Alaska’s 30th Legislature is diligently working to complete the session. Nevertheless, important work is still to be done. Many of the sessions are focused on completing the largest state responsibility, public education. As I have participated in the testimony over the session, it reminds me of what an ancient leader, educator and philosopher Aristotle once said: “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
Two thousand years after Aristotle taught in ancient Greece to present day in Juneau, we are still tasting the bitter roots. I have heard from around the state of teaching positions lost, classroom overcrowding and our communities suffering. I am a data person, so I want to start with my assessment of loss in numbers here in Anchorage. Our demographics and populations have undergone changes in the last five years. We have declined in our enrollment by 814 students. At the same time, we have reduced our total Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions by 394. Initially, the reduced positons were taken from programs and services outside of the classrooms such as administrators, custodians, security personnel, maintenance, and teacher experts. More recently, our reductions have touched the classrooms. This school year, there has been a reduction of more than 90 classroom positions. Next year, we are slated to lose an additional 50 classroom positions.
Transparent accountability is one of the ideals under which ASD operates. Being accountable and responsible means ASD operates efficiently and effectively. ASD education programs and innovative methods are scalable and we operate the District on staffing ratios and metrics. More specifically, staffing follows students and their needs. Next year, we will operate with a staffing ratio of 21 students to one teacher in kindergarten and 31-to-one in high school. These are ratios to place human resources in schools. With the loss of certificated personnel, our students experience higher class sizes as these are not classroom “caps,” but a way to equitably assign staffing to schools. If our enrollment decreases simply matched our losses, ASD would have only lost 38 positions — not the 300-plus.
Similar to building roads, drilling oil, watching a movie, and getting health care — we all know costs of services are greater in Alaska. Locally, our municipality supports its schools 100 percent. Through the state funding formula, Anchorage and its surrounding communities hold their schools in high regard.
Recently the House passed an increase of $100 to the Base Student Allocation (BSA). This is a recognition of the increasing costs of doing business in Alaska for our most precious resource, our children. Individual communities in Alaska cannot do the work alone. We know failure of public education will be felt in our collective communities in crime, reliance on government support, and higher health care costs. Alaska has work to do with student outcomes. In Anchorage, I take responsibility to find success for every student. Hold me accountable for the outcomes, but provide me the resources to do the hard work of improving our system, engaging our students and parents, and innovating our instruction.
Alaskans must work together to provide the best education for every child, in every school, every day. Alaska must operate with one heartbeat — from our state government, local communities and schools, to our lawmakers, educators, parents and students. We must find that sweet success Aristotle spoke of centuries ago.
Our state will only prosper when we place value on our actions and words so that our education system is strong. Provide school districts with the resources we need to educate Alaska’s children.
• Dr. Deena Bishop is the Anchorage School District Superintendent.
