Anchorage Schools’ Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt has been doing some soul-searching following the defeat of two education funding ballot measures earlier this year.
In April, voters narrowly rejected a $79.4 million school bond for facilities construction and upgrades, along with another measure that would have imposed a special property tax to fund educational operations. Both ballot props failed 50% to 49%, leaving the educational establishment to wonder why the public doesn’t support increased funding.
Bryantt is now regrouping for another go. His first step is to figure out how to best craft his messaging in order to better appeal to voters.
On Sept. 7, the school district launched the first in an ongoing series of surveys aimed at figuring out what parents and community members actually care about when it comes to public education.
“Last spring gave us a lot to reflect on as a school district,” Bryantt wrote in a Sept. 7 note to the Anchorage community. “The bond and education levy results were part of that, as were the conversations, questions, and feedback we heard from families, employees, students, and community members throughout the year.”
In particular, he noted that the public wants “clearer explanations, earlier engagement, and a better understanding of how feedback informs decisions” before they are willing to fork over more money.
“As I thought about what we heard, I kept coming back to a bigger question: trust,” Bryantt wrote. “Are we explaining difficult issues clearly enough? Are we listening early enough? Are we creating meaningful opportunities for people to help inform the conversation before major decisions are made?”
He admitted that the school district needs to rebuild, strengthen and earn the trust of the larger community.
His reflections failed to address many of the main criticisms that are driving students and parents away from the district and into homeschool and private education options. Issues like controversial curriculum, parental rights, LGBTQ agendas, chronically poor academic outcomes, explicit sex education, woke library policies and the district’s relentless push for DEI initiatives and critical race theory were not mentioned in Bryantt’s reflections.
But he does want to hear from parents and the wider community through a series of online surveys and meetings, which he coined, “ASD Listens: Reflect & Refocus.”
Ultimately, Bryantt claims he wants to learn how the district can communicate its priorities more effectively.
“Our approach is simple: Listen. Learn. Act. Report Back,” he explained.
Whether that means the district will report the actual hard data from the survey or merely summarize it to fit a preestablished narrative remains to be seen.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Bryantt’s project begins with his new “Community Values Survey,” which asks participants to “tell us what matters most, what we need to explain more clearly, and what would help strengthen trust.”
He notes that the survey deals with how the district spends money, how it decides when to shutter schools or open new ones, and what would help earn and strengthen trust.
“Trust isn’t rebuilt or strengthened through one survey, meeting, or letter. It’s built over time through what we do and whether we follow through,” Bryantt acknowledged.
The survey, which is open until Sept. 29, fails to mention many of the hot-button cultural issues that are driving families away from traditional brick-and-mortar schools. In order to touch on these subjects, survey participants must write their comments in the “other” categories at the end of each question.
Whether a series of surveys and meetings will be enough to win widespread support for more taxpayer funds for the district remains to be seen.
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to view and take the survey.
