimony. Our next two speakers are Krista Mason and then someone signed up with the name Cecilia and the rest of the name is illegible. So, there's a Cecilia who wishes to speak about Lake Otis. Please come forward. Cecilia Manso Tafoya. Welcome, Cecilia. Could you please spell your last name for our record and then you have 2 minutes. You can begin when you're ready. Good evening, Mr.

105President and uh and the school board. I am Cecilia Manso Tafoya for um Lake Otis who are uh truly a family, a strong community. My two sons have that tended Lake Otis. We will be so sad if you close it. Uh I understand the economy is in is in war, but our Lake Otis kids can focus in their studies. As parent, we push our kids to be their best place. Don't compromise our school and their education. Thank you for attend to my words and I hope we can find a a solution and keep our school open because our children need opportunity for their careers and uh achieve achieve to reach potential. It's come a new year and I wish this opportunity for the children. A very good person continue and attend in their school and

106see a wonderful especial teacher and principal of Lake Otis Elementary School. I am so sad can I speak more? Uh I want to share my feelings, but it's not my language, but please keep open our schools. We need this place for the kids, for the new generation of the future in Anchorage. Teacher, engineers, doctors, nurses, veterinarians, pilots. Please giving the children's happy news. Please don't close the school and I hope you find a good solution. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Welcome. You have 2 minutes. Please begin when you're ready. Hi. I'm Krista Mason. Um first I I'd like to thank the school board members for physically being present at the right sizing conversations. I appreciate getting to talk each um to each one of you that I spoke with in the last few

107weeks. I'm really hoping that you'll stop for a moment before making a decision that will change the course of our most fragile members of our community. Fire Lake houses our autism program along with an area um that is considered low income and families who need a bit of extra assistance. I do not feel like it is fair to push out our most needy students so that we can make a building available for more privileged students at Eagle Academy. Through the right sizing conversations, I came to learn that this was a big goal to give them a new place, but however, when I talked with several Eagle Academy teachers, they were not on board with giving preference to the school um to their preference to their school for students who lived in that area. This worries

108me for our neighborhood kids. I think these conversations should happen before deciding to take our school and offer it to a charter school which may or may not want to include neighborhood kids into their program. I also feel like zoning should be looked at because um before making this decision. Many of our students who live close to us were relocated after the earthquake and never moved back to our boundaries. These are students who live just across the bridge and are now bust all the way out to Birchwood. If we adults are working in the best interest of what is right for our students, then we would be they would be placed back at our school that is closest to them instead of spending the extra time and money on buses and possibly risking their safety

109with more time on the roads. Really, this comes down to taking a school away from kids who are neighborhood children and autistic kids so that you can give it to more privileged students whose parents drive them to school every day. I do not feel like you have given um enough process to this to the considerations of all the possibilities of moving the academy into another building. As a community, we asked about moving them to Birchwood. However, we were told that they do not get along with Birchwood ABC. Who doesn't get along? Ms. Mason, thank you for your testimony. Feel free to submit your written comments. Our next two speakers are Rosangelica and Steve Simmons. There's a Rosangelica wishes to speak on Lake Lakewoodis and then Steve Simmons. Welcome. If you could please state your last

110name and then spell it for our record, you can begin. You have 2 minutes. Um my name is Rosangelica Coakley. Um my last name is c u a u t l i. Thank you. Um so I just wanted to say that um I used to attend um Lakewoodis Elementary School. My journey started in 2000. Um I I owe it all all to those educators. Um they I came from a low-income family. Um my parents their main language was Spanish, so I struggled a lot in school. Um they noticed those educators noticed me and my brothers and they poured their heart and souls into making sure that um that we weren't left behind. And I wasn't the only one I wasn't the only child. Um there were other students as well just like me, um but

111they never made us feel left out. I because of the environment that I um grew up in that school, um I'm a I can say I'm a proud registered nurse part of this community and um I I didn't realize how important Title 1 school was until I did a rotation um at the elementary school and seeing the nurse there and how important it is to encourage our low-income students, our special needs students. They provide so many resources not just um physically but mentally and I really urge you to consider not closing the school down and finding a solution. Um there has to be a better decision and my heart goes out to both the schools, um all the schools that are involved, but really please don't close down um Lakewoodis Elementary School. Thank you. Okay.

112Thank you for your testimony. That completes our public testimony list for this evening. We're going to take a 10-minute recess and return for our business agenda. Thank you. [Music] >> All right. >> Thank you everyone. We'll return to our meeting. It is 8:03 p.m. Uh board members, I had a I was noted that there's one speaker, Lisa Sparrow, who didn't get the chance to testify and who's present here. Is there any objection from the board to letting Ms. Sparrow speak? Hearing and seeing none, we'll call up Ms. Sparrow to resume public testimony for one speaker and then we'll uh continue on with our agenda. Welcome, Ms. Sparrow. Thank you for testifying. You have 2 minutes and you can begin when you're ready. Um yeah, so last Wednesday I went to the Anchorage Museum to an

113event hosted by Commonwealth North. It was a discussion about education in the state and it had a panel of district superintendents from around the state, including our including our ASD superintendent. When Dr. Brian was asked, "If you got extra funding tomorrow, what one area would you improve or prioritize for the biggest student gains?" Dr. Brian responded with, and I quote, "Class sizes and that's the most expensive, most important investment you can make in schools. How do you lower class sizes? You hire more teachers. To hire more teachers, we need predictability, we need stability because only then do you have the conditions uh to hire and retain those teachers that will lower those class sizes. The effective classroom teacher is the number one most important thing for any school, any school system, and any state to

114invest in. Number one, bar none, full stop." End quote. The superintendent is recognizing the importance of a district having a stable, experienced teaching staff. A district where teachers want to stay and where they feel respected and appreciated. That happens when teachers' pay and benefits are competitive with other districts. Unfortunately, ASD is no longer a desired district to work in. The ASD bargaining team does not seem to share the superintendent's belief in the importance of teachers. Where is the district Where is the disconnect between our leader and the bargaining team? The superintendent says teachers are vital to student success, but the bargaining team's contract offers say the exact opposite. Lastly, the superintendent referenced the '80s when Alaska was one of the best places in the country to work as a teacher. Yes, there was lot tons

115of oil money, but there was more. The superintendent stated, and I quote, "There was a vision for a fantastic education system in the state of Alaska. Now is the time to restore that vision for us to succeed as one of the most prosperous states in the entire country. That's what I want for Alaska." End quote. Is it? Whose vision will prevail? As it stands, ASD's contract bargaining offers will only continue the exodus of teachers from ASD. That is not the vision I heard from the superintendent. And thank you for your testimony. Uh that completes our public testimony for tonight. We'll move on to section E, our consent agenda. Is there any board member who wishes to pull an item from the consent agenda for discussion? Hearing and seeing none, is there a motion to approve

116the consent agenda as drafted? Mr. Chair, I move to approve the consent agenda as presented. Second. Made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Lessons. Um seeing no discussion, we can engage a voice vote. Student representative Madison? Yes. Member Lessons? Yes. Member Higgins? Yes. Member Donley? Yes. Member Wilson? Yes. Member Bellamy? Yes. Member Holloman? Yes. President Jacobs? Yes. Our consent agenda is adopted by a vote of 7 to 0. Next on our agenda is action items. Our first item is ASD memorandum number 087, boundary changes. Is there a motion? Yes, Mr. Chair. I move to approve and authorize the following boundary changes intended to reduce the enrollment of Romig Middle School starting at the beginning of the 26 27 school year. Rezone the middle and high school students who reside in the western portion of uh

117Rogers Park Elementary School attendance area from Romig Middle School to Wendler Middle School and from West High School to Betty Davis East High School. Rezone the middle and high school students who reside in the northern portion of the Taku Elementary School attendance area from Romig Middle School to Hanshew Middle School and from West High School to Service High School. Is there a second? Second. Made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Lessons. Is there discussion on ASD memorandum number 087? Hearing and seeing none. Uh Miss Olden, the voice vote, please. Student representative Madison? Yes. Member Donley? Yes. Member Bellamy? Member Higgins? Yes. Member Hallman? Yes. Member Wilson? Yes. Member Lessons? Yes. President Jacobs? >> Yes. ASD memorandum number 087 is adopted by a vote of 7 to 0. Next on our agenda is ASD memorandum number

118086 using available space in school buildings for potential child care providers. Is there a motion? Yes, Mr. Chair. I move to approve and authorize the superintendent to implement plans to offer offer available spaces in district school buildings for potential child care providers to open programs within ASD schools that have available space. Is there a second? Second. Made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Lessons. Is there discussion on this item? Member Lessons. Yeah, I I did have a question and a likely brief amendment. And the question's really and I should have raised it this afternoon. Right now, there's no language in this recommendation about how the administration would ensure that any programs it solicits for placement, sends out an RFP to for placement are essentially of high quality. I 100% assume the administration will pursue high

119quality child care providers, but could the administration speak to any process through which it will be you know, assessing sort of that degree of quality? So, when we put out the RFP and we've been talking to thread that has um really pretty high quality standards. So, when we when we build the RFP it we will score them based off um you know, the the grade levels or ages that they would be doing it, the programs that they would be following. Um you know, frankly, some of the businesses who are going to be very interested are going to be someone who maybe did child care in their home and now they want to take a chance and be an entrepreneur. Um thread's going to help them through how do you build a business model to even

120um you know, talk about how you would provide a child care business and we know that we're going to have to have discussions with them as we do um really with almost any contract. We always have question answer sessions. And it's really going to be are they going to follow the model that um thread has been trying to push through as the standard as as it is across the country. Um but once they get into the school, it really will be the business. They'll have their own liability insurance. They'll have their own staff. It's not going to be directed or run by ASD because it's now a business. And we will have more of a landlord role as opposed to an operational role. I think you could probably imagine we don't really have the expertise

121um to provide oversight nor the personnel for a child care businesses. Um but of course we'll be talking to the Muni, which I've been talking to for 2 and 1/2 years. They understand all the rules, the criteria. Um depending on the the business that wants to establish in our schools, the ages that they're going to have to vary, um the construction requirements that would have to be done. So, it's not going to be a quick process. Um and then we'll have to go look for the funding, probably talking to folks on AC, um potentially the assembly, looking for grants. Um this when we start this process, it's going to take some time. When we started working with KCA Head Start uh we started last May, uh maybe a little bit earlier, February um aggressively looking

122at it and we expect them to move into the building probably in the May time frame this year at Fairview Elementary. So, it's it's a pretty slow deliberate process. Thank you. Um I really appreciate that and it's great to know that, you know, we've had thread here just recently presenting and that collaboration is really critical. They're such a leader in the area. Um that said, it would I would feel much more confident with this memo if we made a a slight amendment and I have shared it with the superintendent already. Um so, let me just make sure I pull up the correct language. Uh I move to insert the words high quality between open and programs so that the recommendation would read as follows. It is the administration's recommendation that the school board approve and

123authorize the superintendent to implement plans to offer available spaces in district school buildings for for potential child care providers to open high quality programs within ASD schools that have available space. And that is done um to ensure at the end of the day that the students are getting the best level of care and nurturing and support and attention um that they can. I think you know, as a parent, you know, you're aware that um your child could experience any range of interactions with caregivers and I would want the best for the students who would receive child care through um an ASD facility even though we would be there, you know, the business's proverbial landlords. Second. Made by member Lessons, seconded by member Donley. Is there any additional discussion on this amendment? Uh seeing none, we'll

124move to a voice vote on amendment one to ASD memorandum number 086. Student representative Madison? Yes. Member Lessons? Yes. Member Bellamy? Member Hallman? Yes. Member Higgins? Yes. Member Donley? Yes. Member Wilson? Yes. President Jacobs? Yes. Amendment one to ASD memorandum number 086 is adopted by a vote of 7 to 0. Is there any additional discussion on ASD memorandum number 086 as amended? Hearing and seeing none. Miss Olden, the voice vote, please. Student representative Madison? Yes. Member Bellamy? Yes, sorry. Member Donley? Yes. Member Higgins? Yes. Member Lessons? Yes. Member Wilson? Yes. Member Hallman? Yes. President Jacobs? Yes. ASD memorandum number 086 is adopted by a vote of 7 to 0. Uh action item three is ASD memorandum number 088. It's ASD right sizing recommendation recommendation Fire Lake Elementary School. Is there a motion? Yes, Mr. Chair.

125Yeah. I move to approve and authorize the superintendent to implement the closure of Fire Lake Elementary School at the end of the school year as part of the efforts to right size the district's infrastructure. Additionally, the administration recommends that the Fire Lake Elementary School building be offered to Eagle Academy Charter School. Is there a second? Second. Made by member Bellamy, seconded by member Lessons. Um Dr. Bryant, would you like to bring forward your staff for any questions that may arise and then provide a brief introduction? Sure thing, Mr. President. So, I'll ask the team to come up to the front. Uh and while they come up to the the podium, I'll just give a a brief summary of some of the information that was shared earlier this afternoon and throughout this process. Essentially, how we

126got here. And I know that school consolidations are an extremely emotional topic. And the other thing that I want to make clear to the community is that every single one of our Anchorage School District buildings offer something incredible to our students. Every single one has wonderful teachers, wonderful students, wonderful staff members. This conversation is not about whether or not a school is is fantastic and adds value to our students. What this really is is an opportunity for the community to have a transparent conversation as to whether this is the right time and right moment to consider consolidating our footprint. And that's only for the school board to decide. But I I will say that what has happened in Anchorage over the past 15 years or so is that we've lost over 6,600 students. That's a

127significant number. You could fill about 16 elementary schools if they were about 400 students large with that number of students. By no means are we requesting that the school board close that many buildings. In fact, we've been going rather slowly and over the past 10 years or so, ASD's closed about five buildings and tonight we're considering two. Um this is not an easy decision, but I do want to know I want the community to know kind of what was the intent of this initiative. And one of the primary motivators for my team would be an opportunity to increase the levels of academic service in our schools. Essentially, what I want the public to understand is there is one pot of dollars that are allocated to the Anchorage School District. And I think we all understand

128that that pot has not grown, it's actually shrunk. And the issue is that when you service the same number of buildings as you did 20 years ago, and the pie is a little bit smaller, it means over time you'll begin to lose services. You may not notice it year to year, but over 2 years, over 5 years, over 10 years, it will become noticeable. And one of the reasons why we're having this very difficult conversation tonight is that, to be frank with the community, I am seeing around the corner and I'm seeing this upcoming fiscal cliff for FY '27, which entails about a $70 million deficit. I would encourage the public to engage with the district and please, um, participate in the balancing act simulation, because there the public has the opportunity to see the

129inputs and the outputs, the result of increasing wages, the result of cutting administrative, um, departments and services, the result of right-sizing schools. And what you'll see is that it's incredibly difficult to balance that budget. What does that have to do with right-sizing? Because we all know we're not in this for dollars. Our schools are far too important to our community to pursue this for some sort of monetary gain. But the problem is that the effort to balance that 70-plus million-dollar deficit will almost inevitably involve looking at class sizes, the pupil-to-teacher ratio. That's not uncommon, but it's something that means that we'll be able to employ fewer teachers. And that's not what we want. And the issue, why that's a concern to me as the superintendent, is that as the PTR goes up, the number of

130teaching positions becomes smaller. And for a school that is highly, um, or essentially low capacity, it means that those are the schools that will be more likely to have more combination classrooms and see those class sizes raise, to see services shared between multiple buildings. And long-term, those deficits can get so large that it may be untenable to continue to subsidize all those operations, because we're getting to a point to where the pupil-to-teacher ratio will lead those schools to not even have enough teachers to essentially operate K-6. We're not there right now, but we're getting dangerously close. And earlier today we shared some projections with the public that, let's say that there were a theoretical plus four PTR increase. That would mean, um, for at least one of these schools, that would mean one fewer teacher,

131if not more, perhaps even fewer services. And for a school that already doesn't have a large faculty to begin with, that means that the tradeoffs are going to begin to affect the student experience, if they haven't already. So, my role tonight is not to convince anybody how to vote. Only the board can decide if these are the right schools and if this is the right moment. But the thing that I want everybody to consider is what is the long game here? What's going to happen if we just let our schools operate status quo and the pie continues to shrink? What I see happening is that means that our students will continue to lose services every year. And this is an opportunity to help brace for that impact, because the deficit is coming. And I'm trying

132to minimize the impact to the student experience. I believe that those were the main points that I wanted to cover, and I'd like to open it up to our staff, if there's anything else that I missed with regards to how we got here, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Gussman. Any other reason for how we got here? And then we'll probably open up to Q&A. Right, we've spent, uh, quite a few briefings in the past couple months talking about how we got here. Um, we talked through the schools that we have closed. We talked through the declining birth rate. Um, we talked about this afternoon, um, you know, there is housing being built and but we still have less students every year because the declining birth rate, it it's real. And the Eagle River-Chugiak, all the way up

133to the Chugiak Elementary School area, um, just under a thousand students less than what we had 10 years ago. And I know there's housing being built. Um, declining birth rate is is apparent all over the Anchorage bowl. Um, not as much on JBER. Um, but certainly it's widespread and we see it across the lower 48. We see it in many countries around the world. And it and it's really a factor of young people, um, not feeling comfortable or having the fiscal means to get established as quickly as as possibly some of us did many years ago. Uh, we the first year we, um, you know, we had six schools on the list. We ended up closing one and that was Abbott Loop. Um, one of the things that came out of that was building a

134rubric. So, we looked at everything from the cost of the building to, um, how easy it was to repurpose a building, um, many other factors from utilization rate to, um, utility costs. As it turned out, we found very quickly that having a really large rubric still came up with the same results, which was it's very difficult to to close a school. Um, and and especially because you look at many of our Title 1 schools, um, not Far Lake, uh, but many of our far our Title 1 schools, frankly, are older schools within the district where there's multiple schools close together instead of you look at driving from O'Malley to Trailside versus why Wonder Park was on the list, because there are multiple schools you could almost you could walk to any of multiple different schools.

135And those are the areas that across our country they started looking at right-sizing first. Um, and it doesn't mean always to close and demo a school, because ultimately the population is going to grow again. I think most of us are positive, um, thinkers. We're we're confident that at some point, um, mineral wealth is in Alaska. It if it can be developed, it could grow again. And the beauty of having, um, scalable buildings to be used is you could always renovate a new building later. Um, if it had to grow, you could always rebuild one that's two stories high or just build a second floor on a building if it could support it. Um, you can still maintain the ability to grow in the future. And and so it did force us to go to a

136much more deliberate level. And then, you know, ultimately right after the vote in December, the board said, um, come back again this year and and we did. Uh, we did not redo an entire new rubric. We did use the top 15 schools that we had started with last year. The difference was, um, going through with senior directors and principals and others and doing a room-by-room analysis of buildings. And then ultimately what we came up with was two schools that are beloved by the people who live there, go to school there, teach there. Um, and and that's, you know, I appreciate how difficult, um, voting on this is. And every one of these schools is special for some reason. And there's no rubric that's ever going to come up with, um, something where people thank you

137for considering it, right? That's just not going to happen. Um, but I think the community conversations, I appreciated last year, it started. This year even more that people spent more time talking to board members than they did staff. Um, I I think the board probably it already knows where they are on their vote and I'm certainly not judging anybody tonight. And then I'll just close with just a couple of things. We've received some great feedback from the community and have learned a lot. Um, but we're also noticing that there there's some pieces that we do want to clarify just for the board and the public before any decisions are made. Um, one of which would be, um, the the fact that, um, currently some of these schools benefit from the CEP program, which essentially means

138universal breakfast and lunch. We discussed this afternoon that Kasuun Elementary and Eagle River Elementary would still have universal breakfast and lunch if this proposal were approved. So, to be clear, that would remain. Um, there was also some valid concerns about Title 1 funding. What does that mean? Um, just to give the public perspective, just a factual perspective, when you look at the salaries of all of the teachers and all the costs to run an elementary school building, their budgets are around $2.5 million was the rough estimate we were given by our CFO. Um, some more, some less. Um, but a Title 1 allocation from the feds, the median amount is about $180,000, sometimes less, sometimes more. So, when you look at $180,000 over a budget of $2.5 million, it's not an insignificant amount of dollars,

139but I want to make sure that the public understands the magnitude of what that funding does and doesn't mean for a school. And in some cases, that funding is not even enough for an extra teacher. Sometimes those funds are used for other things. But we also discussed that the benefits of a Title 1 school means additional parent engagement and other positive things. We're not This is not meant to negate that. But, we want to make sure that the public understands the magnitude just for perspective and especially the school board as you create as you determine where you fall on this issue. And I think um And I think that's everything that I I had on my list to say. Oh, one more thing. There There was one more and I think it's it's probably um

140I didn't do the graphic as well as I could have, but Minuteman is not being split up into two different schools. They're They're remaining together and I obviously I will look at the way we built the graphic and for future. Oh, and then the last thing, I promise. Um this has come up multiple times and I I know why it is because it's a confusing topic. But, when a building is consolidated the pupil-to-teacher ratio remains. So, some are coming to the conclusion that closing a school means class sizes increase. That's not the case because of right sizing. The pupil-to-teacher ratio remains the same. The reason why class sizes increase is because of the budget process that I've alluded to. The reason why class sizes would increase is because the school board has to balance a

141$70 million deficit. And that likely will entail a PTR increase. The reason I know this is because I personally participated in the balancing act simulation that's available to the public. If you want to get started on it right now, it's asdk12.org/fy26. Stands for fiscal year 26 or sorry, 27. My apologies. FY27, fiscal year 27. Um and you can you'll get a pro a pop-up right there to start that simulation. And um the ways that it could be balanced from my experience is that about a plus four. And that would be the reason why a class size increase, but it's not directly tied to the consolidation. So, I just want to make sure that the public and the board understands that those two things are interconnected. Um but, they're not entirely the same mechanism. So, I

142believe those were all of the things that I wanted to address on the front. I'll return it back to President Jacobs. Thank you, Dr. Brian team. Um seat member Higgins has his hand raised first. Thank you. Um I'll I'll make a couple of comments real quick. First of all, everything about Title 1 is not all about the money the school gets. We're talking about low-income families that have more difficult times going to different schools, being engaged. We're talking about kids, not not the easy of the of the administration. And what we're talking about with Title 1 and we got a high number of Five Mile Lake as well. But, you know, and and and like Otis Booth it's it's not how much money they get. It's more than what talk about kids. I talk about

143involvement of families. And you're hearing from them very passionately how they want their kids to be successful, how important it is to those schools' locations and how that is a community around that location and how it affects them. I am just um I'm very strongly opposing obviously closing these two schools. I And I just don't like the idea of just talking about uh the idea of it's Title 1, they only get so much money, so therefore this doesn't make a difference to families and the kids. It's not true. That's not valid. And that's that's distracting it away from kids. We don't We talk about ease of administration. We talk about saving dollars. We talk about how we can make it happen. We're dealing with special ed kids with special with kids families being engaged with

144it. One of those schools that we closed earlier was because it was on base kids families couldn't get to it. We're dealing with the same kind of issues. I hope the board will put listen to what the public wants, what the family wants, what the kids want. It's not consistent with this. We need to find a way it's not going to solve our $75 million deficit anyway we do this. And there are pros and cons to the cost. I just I I just oppose closing it. Thank you. Thank you, member Higgins. Um I'm going to not seeing any other member who's uh entered the queue, I'm going to ask a a question or two and I'll keep going until members wish to speak. Um And I asked this question during the work session, I think

145it would be beneficial to have on our record here. We talked about during the work session that our our footprint looks somewhat similar to where it did when we had thousands more students. Um Mr. Anderson, I think you gave a number that deed might estimate of buildings that we could do without. District administration put forward a proposal for two buildings this year. What is the the total capacity that we need to remove from our footprint to best align resources with uh the student population that we have right now given the unique challenges we have in terms of location. If you look at it from a deed perspective and how they look at us for major maintenance grants by excess square foot at large across the district at elementary level, it's about 8,000 square foot, which

146you know, if if you're sitting in Juno, you would divide by 400 an average size building and say well, that's you know, roughly 20 schools that they're excess. We know though um because of the geographic disperation, you know, Girdwood, we wouldn't be able to make a 45-minute tiered bussing loop from Girdwood to an elementary school. So, you know, we're going to look at Girdwood differently for um potential other uses. There's There's other schools around that have special programs that that have three kids in a classroom for a reason or eight or 16 or 20. Um so, when we looked at it uh this summer and we started looking at what would be the number that we would shoot for um knowing that we had to have at least one. That was really the only directive

147we had. We We knew that this was the year to try to get child care in our facilities if we were going to do it. We couldn't do it the last time because it was too all-consuming with seven schools. We We just didn't have the the space to be able to talk child care. We also um kept working with thread and other partners um AEDC, many others about uh what was the child care problem in Anchorage. And when we realized it really was a shortfall of about 8,000 seats in Anchorage alone, that we had an opportunity to take some of this available space and use it not just for the good of ASD personnel good. You know, if you put it in a Title 1 school hypothetically, maybe it would draw people to want to

148work there so they could drop their kid off um and have child care that they could afford. Or for many of our hourly employees, if they have two kids making $20 an hour at the end of the year, they've spent their entire salary on nothing but child care. That this was an opportunity to attract retain um but, not for ASD to get all the slots. Uh we also wanted slots for emergency responders. And then 50% of available to the open community, which would still include ASD personnel. Um And so, we dropped the number from, you know, we we started a number a little bit larger than five. We got down to five. And then when we when we really wanted to make sure we didn't lose focus of child care as a potential um we

149narrowed the number down to two. And And it was difficult. For every school you look at closing, you have to do an analysis of all the schools around them as to whether they could gain and pick those up and then look at the special programs. And then you go back and look at the other schools and what are the impacts if you close that school instead. And and sometimes some schools that we we thought initially might work the transport and transportation analysis didn't work. And all of a sudden we were actually losing money just because of the numbers of transportation we would need. So, that's how we ended up with two. Um if child care wasn't on the plate, the number might have been bigger. I think I'm going to follow up and and just

150ask so if if two programs were chosen and approved for right sizing this year would additional right sizing be necessary with our current student population in future years? It depends on the success of the child care and whether that actually helps us attract and retain employees. Um and and as those efforts are successful, I think I described earlier, it took about I don't know, 14 months from the time we started working with KCI until they could move in. So, this isn't something where we put an RFP out in January and in February we already know what's going to be filled and we should start looking at the next round. We're really going to need to take a year to see how this plays out as some businesses already have the funds to start um applying

151and building business models and and working with us on any renovations that have to be made in buildings. Um there going to be some that have to go after um funding from banks and they'll be working with thread for certification and certification of their employees. I think once we go down the child care route, you really have to give it a little over a year um to see where you stand because if someone were to ask us in March, um we'll put an RFP out, it doesn't mean we're going to close it and we give you 30 days or 90 days and that's the first and last time. We'll come back to the board with how it's progressing. Um, but a lot of this is going to take some time. It's it's not going to

152be fast, but ultimately we have community buildings that every property owner, to include renters technically because the landlords pay property tax, they're all paying for their buildings and our bonds and knowing that there's such a massive shortfall citywide, I think it's worth the effort um, to give our community something that that currently doesn't exist. Thank you. Member lessons. Um, I'll begin with a note of gratitude for every everyone in this room for the parents and teachers and kids. I hope you've gone back. No, I see a kiddo. Um, I appreciate the time you've taken to be here, to be at our other conversations, to write, to call, to email. Um, I appreciate our administration for setting up all of the community conversations and the enormous amount of work that has gone into um, fulfilling the

153board's directive from from last December. Um, and I will say a special note of gratitude for the finance team for setting up the um, balancing act tool. I I did take it. Um, I I balanced it um, by cutting and cutting and cutting and increasing class sizes um, and thinking that we should close three schools this year. But Fire Lake wasn't one of them. Um, and that's because I think that the approach well very well intentioned um, in focusing on underutilized schools missed missed the tenor of of the um, amendment or part one of the amendments that was passed last December which really focused on um, reducing combination classes among elementary students and offered the initial language saying that the board guidance that was part of the right-sizing rubric in 2024 to leave special programs

154intact shouldn't preclude administrative recommendations to move special programs around. You know, if kids would be better with the well served at the end of the day. And I say all of this because we have schools on the the list um, when I looked at their enrollment data um, they have our under-enrolled schools have have student bodies of neighborhood general ed kids that are two, in some cases three times as high as the schools that we have maybe um, robust overall enrollment, but um, when you look at the division between the special program and the neighborhood side, we have one school with 67 kids on the neighborhood side right now. We have three others with neighborhood enrollments of 106, 124, and 128. We have a couple in the 170s. We have some special programs that are

155also quite small. And what we could afford 10, 20, 30 years ago, we can't afford those special programs cohabiting with neighborhood kids right now. Our PTR model does not work. I don't know how we're going to serve the 67 kids on the neighborhood side next year with a PTR plus three, plus four. I don't know how we're going to serve the neighborhood side kids in a world in which we don't have dozens of of holdback teachers available to come in at the 11th hour as we did this year with the legislative override. And so when I think about Fire Lake, of course I've taken in all of the testimony and you know, many questions have been raised, questions have been answered, but at the end of the day I see a school where we've got

156almost you know, we've got 200 kids and the school is being um, utilized in a way in which students are supported and there's not a whole lot of combo classes. And I see that model is succeeding next year because the people are there to make it happen and maybe that's a little bit of um, that is definitely a good faith assumption, but but I I'm struggling more with what didn't happen in this proposal. And so that is why I will offer my respectful no um, today. Thank you. Not seeing anyone else in the queue, so I'm going to member Holloman just in time for yours. Yeah. Well, thank you. Um, and I do want to start by thanking the administration. Uh, Jim didn't think anybody would, but but I will. Uh, I I think you've

157been given a really tough job for a number of years in a row and uh, I do want to say also that I think a lot of times people read intent into uh, what the administration's had to come forward with when that intent I don't think was there. Uh, so much of what we do really gets channeled by realities, by statute, by budget and whatnot. And when the outcome's unpleasant, a lot of people tend to look at that and feel like we just don't care about Title One schools. We just don't care about low-income neighborhoods and all and I honestly feel like that's not the case. Uh, the the parameters are tough and uh, I don't know that there are any good choices out there uh, that people are going to be happy about. I

158I do sincerely believe in what the superintendent has said that this is a critical thing. It's going to get worse probably before it gets better. Um, all of that makes this an exceedingly difficult choice. Uh, for some reason it feels heavier than any other vote in my time board uh, because I do think we need to keep paring down uh, and put our resources into our people rather than our buildings. And that's a lot of what is before us. Although it's also the case that when we get rid of those buildings and create larger schools, our revenue per student goes down to where it doesn't really solve our budget problem, sadly. Uh, but it does make better use of public money and that is something that I think we all care about. Um, also want

159to say that I don't think there was any good manual for anyone to use to do this job. Uh, I was here when we had 40 kids in a classroom and lots of relocatables because we couldn't build schools fast enough. And so it does feel odd to arrive at this point in what will be my final year of the Anchorage School District that we can't close schools fast enough. Um, and that our large class sizes now uh, are because we can't staff, we we can't attract, we can't pay enough teachers even as we have empty classrooms that we could put them in. And I've always said one of the things I learned coming to Anchorage was that when things were going down, which is about the time I arrived in the late 80s, people couldn't

160believe it was ever going to not do anything but go down. And then when things are going up, people really can't seem to believe anything's going to happen other than it's going up. I I do think that somehow we need to take a big step back, not just look at schools with one numbers, but actually try to look at the whole map about where it makes sense to have school buildings and where it makes sense to have programs, especially those programs that address students with high needs and try to place them in ways that work um, and keep them there for the long term so that we don't have for example, an SLC classroom getting bumped and moved. Um, and unless there's a lot of planning, advanced planning that goes into it. Also want to

161say that there's no clear picture of what Anchorage is going to look like in five years. I'd like to believe it's going to turn around and grow again. Um, but you just you just don't know. I was here in the 80s when it looked like people were just going to keep streaming out and I don't think anyone would have predicted that a major oil spill would be a turning point that would put us on a long steady path of growth, but it did. And I I just don't think we're very predictable at all. I do think it's a very wise idea that we're seeking to use our buildings to bring value to the community by putting some empty classrooms into pre-K um, to preschool and and trying to make high quality and affordable child care

162a reality in this town. We need that if we're ever going to grow again. Uh, so there is just a real mix. So I I do want to say I am a no vote on closing Fire Lake. And on one hand, I I like knowing that people in the community are happy about that. But it also I I have to admit there's a little bit of a cop out on my part as board member because I I don't have the right suggestion to put in place. And I can't give you a good path to where we need to be in doing that. But I do think that this this is more difficult than any of us have given it credit for. And we're going to have to kind of step back and revamp and think

163about how to go forward again, keep things of value in our district. Um and very much so get more parents involved in realizing that if they want good education for their kids, if they want to let this, if they want funded sports with coaches on the field and referees and all that good stuff, they've got to tell their legislators and we've got to at least pace inflation every year as a minimum and perhaps do better. And until we do that, we're going to continue having these agonizing situations of trying to do the least harm to the least number of students. So um that's where I'm at. I I really can't feel very successful or happy about it. Um I I do believe that when we do have a PTR increase, which unless something remarkable happens,

164I think that's what our budget's going to reflect, it'll fall once again to teachers in classrooms to make it work. The administration will make plans. They'll do the best they can. Ultimately, it's going to fall to the people in classrooms to somehow make it worthwhile for students. And I hope we can begin to focus whatever resources we can find and put them there. Thank you, member Hallman. Not seeing anyone else in the queue right now, I'm going to jump in and ask another question. Um to the administrative team, a significant amount of discussion um I had with uh folks in Eagle River community involved an alternative suggestion for um Eagle River Elementary to be considered in in place of Fire Lake Elementary uh for a right-sizing option. Is this something administration considered and what was

165the logic behind um not selecting Eagle River Elementary? Absolutely, that's a great question. You know, at the end of the day, it's because we believe there is going to be some housing built that Anchorage Bowl does have potential for growth despite that community losing 800 kids in it. And and one of the strongest reasons why it um we thought we should keep Eagle River Elementary is it has a capacity of and Fire Lake was um 332. So significantly smaller. And we wanted to be able to keep some potential for growth within the community because ultimately, do I think Eklutna someday is going to build houses? I hope so. Um do I do I hope those 138 houses right outside of Fire Lake have a lot of children in them? Of course so I do. Um

166but the average statistical number of kids is still really really small and I I think it it we need to give ourselves time to relook this area and so keeping the long the largest school that we nearly rebuilt after the earthquake for a significant amount of money was the best investment. That it really came down to that. Thank you. I'm going to follow up with a related question, which is if um significant new housing is built, um which I think we've said on record earlier during our work session, administration isn't 100% certain of, which makes sense. Um do we have and if this proposal is approved, would we have capacity to house additional students with our revised Eagle River footprint? 10 years ago, we had more than 800 more students in that same number of

167schools. Um we still have a significant amount of capacity in the Eagle River area. Um you know, we still do have land, although we have no plan to build a school uh out across the highway, but we certainly have space. You know, every time you look at boundary adjustments, you can always make one school smaller and one school bigger. Um you can take one school all the way to zero with a boundary adjustment. Um the one thing we we don't ever have complete confidence is Eagle River is a choice area. Um the schools in that area, parents are going to go 35 to 45% of them are going to go somewhere else. So it's difficult when you see a house being built um or an apartment complex being built knowing that at least a third

168of them on average are going to go outside of their boundary, um it's tough to know which school they're going to go to and that that kind of is difficult to predict. Thank you. Uh student representative Madison. All right, I'll try to keep this brief given that discussion has been going on for a while. But I just want to start this out by saying as a student myself and I want to increase student perspective here on this issue, I grew up going to Title 1 schools and I know what it's like getting support from those schools. I grew up going to schools that offered free food, free donations to kids every Friday. I grew up going to schools where I had to do ignite and gifted programs and I got support, individual support from teachers

169that I don't think I would have gotten anywhere else. These schools are important to each and every individual students in the way that they individually learn. A part of ASD's mission is to enhance learning and to strengthen the community. While we can talk about numbers here and I do validly think that it's important, I also at the same time see that with approving our general budget fund, that there are also millions of dollars that can also be allocated and reorganized in our administration elsewhere. And I think that choosing to right-size and close down these elementary schools is not a just choice and it's not a right choice. And it will negatively impact students and their future generations and that is completely against ASD's mission. And I highly encourage the board to consider that and to

170put their shoes in the students and to consider how the students are going to feel from the future of this decision. Ultimately, I do not think these schools should be closed because as a result, you will see students get less individual support for their special programs, for their individual ways that they have gained understanding of the world in their own communities. Again, numbers are an important part of this conversation and I will not deny it. But ultimately at the end of the day, there are much, much higher and greater efforts that this administration can make and when you directly take the perspective from the students themself, you will realize that education comes directly within the child's experience and in the child's mind. What they see every day, what they are told every day. And when

171we are taking kids from their own communities where they gain this enrichment to enhance their education as ASD's mission supports, you were then erasing education further. And I think that is not something we can do if we want to support further generations. I highly encourage this board to vote no on closing down these schools. Thank you. Uh thank you, Madison. Uh not seeing anyone else in the queue, I'll ask this question since it's related to um special programs and services. We received a significant number of emails and I heard during the town halls that um there was concern um understandably for special populations at Fire Lake Elementary like SLC students um making the transition to another campus. Could we talk about the uh ways that we'll be supporting that those students and will there be

172a change of title status for the receiving schools? Will um special education students that um are title students at um Fire Lake Elementary be losing title services? Hi, good evening. Um I'm Pam Orme, senior director of special education. Uh to answer your first question, um when it comes to moving a special program, that is something that we um tread lightly with. We understand the difficulties with transitions for students uh with disabilities from one campus to another. Um but with that said, when we talk about school closures, we have to respond. Um the majority of I would say almost half of our elementary schools do house a special program in the Anchorage School District and so the likelihood that um one of the schools that are selected um will house a special program that may need

173to move is is pretty high. Um we do call these programmatic moves and so when a school um closes, then the special program, we uproot the teacher, the paraprofessionals, um and the students and we do move them uh collectively as a unit. Um so that students can still have their uh familiar teachers, their familiar staff, um as well as their classmates as well. So, um we are prepared to offer all the supports that are necessary uh whenever we expand a special program or if we move one. Um and that was taken into consideration for both of these schools. Thank you. Um I also tie in title status. And so, I understand that there's two topics involved at once. Could we speak to title status for receiving So, um Fire Lake is not a title school.

174So, that there wouldn't be no there would not be a change there. In terms of um Lake Otis is a title one school. We don't know we won't know until the dust settles whether or not Kasuun and Tudor would become title one schools with the change. I did some um numbers just really rough because uh don't know the exact concentrations. Both those schools would be at about 67%. Um uh economically disadvantaged students in the end. So, depending on where we cut the line and what things look like potentially both Tudor and Kasuun could be title schools, but they might not. It's there's no uh definitive answer there right now. Okay, we're we're discussing Fire Lake right now. So, your understanding is that no title students because it isn't title school, no services will be lost

175in that >> Fire Lake is not a title one school. Thank you. It It is a CEP school, to be clear. Um and if this plan is approved and those 160 plus were to go to Eagle River Elementary, it would it would also become a CEP school. The numbers are there to support it. Um typically, a CEP school is somewhere between 35 to high 70s in terms of economically disadvantaged students, whereas title is much higher. There's a lot of CEP schools that are not title schools. Okay, thank you. I don't see anyone else in the queue. I'm going to keep asking the questions that I have. Um Could we discuss I don't know if it's something administration has handy um during the previous balancing act software data gathering um during um I know that we've

176pulled the community um in preparation for right-sizing conversations. Do we have data on what our community values and supports in terms of how school consolidations ranks as a um option to wisely use district resources? We have not pulled any of the analytics from that balancing act yet to see if that's on there. Okay. And do have we conducted a poll recently or within the last few years um as a part of previous right-sizing initiatives or did balancing act last year give us any data in that regard? I I can take this one. Um we did do a survey about a year and a half ago, um which was the the largest we've done in in many years in terms of responses. We had 6,166 respondents for the survey for right-sizing. Um most of the respondents

177did have students in ASD and or were staff. And most of them were elementary and middle school students. And overall, 71% of the respondents did support closing and combining schools, but not if it had a special program like Montessori, immersion, and optional. Um and certainly not if it was their neighborhood school. When you looked at their priorities, there was um I don't know about 14 or 15 different priorities. Um I briefed the top 10 at that time. The top top number one was class size, followed by level of education service, followed by academic performance. That was the three main things they wanted um out of right-size. On the very bottom of the list, the bottom three, um least um important to them was efficiency. Beyond that, it was school size. And beyond that, it was

178whether it had an immersion program or not. So, clearly class size, levels of service, academic performance, that's a standard for nearly every survey, our our mission, everything we see. And it was very consistent with what we expected to receive. Thank you. Member Lessons. Yeah, I I I really like paper. I know lots of people like computer things. I like paper. I save it. So, I have the slide deck from August of 2024. And actually, you included that same slide in this afternoon's briefing. So, I appreciate seeing it again. I think what's really interesting is that of those respondents, yes, when you combine the different yes responses, 71% of respondents said they supported a closing schools, but but only 25% of people said yes, they supported closing it. They said yes, but not a school with

179a special program. So, when I read the chart that's on the slide, it's a little bit different than the sort of the summary statement. And I just I think that's an important distinction. Um So, if we got 25% of 6,000 and change, we've got 1,500 or so respondents saying that they supported Oh, right. I did roll up all of all three yeses into the 71%. And there was only three categories. So, I thought I would mention the three categories of yes. Um I guess my point is that 71% of people didn't say they support closing schools, but not if it has a special program. Right. I think if we'd added another question that was no, if it's I mean, we could have added more questions to get more clarity. Um I think we're trying to

180find out of the general premise of education levels of service, there was some economic um efficiencies associated with it on a district this large. I I appreciate your comment. I we certainly could ask more questions next time. Okay. Um Member Billing. I want to also thank uh everyone. Uh these past weeks have been um on the one hand, we've been able to talk to each other, we've been able to um listen to each other. Uh but it's been stressful for you guys and for us. I cannot imagine for the kids. Um but I think every decision I make, I always end up with what's best for the kids. When we closed Abbott, uh we sent those kids to two different places. And it was very it the teachers could go with them. It was very

181uh well orchestrated. It was very um the transitions, while I know they were difficult because our schools are not just schools. They're like legacies and histories and uh they're they they they they just represent relationships and all of those things. So, they're more than buildings. And I get that. But we didn't send them to six schools. And we didn't send them to uh four different schools. And I don't know how we're going to get this right. Our reality is is such that uh we we got to do something. And I know it's not going to be nobody wants their beloved school to close. Our district is operating in a climate of financial deficits. I'm not suggesting either school needs to has to bear that burden. Um but we've created something here that we have to

182fix. We have neighborhood schools. And then we get this wonderful thing called choice. We had a conversation earlier, and Member Lessons did mention it again, where in one school, there's almost 500 kids. Only 67 of them are neighborhood kids. They're not part of that special program that's in the school. I mean, maybe they are, but I don't think so. So, I I I need more information on what is the impact of the special of our special programs that make our neighborhood schools really look like they're full and thriving. And maybe maybe I don't need to worry about that. So, I don't I don't know. I I need more information on that. But we built our schools to be neighborhood schools so that they could serve the communities that they're located in. And when we gave

183this wonderful choice, what happens? It got sucked right out because parents could take their kids to places where they wanted to go. I mean, I get it. I was one of those parents. Not once did I do it, but twice did I do it. And so now we are in a we've got a structure and a system where we have offered so so much. And I don't know we got to figure out how to cuz we're not people are not having babies the way they used to have babies. They're not. But I do value I value I value the I I value communities. I value the I I value the the the the kinds of things that happen in communities that are specific to to kids growing up together and hanging out together and I

184mean my son had a 45th birthday the other day and it was all elementary folks that showed up. They looked like elementary kids to me cuz I had them in my house when they were growing up, but they're like 45 and 46 years old. There's something special about that. And I don't know how we are going to be able to to keep that kind of synergy and that kind of connectedness as our kids grow. But we got to figure it out. We we can't have our schools competing. This has been the worst part about this whole process. People feel like they have to compete. Show off their school. Your school is amazing. All of them are. But somehow in the process people just got to thinking they had to compete. That's not what we want.

185We don't want our community competing against each other. We want our school system to thrive. So I don't know what the vote's going to be like. But I do know that we have got to we probably have we're going to have to look at I mean, maybe I don't know. Maybe we need to halt all waivers and zone exemptions and whatever until we can figure out where how are we going to support the neighborhood schools or just get rid of the neighborhood schools and figure out something else. I don't know. But um I do want to thank the staff for uh you did exactly what we asked you to do. This board has been forecasting this decision now for about a month. Um which is I know uh um a thankless kind of a thing

186to do. Uh but in the end we just get out of your work is appreciated. Uh everybody who showed up to testify, I have read every email, every every text that came my way, every letter that came my way. So I do understand. Uh and I am proud and grateful that you are standing up for your babies, for your communities, and for your schools. So with that, I'll just pause. Thank you, member Bellamy. I'll um jump in the queue with some comments now that I've got most of my questions out of the way. I um I'm going to speak in support of the the memorandum as drafted and I say that knowing um that it comes with a lack of popularity in this room and I appreciate that. I truly commend everyone in the community

187who connected with myself, a member of the board, district administration with questions and advocacy. Um That's what I would be doing as well as letting folks know how special um our programs are. And I don't fault um any member of this board um for choosing to honor the fact that in this particular case Fire Lake Elementary is special and um have a sincere desire to find another way to align our footprints and our capital resources with um staffing and student enrollment realities. Um When thinking about I appreciate member Lesson's thought process regarding centralizing optional programs or choosing to eliminate optional programs. Um things like immersion programs, things like um a whole host of optional programs that the ASD operates and consolidating the number of elementary schools as one way to attack this problem of how

188we reduce the number of buildings we have in our portfolio. Um I anticipate that should we as a district um sincerely and legitimately um begin exploring that idea, that it will be uh a different set of parents with a different set of concerns and a a strong sense of advocacy right here in this board room. Um because there isn't an easy way to do this. There isn't um a consequence-free path to aligning resources in this way. And that's unfortunate and ultimately it's it it's occurred because of a of a host of reasons including a declining birth rate, including a lack of vision from state leaders which has claw caused a net out-migration for uh more than a decade, a lack of investment in public education, a lack of a sustainable long-term fiscal plan. Um our

189state is not one that on the surface for many Americans is attractive to move to. And for many Alaskans one that's attractive to stay in. And that is our reality. Um School boards are at the bottom of the hill of all the consequences for decisions and leadership at other levels of government both good and bad. I've spoken with a number of individuals at the town hall events and I've asked every single person the same question. Which was I understand I don't think I heard one single person support of of the program at the in the town hall listening question. So uh this was always the same question which is I understand you don't support the proposal from district administration. Would you support another building being right-sized? And I didn't have a single person tell me

190um no. That we would prefer that the district operate the same footprint with the same resources that are available um despite inflationary costs. To me that's relevant. Um I also am looking forward to the budget conversation that's going to be happening here in a couple months. And I I think that there may be some perception that there's a binary choice between operating Fire Lake Elementary and we'll be talking about Lake Otis here next uh in a bubble without consequences from the fact that we have a $70 million or or so structural deficit for FY27 and nothing will change in their building. Or we can engage in this right-sizing process which is understandably heartbreaking. And that's just not reality. Um there will be consequences for our budget process regardless as to how the board chooses to

191to vote on these proposals here. I appreciate knowing that um CEP status and title status aren't impacted for this particular proposal. And I don't have a a better alternative and I appreciate member Hallman for his candor. Um I join him in saying that I don't have a better alternative for this and I can't justify for that reason um delaying this decision for a future board who's going to have equally hard decisions with equally strong advocacy and uh factors which are super relevant and I agree with member Bellamy that there isn't a program that ASD operates which isn't special that isn't worth supporting um and isn't worth isn't worth operating in the ideal circumstances of enrollment resources. Um it's a truly hard decision and um and I I certainly understand why folks would vote either way.

192Um but I will vote to uh support this memorandum. Thanks. Go to member Lesson. Thank you. I just um wanted to clarify in case there's any question that um I fully support the choice programs that we have in ASD. I think that we may need to consider how to operate them either through more centralized options or as stand-alone buildings. Right? We need to think about the movement of students to provide as the administration really emphasized last year improved levels of service. And I actually see a path forward, but I didn't see a path forward for articulating that path forward in this memo. It's not something you can just come and substitute. So that's why I thought, well, the choices are devoted up or down. And we'll proceed forward with a new path um a- after

193this evening's vote. Um I will urge our board, however we vote tonight um to really consider the urgency of the February budget decisions in um in supporting our students' academic needs. Um and that may mean an accelerated proposal as challenging as I know that is and we talked about that this afternoon. Um but anyways, I do support our choice programs. I don't see that they need to be terminated. We just need to think differently. Thanks. Yeah, I appreciate that member lessons and I'll just clarify that I certainly didn't intend to indicate as much. Um my my brain automatically goes to consolidating those programs into buildings to allow neighborhood programs to intern consolidate. The only other option we would have is to remove the number of choice programs we have and I I don't know that

194I see support among this board for either of those options and that's a factor in my decision here tonight. Um with that said, member Donnelly, welcome to the discussion. The floor is yours. Yeah, I also continue to support our choice programs. Um I voted against closing Fire Lake when this came before us previously and I haven't seen that the basic facts against closing it have changed since then. So I'm going to remain consistent here and continue to oppose the closure. All right, thank you. I see no other discussion and so we'll call for a voice vote on AST memorandum number 088. Student representative Madison? No. Member lessons? No. Member Donnelly? No. Member Bellamy? Yes. Member Wilson? Yes. Member Higgins? You are on mute. Member Higgins, if you can hear us, you're muted. Member Higgins, you

195should really star six to unmute if you're calling in. I can ask them to. Can you hear me now? No. Member Holloman? No. President Jacobs? Yes. AST memorandum number 088 is not adopted by a vote of three to four. [Music] All right, we'll move forward with AST memorandum number 089, AST right sizing recommendation Lake Otis Elementary School. Is there a motion? Yes. Um I move to approve memorandum number 089, AST right sizing recommendation for Lake Otis Elementary School to implement the closure of Lake Otis Elementary School at the end of the school year as part of the efforts to right size the district's infrastructure. Additionally, the administration recommends that the Lake Otis Elementary School building be offered to Rilke Schule German immersion charter school. Is there a second? Second. Made by member Bellamy, seconded by

196member lessons. Um Dr. Brian, any comments to start us off with this particular proposal? I think the comments remain the same. Um we're happy to answer any questions. Okay. Uh thank you. I'm not seeing anyone in the Member Bellamy, you wish to be in the queue? Okay. I'm not seeing anyone in the queue. I'm going to ask one of my questions specific to Lake Otis Elementary. Um I assisted in the work session but I think it would be good to address here is I I think there's a the receiving school total is five for Lake Otis. Is there a path forward to potentially reduce that? Um one of the concerns that we heard from the community was the number of receiving schools splitting up the student body um is especially problematic and I think that's

197reasonable and so can anything be done in that area should this proposal be approved? Um member Jacobs, one of the things that we would look at is where those specific students are in regards to bussing. Um a couple of them with the very small numbers, we need to see how much that would cost and if it could fit it into the bussing uh equation. I think the ones that we would mostly be concerned about is the Tudor and Kasuun um schools and that we we kind of adjusted and looked at numbers and everything to make sure that they'd fit within the Kasuun and Tudor schools. Um we could probably look at um the others that are with less number of students and see if we can do any kind of other consolidation with those if

198that was what you would like us to do. Thank you. Is there other discussion on this memorandum? Otherwise, I'll make a comment. Member Donnelly? Thank you, Mr. President. I explained some of my opposition to the closing Lake Otis um at our last meeting. Um it includes that it's a among many reasons that it's a Title 1 school, uh the history and culture of the school, um and um the impact to students in special programs that Lake Otis has and in particular the plan to move vulnerable students from from Kasuun Elementary to make room for Lake Otis students is very concerning to me. Thank you. Could not seeing anyone else in the queue, I'll jump in uh for remarks. Um Lake Otis is a Title 1 school has an additional meaning for me. Um like member

199Wilson, I have served as a licensed therapeutic foster parents um for more than a decade and that service included um caring for students almost exclusively who um received or benefited from or eligible for Title services, um low-income families that need an additional resource to help um care for their child. I again will reiterate that um those who spoke in strong support of the amazing things that happen Lake Otis are are entirely correct that um the staff, the environment is a is and does amazing things for youth. Um I give that credit to the hardworking educators, paraprofessionals, and support staff um and not to the structure and I I'm confident after years of navigating AST processes and working with educators and buildings across our district that um we could serve those students in other campuses. Um

200to the extent possible, I'm passionate about redirecting resources away from buildings and into classrooms and I think this proposal can do that which is another way of putting students first. Uh there isn't an emotional attachment to a budget line item directly versus keeping a school open um despite having total uncertainty as to how to adequately staff and fund it. But that's it's still accurate to indicate that you can support students by aligning resources with staffing and enrollment realities. Um so I will reluctantly have to support this proposal and um don't harbor any anything but passionate understanding for those who choose to to vote otherwise. Seeing no other discussion on this item, we can call for the voice vote. Um Ms. Sullivan, please. Student representative Madison? No. Member Donnelly? No. Member lessons? No. Member Wilson? No.

201Member Bellamy? No. Member Higgins? No. Member Holloman? No. President Jacobs? Yes. AST memorandum number 089 has failed to be adopted by a vote of one to six. All right. That completes our action items for this evening. In front of the board for section G are non-action items. Is there a board member who wishes to discuss a non-action item at this time? Hearing and seeing none, we'll move to superintendent update. Dr. Brian, the floor is yours. Thank you, President Jacobs. I just want to recognize and thank everybody who came out to testify and to thank the board for your consideration of this really difficult proposal. I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Dr. Brian. We'll move forward with school board and administration comments. We'll start to my left, member lessons. Thank you, everyone for um a

202really thoughtful process. Member Donnelly? I just want to uh I join the comments of gratitude to the hard work from our staff coming forth with the proposals that the board had voted on requesting that work. Um really appreciated their efforts um even though it didn't go in the direction they were recommending tonight. Um I think we all learned a lot in this process and I think I think we can take a lot of positives from it. Thank you Member Donley. Student Representative Madison. Um of course I always want to thank everyone including parents, teachers, children who came out and testified because your comments really matter and truly I know for me representing the students I believe in students' futures and I just hope that these types of decisions keep being made for your future and

203I wish you guys the best journeys with your education and your school staying open. I really value your guys' education, your input, and your perspectives because students come first. Thank you. Thank you Madison. Member Bellamy, the floor is yours. Just thanks to everybody that came out. I want to thank the staff. Um and as we move forward and we will move forward from this and we will we'll have to figure out some things but we will do it. Thank you. Member Higgins. Yes, I uh I'll start by just appreciating the fact that the administration was put in a difficult spot in coming out with these and that was something requested by the board. So I I want to make that this isn't always a win-lose situation but it is something we have to consider the

204impact of the decision. One is to make sure that Whuk'ee Shoo Laa is not left without a school and then the other one is the Eagle Academy really does need help uh in a number ways and if we have have a way of figuring out how to do that in some sort of positive way cuz all those kids are ASD kids. I listened to one comment where it made a reference and said if with the new with new charter schools say we could you know we'll partner with ASD. Well you're not partnering with ASD. You are part of ASD. You're not you don't have to you don't have to be in that category and the charter schools are our schools. And so that's the one point that bothers me. Uh but we can do something

205to help out Whuk'ee Shoo Laa. We have to figure out what we can do for Eagle Academy because it's a good school but we don't sacrifice a native host school and I appreciate the support the decision of the board. This was a difficult one. No one signs up for this type of a vote but I appreciate the vote that they did. Thank you. Member Holloman. Um yes I I want to say this is difficult because unfortunately the numbers are harsh and the numbers are very real and um I I don't envy the position of Dr. Bryant and the administration in trying to deliver the full slate of services into the same number of schools as we go forward. I I think it's a very real challenge and uh to some degree thing can only do

206so much and um that that is a frustrating thing in in education. You only have so many minutes if you're a classroom teacher. Uh you've only got so much of a budget when you're trying to staff, when you're trying to put the resources in there. Uh as a separate thing I I do want to emphasize again I hope the administration can start looking to put every available person in a classroom as a teacher to help bring class sizes down. I think it would be meaningful to our workforce. I think they're looking at what we're prioritizing and uh nothing that I can think of we could do would show more strongly that we're on their side and trying to make the right things happen than than to put some more people in the rooms taking some

207of the load off of them. Lastly, I do want to mention I think a lot of people are probably aware of of what I would consider an attack on the Anchorage School District in reference to a pamphlet that had a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration in it. Um I think the the district was misrepresented and I also want to say that uh it it is I don't know. Having spent a lot of time in our classrooms whenever people talk about a lack of patriotism or a lack of concern about the Pledge of Allegiance or the Constitution and the Declaration it feels humorous because those things come up more often in a school setting than they ever did when I worked as a mechanic or doing other jobs out in the real life. Uh

208You it's it's just part of the fabric of schools. And within that context uh when the district was offered a free copy of the Constitution Declaration to give to our students I'm for that. Uh I I disagree a lot with the positions of Hillsdale College but the fact that they published it and that they put some of their opinion into it doesn't bother me. I I think actually the points they raised would make good discussion points in a social studies class. And uh to that end while I don't agree with them I would still want to see it handed out but I absolutely would want to see a sticker on it letting parents at home know that that this isn't material distributed by ASD in a persuasive way but it's just meant to be a

209resource for our students. The Declaration and Constitution parts are unadulterated and very useful for kids to have something that they can look at that easily. Um the opinions of Hillsdale College is something a little bit different. So but like I say well worth the discussion. So I I think the way it was portrayed on social media pretty outrageous. So many of our teachers are veterans. Uh so many of our educators uh have very strong beliefs in the the place of this country in the world and what it means as a beacon. Uh certainly we've got difficulties and we struggle sometimes but we're allowed to do that and so many places in the world we can't. So I I do hope when we're talking to other people we make that point clear. This is something we

210talk about a lot. It's something we teach. It's something we promote. In no way is anyone trying to disparage those two particular documents but it's always worth noting for folks that the opinions that are expressed aren't the opinions we're trying to to get kids to form. We want them to form their own. And we want them to do it by by reading a wide range of opinions arguing about it, discussing using logic, thinking about it, and coming to their own conclusions. I I think that's what our teachers do every day and I I want to thank them for doing that as well. Thank you. Member Wilson. No comments this evening. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to close this out with just one comment I should have mentioned during debate and then forgot. Um I

211appreciate administrative staff for the rightsizing process and recommendation. It was something you were directed to do and I I don't doubt that it would have been something that wouldn't be on your to-do list if if not otherwise directed to do so. Um I well Member Holloman came close to acknowledging it directly. I do want to unequivocally state that I I hope there's consensus in the board in in saying that um there is 100% confidence that administrative staff would never particularly single out a program or a a special population. Um normally I I typically wouldn't acknowledge public testimony during a meeting and but this is as someone who has a hypersensitivity to these populations it needs to be said on record and so I'm grateful for the administration for navigating navigating us through this process. We

212now have another equally challenging process as to how we're going to operate um the same number of schools with dollars eaten away by inflation. And so um I'm grateful that this group will continue engaging in those hard conversations with transparency. With that said would entertain a motion to adjourn. Move to adjourn. Made by Bellamy, seconded by Lessons. Seeing no objection we are adjourned at 9:35 p.m. Rec