By SUZANNE DOWNING
July 1, 2026 – The Anchorage School Board is asking the Alaska Department of Revenue for an early indication of whether additional one-time education funding is likely to materialize before the school year begins, saying districts need more certainty than the law currently provides.
The request highlights a larger problem built into House Bill 263. The Legislature tied the one-time funding to state revenues that won’t be officially calculated until Aug. 31 — after students are already back in classrooms. District leaders say they need the information weeks earlier if they are to use the money for teachers and other classroom needs.
But the timing also exposes a familiar fiscal dilemma. Hiring teachers with one-time money creates ongoing salary and benefit obligations long after the temporary funding disappears. Alaska school districts followed a similar path during the years of federal Covid relief funding, using billions in temporary federal dollars to expand staffing and programs. When that money expired, many districts faced budget shortfalls and returned to lawmakers seeking additional recurring state funding to sustain positions that had been created with one-time dollars.
In a June 26 letter to Revenue Commissioner Janelle Earls, the Legislative Finance Division, and members of the Legislature, Anchorage School Board President Carl Jacobs and Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt asked for any preliminary revenue projections or planning guidance that can legally be shared before the official Aug. 31 determination.
Teachers return to Anchorage classrooms on Aug. 14. Students begin classes Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, with kindergarten and preschool following Aug. 26. By the time the state officially determines whether the revenue trigger has been met, hiring decisions will largely be complete, classroom assignments finalized, and school routines already established.
“Funding confirmed after the school year begins has a much narrower path to the classroom than funding districts can plan for before students arrive,” Jacobs and Bryantt wrote.
Rather than asking the Department of Revenue to make its official determination early, the district is requesting any legally available preliminary information, including whether current revenue projections suggest the funding threshold is likely, unlikely, or uncertain to be met.
The district also asked for preliminary revenue ranges, confidence estimates, and projected district funding amounts that could help administrators make staffing and budgeting decisions before school starts.
Without that guidance, the letter argues, the district cannot responsibly restore teaching positions, reduce class sizes, or expand student services based on money that remains conditional.
“If districts do not receive meaningful revenue information until on or after Aug. 31, well after school has started, the highest-impact uses of those funds may no longer be feasible,” the letter states.
The Anchorage School District says families have been asking whether the potential one-time funding could reverse some of the reductions announced during this year’s budget process.
“The answer depends not only on whether the funding is ultimately available, but also on when districts can rely on that funding with enough certainty to act,” Jacobs and Bryantt wrote.
The Department of Revenue has not indicated whether it plans to release any preliminary revenue guidance before the Aug. 31 statutory determination.
