The Anchorage School District is about ready to roll out its final phase of budget cuts. Administrators need to cut $14 million more to reach the $25 million in cuts needed to balance the budget. Early rounds of cuts eliminated unfilled positions, but the new superintendent says the next phase will involve layoffs.
Superintendent Jim Browder says he won't specify exactly which positions are on the chopping block until Thursday.
“What we're gonna do is reduce instructional support,” Browder said. “There will not be any teachers in classrooms reduced.”
“They'll be some certified people. Special Ed, in curriculum services, nurses are in that category. They'll be a variety of positions.”
Browder became superintendent last July. The district needs to trim its budget by about $25 million. He says the shortfall is a combination of flat funding from the legislature and hefty benefits packages promised to employees.
“We try to do what's right for our employees. The issue we're facing is an issue in the United States. We've just come out of the worst financial condition in the United States of America since the great depression. We're recovering, and when you recover there's not money that flows as much as usual. Oil prices are down. There are a number of things, economically, that play into this. The reality is this: we need to tighten our belt and we're gonna do it,” Browder said.
Browder will not yet say how many positions will be eliminated or from which departments. Budget documents are scheduled to come out Thursday and will be explained to the media during a press conference Friday. Browder says he and his staff will make a more detailed presentation on the cuts at school board meetings Jan. 24.
Listen to the full story