Though expected, the announcement drew frustration and sadness from Anchorage residents, as well as political finger pointing.
school board members will consider as they try to pass a balanced budget this winter, as required by state statute. District administrators have been analyzing all of the costs associated with programs, activities and schedules, aiming to give board members various options for cuts and changes.It’s hard to know the impact the closures will have on staff, said Corey Aist, president of the Anchorage Education Association, the district’s teachers union.
Across the district, 18 schools are below 65% capacity, and has lost some 5,000 students since the 2012-13 school year. At the same time, the district has a $24 million maintenance budget, spending money on buildings that aren’t being used at full capacity, he said. “We’re pretty much seeing a rash of school closure all around the Western United States as districts come to grips with the current financial realities,” Bingham said.During his presentation, Bingham described where each closed school’s students would attend classes next year.Abbott Loop students who live north of East 88th Avenue would attend Kasuun Elementary, while those who live south of East 88th would attend Trailside Elementary.
At Klatt Elementary, the district has proposed that students who live immediately near the school, south of Minnesota Drive, would be assigned to Ocean View Elementary. But students who live in the Dimond Estates Mobile Home Park and attend Klatt roughly 3.5 miles away, “an extreme outlier,” would be assigned to Campbell STEM Elementary, a closer school, and they would have the opportunity to participate in the science technology engineering and math programming, Bingham said.
Town halls are being offered for elementary schools to choose on Nov. 2, 3, 14, 16 or 22, and that there will be a lottery for dates if multiple schools want the town halls on the same day.
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