In the wake of a pair of failed ballot referendums and staring down the barrel of a $90 million deficit, the Anchorage School Board is enacting sweeping cuts for the 2027 fiscal year, with music and arts departments among the most severely impacted.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In the wake of a pair of failed ballot referendums and staring down the barrel of a $90 million deficit, the Anchorage School Board is enacting sweeping cuts for the 2027 fiscal year, with music and arts departments among the most severely impacted.
According to the slide show presented to the Anchorage School Board during their work session Tuesday, the new budget brings with it “reduced access to elective classes including art, music, world language and immersion, and career technical education,” as well as the elimination of the assistant director of fine arts position. While exact numbers of staff to be let go and programs to be reduced or eliminated aren’t yet fully known, the cuts are already unpopular among some educators, students, and members of the community. “What are the plans for art and music in schools?” one individual asked during public comment at Tuesday night’s Anchorage School Board meeting. “Are you purposely ending music programs in middle school and high school by getting rid of Introduction to Band? This will impact the future of music education.” “Reducing the number of schools served by individual specialists supports stronger relationships, clearer expectations, and more sustainable workloads,” another speaker said. “This current plan does the exact opposite.” At the elementary school level, the cuts will materialize in a change to the alternating model of music and art education, wherein rather than switching between one and the other every two weeks, students will spend one semester on music and the other on art. According to board member Kelly Lessens, that change will result in less opportunity to build off of things students previously learned. “This is a great example of what’s going to be lost,” board member Lessens said while standing in front of artwork made by young ASD students on display at the ASD building. “I was here the other day as folks from our fine arts department were taking down a prior installation and putting these up. They said these will be the last pieces to go up until our budget situation changes.” At the high school level, things are less clear due to the fact that student interest in music and arts courses plays an impact into faculty allocation. “Honestly, music is the reason that I come to school,” Eagle River High School student Ivan Dick said earlier in the day. “To have this outlet taken away from me and other people I know, it’s honestly devastating. I really hope we can find a way to fix it.”Houston High School teacher advances in “America’s Favorite Teacher” competitionFairbanks skier Kendall Kramer reflects on Olympic season, reaching the highest level
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