Budget Cuts

The new bill would slow rate increases to match inflation instead of instituting a one-time price hike.

The latest iteration of the governor’s budget cuts $136 million from the previous version.Download Audio

Anchorage School District officials presented the 2014-15 budget to the Anchorage School Board Thursday evening. The district faces cutting 23 million dollars this year unless the legislature increases the per student funding. Public testimony was passionate and officials discussed calculations for how much legislators would have to increase funding to stop cuts. Download Audio

The Anchorage School District has long been struggling to get more students to graduate from high school, with only slight improvement. Last year, the rate of students graduating jumped three and half percentage points overall for ASD. Bartlett High School is leading the way.

The number of immigrant, refugee and other students who need help with English is growing parts of Anchorage, but the school district is spread thin because of last year's cuts and they don't have the money to hire any new teachers or tutors.Listen Now

An East High School graduate is on her way to college at University of Alaska Anchorage. That transition is noteworthy because the student is a refugee, has two kids and barely spoke English when she started High School. Pang Thao attributes her success to a specialized counselor who recently lost her job because of school district budget cuts.Download Audio

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.

As the federal budget is scrutinized for savings, there’s a mad-scramble going on in Washington to protect programs from drastic cuts.

Senator Lisa Murkowski attended a presentation in Anchorage today, put on by Shell Oil officials to discuss the company's 2012 exploration and oil spill prevention and response plans.

Alaska Congressional Delegation Not Included in Budget Talks, Murkowski Voices Concerns over EPA and BOEMRE, Anchorage Files Lawsuit Over Knik Bridge Project, Northern Waters Task Force Meets This Week, and more...