Dear ASD Families,

It’s hard to believe that we are in the final quarter of the 2023-2024 school year. We are inspired each day to be part of your child’s education journey. Our goal is to prepare all of our students for success in life. Thank you for choosing to be part of the Anchorage School District.

Right now, we are eagerly awaiting the final election results from the Municipality of Anchorage for the 2024 school bond proposition. I’m encouraged by the preliminary results and cautiously optimistic as the counting continues. We listened to your feedback from previous years and launched a new multi-year bond plan in 2023 focused on security and safety upgrades. We are thankful for the ASD community’s careful consideration of Proposition 1 and our infrastructure needs. 

As many of you know, the Governor vetoed Senate Bill 140 (SB 140), and the Legislature sustained his veto. Understandably, you have many questions about our FY25 budget. Please know that I am committed to advocating for more resources for our students and staff. We are grateful for the many legislators who’ve stood by us in support of investing in public education. We remain hopeful that we can find a path forward to set schools up for success before the legislative session ends on May 15th. We will keep you up-to-date as this situation continues to unfold.

On a different note, I’m pleased to share that the College, Career, and Life Readiness (CCL) team is planning an exciting event next month to unveil the Academies of Anchorage that will be offered at each of the big 8 high schools. These academies were designed based on community input and feedback received from our family surveys; thank you to all who participated. This event will take place at Bartlett High School and details are forthcoming. Thank you to our incredible tactic teams and steering committee, which include ASD staff, community leaders, and business partners from around the city. These individuals give their time and expertise to invest in the future of our students, and for that ASD is incredibly grateful.

We have a number of other major initiatives set to go into motion next school year, including new school start times and the transition of sixth grade students to middle schools. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to explore our hot topics page for the latest updates.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming graduations and end-of-year celebrations!

Dr. Jharrett Bryantt

Superintendent, Anchorage School District

Governor Dunleavy vetoed SB 140 on Thursday, March 14th. He stated the bill was “just a spending bill” and didn’t include needed reforms, such as his proposal to have the State Board of Education authorize charter schools in districts without the local district’s consent, and to give teachers retention bonuses for three years as a way to recruit/retain them in Alaska. The Legislature then attempted to override the Governor’s veto of SB 140 on Monday, March 18th. The Legislature failed to override Governor Dunleavy’s veto by one vote. Thirty-nine legislators voted to override the governor, falling just short of the necessary 40 votes to override.

The Anchorage Assembly approved ASD’s budget for FY25, which includes projected funding of a $100 BSA increase. With the governor’s veto and the legislator's failed override vote, there is no BSA increase available for ASD to count on at this time. We are confident though that our legislative partners will come through for public education and Alaska’s students. However, should a BSA increase not materialize, staffing and programmatic changes would need to occur.

The failure to override the governor’s veto creates uncertainty for the many districts across the state that are in dire need of an increase to the Base Student Allocation to combat years of flat funding and unprecedented inflation. We have not lost hope yet, as ASD will advocate to include additional funding in the State’s budget this session. In the absence of funding from the State, ASD will be faced with considering additional budget reductions that could negatively impact our students' education. We encourage you to voice your support for investing in public education to your elected officials.

Click here to read more about the impacts of the Governor’s veto and how you can contact your elected officials.

The Alaska Chamber is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host a first-of-its-kind civics competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Participating 6th, 7th and 8th graders will flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes. The winner of the National Civics Bee Alaska State Finals will be invited to Washington, DC to compete in the inaugural National Civics Bee national championship on November 12, 2024.

Please join us for a unique event happening at Dimond High School on Saturday, April 27, 4-6pm.

The Japan Fes will feature a kimono fashion show, live music, and ninja performances with guest performers coming from Japan.

This event is co-sponsored by ASD World Language and Immersion Program and by many community partners and entities and is FREE for all students 18 and under.

Adult tickets are $10/each and available at the door.

#ASDShineBright - East Anchorage High School Theater Preview of Little Mermaid Jr. Production

Check out the amazing and awesome student podcast “Orange Juice” from West Anchorage High School’s media production students, led by teacher Tim Davis. The "Orange Juice" podcast tells the story of all the happenings inside the school.

Check out Susitna Elementary School’s recent STEM Family Night as shown by 5th grader Benji who shows us all the exciting activities going on.

#ASDShineBright - Bartlett Dance Flash Mob Dance

Shout out to Bartlett High School Dance students and Bartlett Dance Instructor Toby Carrillo who recently put on a flash mob dance for Anchorage resident Arliss LaBere who wanted to surprise her husband, who is dealing with an illness, on their anniversary.

Thank you, Dimond Center Mall, for allowing the flash mob dancers to perform Tina Turner’s “The Best.”

Check out the 1st Annual Preschool Art Exhibit where students submitted their amazing work district-wide.

Shout out to ASD Art Teacher Julie Drulis and her Preschool artists for showing how all the inspiration happens.

Big thanks to Senator Lisa Murkowski for stopping by Northwood Elementary to read to students and talk with them about Alaska, working in D.C., and when you learned to ride a bike!

We are fortunate to live in a state where our U.S. Senator stops by your neighborhood school on a Monday morning.

Don Winchester works with ASD to remove snow early to make sure our middle school and high school tracks are being cleared for students, athletes, and the community to use.

We appreciate you!

Margo Bellamy, President

Carl Jacobs, Vice President

Kelly Lessens, Treasurer

Dora Wilson, Clerk

Dave Donley

Pat Higgins

Andy Holleman