ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – In the wake of a pair of failed ballot referendums and staring down the barrel of a $90 million deficit, the Anchorage School Board is enacting sweeping cuts for the 2027 fiscal year, with music and arts departments among the most severely impacted.
According to the slide show presented to the Anchorage School Board during their work session Tuesday, the new budget brings with it “reduced access to elective classes including art, music, world language and immersion, and career technical education,” as well as the elimination of the assistant director of fine arts position.
While exact numbers of staff to be let go and programs to be reduced or eliminated aren’t yet fully known, the cuts are already unpopular among some educators, students, and members of the community…