The Anchorage School District is set to lose $3.3 million in federal grant money intended to support career and technical education, district leaders said Tuesday.
A Monday letter from the federal Department of Education notified the district that the money, under a federal Fostering Diverse Schools grant program, would not be disbursed.
“The Department has determined that continuation of this program is not in the best interest of the Federal Government,” stated the letter, “and that funds reserved for technical assistance and capacity building under the Title IV-A should be used for the School-Based Mental Health program that has been reworked to align with the Administration’s Priorities.”
According to ASD, the $3.3 million grant was funding the salaries of six full-time career and technical education teachers as well as eight academy coaches at each of the district’s comprehensive high schools.
The funding termination takes effect Sept. 30, and the district has seven days to appeal the decision, the letter said. The Education Department approved the district’s five-year grant, for over $14 million, in 2023.
In a report to the Anchorage School Board on Tuesday, Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt called the cancellation “unprecedented.”
“That’s not normal,” he said.
But Bryantt said the loss of funding will not jeopardize Career Academies or the Career Expo for freshmen on Sept. 26.
The Academies of Anchorage are an effort by the district to increase graduation rates by increasing access to career and technical education.
In an email to school board members and others Tuesday, Bryantt said the school district is reallocating resources to retain the six teacher positions.
“We are using the coming days to evaluate next steps for other impacted staff, such as Academy Coaches, and to chart a sustainable path forward,” Bryantt’s email said.
“If your child is in a CTE class, they’re going to be OK,” Bryantt said at the meeting.
The district employs over 50 career and technical education teachers in total.
Bryantt on Tuesday defended the effectiveness of the academies program, noting a 7% increase in freshmen on track to graduate after the implementation of the program last year.
“This is something that we need to be protecting,” Bryantt said. “We’re going to make sure that we do whatever it takes to protect our progress and protect our students.”
Bryantt said Tuesday that Alaska’s congressional delegation has agreed to write a letter in support of the district’s funding.