OPINION: ASD is failing low-income families and communities of color

The Anchorage School District is in a significant funding crisis. This funding crisis is not a result of anything that ASD did wrong. The blame for this funding crisis falls in the lap of the state government and its failure to prioritize funding for our youth. In recent years, ASD has proposed a plan called “rightsizing,” which involves closing, consolidating or repurposing elementary schools in our community. Amid this crisis, I am not against the rightsizing plan, because you need bold plans to escape it. However, I oppose ASD placing the burden of this crisis on the backs and shoulders of people of color or low-income families.

In this round of rightsizing announcements, more than 50% of schools listed to be closed, consolidated or repurposed are Title I schools, which are in neighborhoods with high levels of people living at or below a certain income level — in many cases, these are schools that also have high numbers of students of color. In 2022, when ASD first announced the plan to close schools, they nominated six elementary schools, ultimately leading to only Abbott Loop Elementary School being closed. The majority of those schools were Title I schools as well. Title I is additional money from the federal government provided to schools with a high percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Title I schools are in communities with the most needs associated with them, but it seems that does not matter to ASD. By sending these youth to schools outside of neighborhoods, ASD is assuming that those parents, grandparents or other family members have the means and transportation to get their children to these new schools. Why is the burden of this crisis being placed on our backs? Why is this crisis not being felt in our affluent communities?

As of today, ASD is in the process of building a brand-new school building in the highly affluent Inlet View neighborhood. ASD went through two ballot initiatives to convince the Anchorage community to pay for this new school building while simultaneously trying to convince the same community that they are in a financial crisis. Would it not have made more financial sense to close Inlet View School and send those young people to the surrounding schools in that area?

In 2022, there was no discussion about building a brand-new school for the Abbott Loop community. Why is it that in affluent neighborhoods, they do not get their schools “rightsized,” but they are going to get a new school? Why is this crisis not equally divided among all communities? We need an independent commission to study this crisis and make formal policy recommendations. We cannot leave this decision up to ASD anymore. They have already been shown to cater to the needs of the most affluent communities or are afraid to get into a fight with them. I am not against rightsizing but against inequality in this process and recommendations.

Francisco Mercado has lived in Anchorage since 2011 and worked for years in the nonprofit sector serving young people in the community.

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