By SUZANNE DOWNING
Feb. 25,2 026 – A packed chamber and protesters outside did not stop the Anchorage School Board on Tuesday night from approving one of the most debated sets of reductions in recent district history, a budget that is a direct response to years of declining enrollment and flat funding.
The approved budget closes Fire Lake, Lake Otis and Campbell STEM elementary schools at the end of the 2025–26 school year. It increases class sizes by four students per grade level, eliminates the IGNITE program for gifted students, cuts eight school nurses and nearly 50 middle school teachers, and restructures the district’s elementary specialist and regional nursing models.
On a 5–2 vote, the board adopted a spending plan that increases class sizes, eliminates more than 500 staff positions, including over 300 teaching jobs, closes three elementary schools and cuts several popular programs. Board members Dave Donley and Andy Holleman voted against the measure.
District leaders say the reductions are needed to balance the books.
Over the past decade, the Anchorage School District has lost roughly 7,000 students, or roughly 700 students per year. Fire Lake has less than 200 students, Lake Otis has 264 students, and Campbell STEM has less than 400 students. The total is about 864 students between those schools, coming up far short when measured against the 7,000 lost students in 10 years.
Declining birth rates, an outmigration of working-age families, and broader demographic shifts have steadily reduced enrollment. Fewer students mean less state funding, which is largely driven by per-pupil formulas.
The district projects a $90 million shortfall for next year. Officials say even maintaining current service levels would require funding the district does not have. Anchorage schools are also staring at a projected $42 million deficit in the 2027–28 school year.
Last year, board members tapped district savings to avoid similar reductions. That cushion is largely gone.
Administration had presented a revised proposal ahead of Tuesday’s vote that reinstated some of the most unpopular cuts. Board members amended the budget to preserve most sports programs, some middle school teaching positions, and most school nurses. A reimagined sports and activities plan would partially restore athletics that had been slated for elimination.
Still, the cuts sparked strong reaction. Students, parents and teachers picketed outside the district office building before the meeting. Families filled the board chambers, with additional spectators watching from the lobby.
Some of the reductions may not be final.
Anchorage voters will decide in April whether to approve Proposition 9, which would provide an additional nearly $12 million to the district. The board passed an amendment stating that if voters approve the measure, the district would reinstate 80 teachers and three kindergarten paraprofessionals, effectively cutting the planned class size increases roughly in half.
District officials also said they will wait until after the April election to issue layoff notices to teachers.
There has been discussion of additional education funding from the state Legislature this session, but several board members said they are not anticipating a significant increase.
