Anchorage Schools: The Cost of Too Many Buildings

The Anchorage School Board talks about a $90 million shortfall, but the real problem is that the district has more schools than it needs. Last year, a $50 million reserve was used to keep the budget balanced, and now the district is at the minimum legal balance. If the board had kept a healthy cushion, this year’s gap would have been smaller and future deficits might be avoided. The board claims “students come first, ” yet the decisions made this winter show a different priority. Sports programs at middle and high schools were almost cut, only to be restored after savings from closing empty buildings were found. This shows a clear trade‑off: keeping too many schools open versus maintaining quality programs and teachers. A school board’s duty is to the whole district, not just a single neighborhood or an old building. Many elementary schools run at about 60 % capacity, meaning the district spends money on heating and maintaining empty classrooms instead of hiring more teachers or improving learning.

Alaska spends more per student than the national average, but Anchorage classrooms are not getting that money because of excess space and inefficient use of resources. The district’s own data shows it operates 18–25 more elementary sites than enrollment requires, which creates instability in staffing. Teachers are laid off each spring and rehired later, leading to job insecurity that hurts student learning. Future population trends suggest fewer school‑age children in Alaska, so the district must shrink its footprint to match enrollment. Keeping large, under‑used buildings inflates costs and forces teachers to work across multiple sites, raising class sizes and burnout. The board’s handling of Lake Otis Elementary is another example of misaligned priorities. The building has a $19. 6 million improvement plan tied to a charter school’s potential move, yet the move has not been approved. Planning large renovations before confirming a new tenant erodes public trust and wastes money, especially when other schools may close soon. Parents want schools that are fully staffed, academically strong and stable. The district can’t keep delivering that by preserving unused square footage; it must right‑size its facilities and show through budgeting that students come before buildings.

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