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ASD Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt addressed legislators on October 16th imploring the state to increase the BSA (base student allocation). The event was hosted at Service High School and the students proudly escorted visitors through the school to the library. The culinary students served the delicious meal they made and the Service Jazz Band provided lively entertainment.
The event highlighted the dedication of our educators and administrators who have managed to help these kids be successful despite massive funding gaps. Dr. Bryantt began with the positives across the district, siting the smooth rollout of new start times, the major improvements in transportation, and successfully transitioning 6th grade to our middle schools.
However, when trying to make lemonade out of lemon scraps there were still many struggles facing students and educators. The deficit in funding will require ASD to make some difficult decisions, including closing some neighborhood schools and cutting programs.
Dr. Bryantt emphasized that underfunding schools not only hurts our children, but also our economy and the very wellbeing of our state. Poor education opportunities are often sited by the members of our workforce who are leaving Alaska in record numbers. Poorly funded schools will also lead to students who aren't prepared to enter the workforce. We need to do better for the children and families of Alaska and I remain committed to properly funding schools across the state.
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