Anchorage School District officials are proposing to close two elementary schools to address declining enrollment and make room for district charter school programs. If approved by the school board, Fire Lake Elementary School in Eagle River and Lake Otis Elementary School in Midtown Anchorage would both close at the end of the school year.
“These schools continue to lose enrollment every year,” ASD Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said in an interview Monday. “And what I'm trying to prevent is a situation where these schools are so low capacity that they're barely able to perform the basic functions of a school, let alone become exceptional.”
Bryantt described closing the schools as part of the district's ongoing "right-sizing" effort to provide higher-quality services as it faces a shrinking number of students and, until recently, consistent flat funding from the state. Since 2010, enrollment has declined by roughly 7,500 students, and in the past two years, the district has shuttered three schools in response.
Last year, district leaders proposed shutting down seven elementary schools, including Fire Lake. But the board ultimately decided to close only two: Nunaka Valley and Lake Hood elementary schools. In 2023, Abbott Loop Elementary was also closed.
Bryantt said, right now, Fire Lake is under 50% capacity for enrollment while Lake Otis is at 53%.
He said the district's plan, if approved, is to relocate students to nearby neighborhood schools, and repurpose the former elementary buildings to serve two charter schools: The Eagle Academy Charter School would be housed at Fire Lake while the Rilke Schule German Immersion Charter School would move to Lake Otis Elementary.
“A number of our charter schools or alternative programs, which I broadly refer to as choice programs, are in leased facilities or in facilities that are not large enough to meet the demand of parents,” Bryantt said.
The district made similar moves when it rehoused the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School at the former Lake Hood school and the STrEaM Academy at Nunaka Valley.
Bryantt said he understands that closing two neighborhood schools could be an emotional decision for students and their families, and he said the district is working to connect with the community to make the transition easier.
“These community conversations actually entail dozens of technical experts, everyone from special education experts to those who can answer questions on free or reduced-price meals, transportation, all the dimensions,” Bryantt said.
The community conservations are scheduled for:
- Oct. 29: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at East Anchorage High School
- Oct. 30: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Chugiak High School
- Nov. 1: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the ASD Education Center
As ASD works to consolidate schools, Bryantt said the district is also looking into using vacant school buildings to house child care facilities. The district recently received a grant of roughly $225,000 from city marijuana taxes in order to look at repurposing vacant classrooms for use by child care providers.
“ASD is not getting into the child care business,” Bryantt said. “But what we're able to do is to lease excess space to a child care provider and charge them very little ‘rent’ because my hope is that they will be able to use those savings to competitively compensate the early child care providers in their businesses, and be able to provide subsidized child care.”
Bryantt said which school buildings would be used for child care is currently being debated. He said his goal would be to prioritize child care for ASD employees, adding that city employees could potentially take advantage as well.
Bryantt said the district will present its plan to close Lake Otis and Fire Lake elementary schools to the school board during a worksession on Oct. 7. The board is expected to vote on the closure during its meeting on Nov. 18.
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