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Comeau presents budget, outlines cuts needed to balance budget

January 13, 2004

Contact: Carol Comeau
Superintendent
Phone: 907-742-4312
Fax: 907-742-4318
E-mail: comeau_carol@asdk12.org

Anchorage School District Superintendent Carol Comeau presented the School Board this morning with a proposed budget for the 2004-2005 school year that includes larger class sizes, higher fees and a long list of program and personnel cuts, all forced by a $26 million budget shortfall. The board will review and deliberate the proposed budget during a series of meetings over the next two weeks, culminating with a final vote scheduled for January 29.

“I do not want to make any of these cuts, nor do I want to increase class sizes, but there is no way to meet this significant budget gap without going into the heart and soul of our district,” said Comeau. “It is very troubling that we have to do this at a time when we have more challenges and mandates than ever before, from No Child Left Behind to the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Exam.”

Projected revenues for next school year will not keep pace with the inflationary cost of supplies and services, rising costs of under-funded federal mandates, increased employee costs, and a $10 million state-mandated increase in the district’s contribution to the state retirement system.

“This is the largest budget cut we’ve had to make in nearly 20 years, since oil prices crashed in the mid-1980s.”

The superintendent, with the board’s prior approval, is recommending that the district use $4.5 million of its fund balance to help bridge the gap.

Comeau is proposing that the district’s 13 Community Schools be closed, for a savings of $716,000. Community Schools provide educational, cultural and recreational activities and classes for Anchorage residents of all ages. Winter and spring classes would continue as scheduled, but the program would cease July 1, 2004.

Seventh-period classes at middle schools will be eliminated, and the remaining six periods lengthened to preserve the overall length of the school day. Eliminating seventh-period classes will mean that middle school teachers will lose one of their two daily planning periods, and students will be able to take fewer elective classes. The move will result in 54 fewer teaching positions at the middle school level, and will save $3.7 million.

“We will retain the middle school model, with team teaching,” said Comeau. “But it’s going to have to operate differently than it does now.”

Class sizes at all grade levels districtwide will be increased by an average of 1.5 students, eliminating 103 teaching positions and reducing the budget by $7 million.

“I cut as far as possible in other areas before increasing class sizes, but there was no way to cut our budget to the degree necessary without increasing the pupil-teacher ratio. As troubling as this increase is, I thought it would be much higher. Due to cuts made elsewhere throughout the district, we were able to keep the increase to a minimum.”

Comeau is proposing a 10 percent cut to every school and department’s supply and equipment budget, totaling $566,000.

“The supply cut also reduces the amount of money we will have for printing and postage. We have to do this even at a time when we have increasing mandates from the federal government to send out more notification to students and parents on No Child Left Behind and academic progress.”

The proposed budget reduces by half the number of kindergarten aides in schools, cutting 81 part-time positions for a savings of $1 million.

The budget cuts all library aides for elementary and middle schools, equivalent to 11 full-time positions, and cuts five assistant principals districtwide.

Swimming will no longer be offered as a high school physical education c

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