Anchorage School District, Alaska

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Anchorage School District
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Anchorage, Alaska
District details
Superintendent: Deena Bishop
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Anchorage School District is a school district in Alaska.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district’s…

Superintendent[edit]

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Deena Bishop is the superintendent of the Anchorage School District.[1] Bishop was appointed superintendent in 2016. Bishop's previous career experience includes working as an assistant superintendent, principal, and teacher.[2]

Past superintendents[edit]

  • Ed Graff was the superintendent of the Anchorage School District from 2013 to 2016. Graff's previous career experience included working as a teacher, elementary school principal, and the district's chief academic officer.[3][4]

School board elections[edit]

The Anchorage School District Board of Education consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. Board members are elected at large but run for specific seats.[5]


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This officeholder information was last updated on March 22, 2022. Please contact us with any updates.
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Election dates[edit]

See also: Anchorage School District elections in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2022

Members of the Anchorage School District Board of Education are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Each election is held on the first Tuesday in April.

Two seats on the board were up for general election on April 5, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was January 28, 2022.

Public participation in board meetings[edit]

The Anchorage School District Board of Education maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[6]

Public Participation

Because the School Board has a responsibility to conduct district business in an orderly and efficient way, the following procedures shall regulate public presentations to the School Board.

1. The School Board shall give members of the public an opportunity to address the School Board either before or during the School Board's consideration of each agenda item.

2. At a time so designated on the agenda, members of the public also may bring before the School Board matters that are not listed on the agenda of a regular meeting. The School Board may refer such a matter to the Superintendent or designee or take it under advisement. The matter may be placed on the agenda of a subsequent meeting for action or discussion by the School Board.

3. A person wishing to be heard by the School Board shall first be recognized by the president. He/she shall then identify himself/herself and proceed to comment as briefly as the subject permits.

4. Individual speakers will be allowed three minutes to address the School Board. The School Board president may limit the total time for each agenda item, modify the length of testimony, and/or the ordering of the speakers.

5. With School Board consent, the president may modify the time allowed for public presentation or may rule on the appropriateness of a topic. If the topic would be more suitably addressed at a later time, the president may indicate the time and place when it should be presented.

6. No oral presentation shall include charges or complaints against any employee of the School Board, including the Superintendent, regardless of whether or not the employee is identified by name or by another reference which tends to identify. Charges or complaints against employees must be submitted to the School Board under the provisions of School Board policy and administrative regulations related to such complaints.

7. No disturbance or willful interruption of any School Board meeting shall be permitted. Persistence, by an individual or group, shall be grounds for the chair to terminate the privilege of addressing the meeting. The School Board may remove disruptive individuals and order the room cleared if necessary.[7]

Budget[edit]

From 1993 to 2013, the Anchorage School District had an average of $483,092,476 in revenue and $542,513,476 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $403,529,238 in outstanding debt. The district retired $33,030,333 of its debt and issued $62,327,190 in new debt each year on average.[8]

Revenue[edit]

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source
Fiscal
Year
Local State Federal Revenue Total
Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue
2010$213,060,00031.05%$383,161,00055.84%$89,922,00013.11%$686,143,000
2011$210,723,00028.77%$407,204,00055.59%$114,561,00015.64%$732,488,000
2012$213,772,00028.64%$438,433,00058.75%$94,110,00012.61%$746,315,000
2013$206,016,00026.75%$487,629,00063.31%$76,535,0009.94%$770,180,000
Avg.$143,663,23829.60%$285,581,71459.58%$53,847,52410.82%$483,092,476

Expenditures[edit]

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

  • Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
  • Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
  • Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
  • Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
  • Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services
Expenditures by Category
Fiscal
Year
Instruction Support Services Capital Spending Debt & Gov. Payments Other Budget
Total
Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget
2010$369,275,00048.85%$296,061,00039.16%$60,741,0008.03%$28,489,0003.77%$1,390,0000.18%$755,956,000
2011$401,296,00052.11%$309,169,00040.15%$30,709,0003.99%$27,091,0003.52%$1,796,0000.23%$770,061,000
2012$419,466,00053.97%$308,752,00039.72%$18,495,0002.38%$25,639,0003.30%$4,875,0000.63%$777,227,000
2013$439,272,00055.74%$311,636,00039.55%$32,205,0004.09%$23,0000.00%$4,913,0000.62%$788,049,000
Avg.$266,138,81048.55%$190,626,71434.76%$69,046,19013.73%$14,800,2382.59%$1,901,5240.36%$542,513,476

Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt
Fiscal
Year
Retired Issued Outstanding
2010$44,874,000$16,907,000$744,618,000
2011$45,744,000$37,607,000$533,680,000
2012$44,616,000$0$468,156,000
2013$45,062,000$34,445,000$457,539,000
Avg.$33,030,333$62,327,190$403,529,238

Teacher salaries[edit]

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2020-2021[9] $54,069 $99,523
2019-2020 $52,367 $96,390
2018-2019 $50,719 $93,356

Academic performance[edit]

Proficiency assessments[edit]

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[10]

Mathematics[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[11]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2018-2019 39 27 21 31 22 35 54
2017-2018 40 29 22 32 27 37 55
2016-2017 35 24 16 26 22 33 49
2015-2016[12] - - - - - - -
2014-2015 36 28 19 26 21 33 47
2013-2014 71 65 52 63 55 69 82
2012-2013 72 65 54 64 57 70 83
2011-2012 71 64 51 64 56 69 82
2010-2011 70 63 50 63 56 68 81

Reading/language arts[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[11]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2018-2019 42 29 25 36 23 39 57
2017-2018 45 31 29 38 26 42 61
2016-2017 40 26 24 32 21 37 55
2015-2016[13] - - - - - - -
2014-2015 39 25 23 29 21 37 53
2013-2014 83 75 73 79 67 82 91
2012-2013 80 70 69 77 65 79 90
2011-2012 81 72 71 77 66 80 91
2010-2011 79 68 68 75 65 79 89

Graduation rates[edit]

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:[11][14]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2017-2018 81 84 70-74 80 64 77 85
2016-2017 81 85 75-79 81 63 76 86
2015-2016 80 82 70-74 76 55 80 85
2014-2015 80 84 75-79 75 50-54 75 86
2013-2014 74 71 65-69 72 45-49 68 82
2012-2013 76 77 60-64 73 50-54 68 84
2011-2012 73 76 60-64 71 40-44 69 79
2010-2011 72 73 65-69 61 50-54 65 79


Student enrollment[edit]

Year[15] Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2018-2019 46,115 -3.1
2017-2018 47,588 -1.3
2016-2017 48,238 -0.2
2015-2016 48,324 0.5
2014-2015 48,089 -0.1
2013-2014 48,159 -1.3
2012-2013 48,774 0.0
2011-2012 48,765 -0.9
2010-2011 49,206 -0.8
2009-2010 49,592 1.5
2008-2009 48,837 0.0
2007-2008 48,857 -0.8
2006-2007 49,230 -1.0
2005-2006 49,714 0.3
2004-2005 49,545 -0.4
2003-2004 49,722 -0.7
2002-2003 50,055 0.6
2001-2002 49,767 0.5
2000-2001 49,526 0.3
1999-2000 49,382 -0.4
1998-1999 49,587 1.4
1997-1998 48,887 1.6
1996-1997 48,109 3.0
1995-1996 46,697 -2.0
1994-1995 47,655 1.1
1993-1994 47,140 2.2
1992-1993 46,103 3.3
1991-1992 44,628 5.5
1990-1991 42,300 3.4
1989-1990 40,924 10.1
1988-1989 37,176 -9.2
1987-1988 40,942 4.5
1986-1987 39,175 -


About the district[edit]

Anchorage School District is located in Anchorage County, Alaska.
Anchorage School District is located in Anchorage County, Alaska. It is classified as a large city school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 46,115 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 100 schools.[16]


During the 2018-2019 school year, 18.8% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 15.8% were English language learners, and 15.2% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[17]

Racial Demographics, 2018-2019
Race Anchorage School District (%) Alaska K-12 students (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 8.6 22.8
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 10.9 5.8
Black 5.1 2.7
Hispanic 11.5 6.7
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 6.6 3.1
Two or More Races 15.8 11.5
White 41.5 47.5

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Noteworthy events[edit]

2015: Superintendent search[edit]

Ed Graff, superintendent of Anchorage School District

In October 2015, the Anchorage School District Board of Education announced its decision to let superintendent Ed Graff's contract expire on March 18, 2016. They offered a short-term extension through June 30, 2016, in order to ease the transition between Graff and the new superintendent. Graff was hired as superintendent in 2013 when Jim Browder left the position. Graff had worked in the district for 22 years before becoming superintendent and stayed in another administrative position in the district after he left his position as superintendent.[4]

Board president Kameron Perez-Verdia explained the board's decision to the public during a press conference. "The board’s reason for seeking new leadership is primarily centered around moving forward. And in order to achieve those goals we need to identify a new leader."[18]

Graff responded to the press conference by saying,

For me, it’s been more important to see the success of students than it is to have the title of superintendent. I remain committed to students. I remain committed to our staff, and public education. And if I can do that in any capacity in our district then I will do that.[7]
—Ed Graff (2015)[18]

The board assembled an advisory committee made up of four members with ties to the school district to assist with the search process. In February 2016, they approved a payment of $39,800 to the executive search firm Ray and Associates, Inc. to conduct a nationwide search for candidates.[19] The board selected Deena Bishop, who was then named Deena Paramo, as the next superintendent.[2]

2015: Recall effort[edit]

See also: Anchorage School District recall, Alaska (2015)

An effort to recall four members of the Anchorage School District Board of Education was rejected in November 2015. Recall organizers alleged that Board President Kameron Perez-Verdia and board members Tam Agosti-Gisler‌‌, Pat Higgins, and Kathleen Plunkett misled voters on the 2015 bond reimbursement vote. Organizers also said that the board members violated state regulations by using signs on school grounds to promote bonds and by paying for a public survey on capital projects. The recall petition was rejected by the Municipality of Anchorage because two of the three allegations against the board members were not illegal, and the other could not be proven.[20][21]

The recall was led by Michael Chambers, the chair of the Alaska Libertarian Party, and David Nees, a former middle school math teacher in the district. Nees said Perez-Verdia, Agosti-Gisler, Higgins, and Plunkett were targeted for recall because they were the only four members who could be targeted. The other three members on the board—Eric Croft, Bettye Davis, and Elisa Snelling—were either too close to their terms being up for re-election or were too recently elected to the board.[21]

2014: Layoffs[edit]

In January 2014, the Anchorage School District announced plans to cut 219 positions for the next school year. The plan included laying off 159 teachers: 47 from elementary schools, 35 from middle schools, and 33 from high schools and alternative schools. Another 44 positions were terminated because of a projected decline in enrollment. Over the four preceding years, the district had cut about 419 positions. District administrators were working with a $566 million operating budget for the 2014–15 school year, reportedly $23 million short of the funds the district said it needed.[22]

Contact information[edit]

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Anchorage School District
5530 E Northern Lights Blvd.
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: 907-742-4000

See also[edit]

Alaska School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. Anchorage Daily News, "New Anchorage schools superintendent wins support with student data and an open door," July 6, 2017
  2. 2.0 2.1 Anchorage Daily News, "Mat-Su's Deena Paramo named Anchorage School District superintendent," May 2, 2016
  3. Anchorage School District, "Superintendent," accessed February 17, 2014
  4. 4.0 4.1 KTUU, "Anchorage school superintendent's contract will not be renewed in 2016," October 30, 2015
  5. Anchorage School District, "Board Members," accessed May 13, 2021
  6. Board Policy Online, "Anchorage School District BB 9323 Meeting Conduct," accessed May 13, 2021
  7. 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  8. United States Census Bureau, "Public School System Finances: Historical Data," accessed December 1, 2015
  9. Anchorage School District, "Anchorage School District Anchorage Education Association 105 Salary Schedule," accessed May 4, 2021
  10. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 To protect student privacy, percentages were reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five (5) or fewer students were included in a data set, the data was replaced by "PS."
  12. Note: Alaska did not submit data for 2015-2016.
  13. Note: Alaska did not submit data for 2015-2016.
  14. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "Four-Year Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates - School Year 2017-18 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  15. National Center for Education Statistics, "ElSi tableGenerator," accessed March 8, 2021
  16. National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
  17. National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021
  18. 18.0 18.1 Alaska Public Media, "Anchorage School Board won’t renew superintendent’s contract," October 30, 2015
  19. Chugiak-Eagle River Star, "Superintendent search firm funds, Yosemite Drive upgrade OK’d," February 3, 2016
  20. Recall Elections Blog, "Alaska: Petitions against Four Anchorage School Board members rejected by city," November 18, 2015
  21. 21.0 21.1 Anchorage Daily News, "Municipality denies recall petition to oust 4 Anchorage School Board members," November 16, 2015
  22. The Nation, "Anchorage School District Plans to Cut 219 Positions, Including 159 Teachers," January 27, 2014

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