Fairbanks North Star Borough School District work session, date not confirmed yet
2 h 31 min
Click any moment below to jump the video to that second. Video length 2 h 31 min.
This board doesn’t post agenda times.
What happened
What happened at this meeting
Administration recommends denial of STEAM charter school application 39:41
- District administrators presented a review of a STEAM charter school application, covering the educational proposal, implementation and sustainability, and district-wide considerations. 4:22
- The administration said the anticipated district-wide financial and operational impacts outweigh the potential benefits and recommended denial of the '27-'28 application, citing Board Policy 935.1. 39:41
- Board members then asked questions about staffing, enrollment caps, the budget and the facility lease. 49:44
- It was announced that the board expected to take up the charter application as an action item at its regular meeting on November 3rd. 2:28:30
Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →
Item by item (14)
- Opening and meeting format 3:23
- Morgan Dulian called the October 27th, 2026, school board work session to order and read a land acknowledgement and the mission statement. 3:26
- After roll call, a speaker announced the board has a quorum. 4:16
- Morgan Dulian said the presentation would be given in full before board questions and that 3 hours had been calendared for the meeting. 4:22
- Student achievement and enrollment context 5:36
- The presenter said district enrollment decreased by approximately 19% over the past decade while boroughwide correspondence enrollment increased by 143%. 5:36
- A presenter said reading proficiency in grades 3 through 9 on MAP increased from 55% to 70% over the last 3 years, while math remained relatively stable at 58%. 8:05
- The presenter said births have decreased by 26% since 2015. 15:03
- Review of application sections 15:20
- A presenter said the application identifies a minimum enrollment of 150 students, a target of 352 and a maximum of 468. 15:20
- The presenter said the charter budget provides 1 custodial position at $50,000 for a nearly 63,000-square-foot facility, while one district custodian would cost approximately $100,000. 23:26
- Fiscal impact and transportation 28:33
- A district staff member said the projected allotment to the charter would total $3.98 million at the target enrollment of 352. 28:33
- The staff member said the net fiscal impact to the district would be $2.84 million, with an ongoing impact of $2.67 million a year after the one-time grant ends. 33:45
- The staff member said transportation would likely be limited to a morning shuttle from one or 2 schools and is not guaranteed. 37:39
- District-wide considerations and recommendation 39:41
- Questions on support staffing and budget versions 48:58
- Loa Carroll-Hubbard asked staff to review which positions were missing, and a speaker said the most recent budget has no counselor, no student behavior support technicians and no charter assistants, and eliminated the health assistant position. 49:44
- One board member asked who would seek grants and said there would be concern about sustainability if the APC did so as APC members change. 51:35
- Timothy Doran asked whether version 3 is the budget under consideration, and a speaker said it is the most recent budget received. 54:38
- Causes of declining enrollment 54:55
- Timothy Doran asked whether any information indicates declining enrollment is due to dissatisfaction. 54:55
- A speaker said nothing in the application says dissatisfaction is why people have left. 57:58
- A district staff member said over 80% of families regularly rate the schools at an A or B average on an annual climate survey. 58:56
- Neighborhood school staffing and enrollment projections 1:01:27
- Loa Carroll-Hubbard asked whether the district would still need about the same number of teachers at neighborhood schools plus the new positions, and a staff member said it could have exactly that impact. 1:04:34
- Robert Burgess asked how the projection of 68 new students was reached, and a speaker said it came from spring applications the APC collected. 1:07:28
- A district staff member said the numbers are optimistic and the impact could likely be much higher than $2.84 million. 1:11:46
- Enrollment cap and class ratios 1:12:26
- Morgan Dulian asked whether the APC is clearly capping enrollment at 352 and what the grade band caps are. 1:12:48
- A speaker said the APC did not share a cap and that the speaker would not recommend approving language letting the APC and principal change the PTR. 1:14:22
- Naomi Hewitt asked whether charter schools must use district custodians, and a speaker said they are allowed to hire whomever. 1:16:49
- Building capacity and split classes 1:17:12
- Audra Hull asked whether 85% capacity or higher is when a school runs most efficiently, and a staff member said that is accurate. 1:17:12
- A staff member said schools under capacity see an increase in split-level classrooms. 1:17:53
- Audra Hull asked whether the district expects to lose students next year, and a staff member said a decline would be anticipated. 1:20:08
- Achievement investments and cohort model 1:20:59
- Timothy Doran asked how district investments in tutors, student supports and lower PTR help student achievement. 1:21:43
- A staff member described before-school care, band and orchestra, and tutors at every school. 1:23:04
- Loa Carroll-Hubbard asked what happens to the third first grade class, and a speaker said the APC described a larger cohort moving through while remaining at a total of 352. 1:29:09
- Reading intervention, goals and facility lease 1:36:31
- A staff member said there were concerns about the school's ability to run Walk to Read with the proposed staffing. 1:37:05
- One board member raised the 5-year lease against the 10-year charter and said there was no interest in taking on a new building. 1:42:38
- A district staff member said it would not be the recommendation to accept the building back. 1:47:11
- Charter budget, district finances and contract 1:47:58
- A speaker said an equipment line item of $10,000 would not cover staff computers. 1:55:01
- A staff member said that if all other factors remained the same as 2027 and the one-time funds and payments were removed, the net deficit would be $1.66 million, to be covered by fund balance or potentially cut from the budget. 1:59:18
- A staff member recommended that the charter decision come first and a contract be brought back later for a ratification vote. 2:02:56
- Board questions and comments 2:07:52
- Loa Carroll-Hubbard asked how many meetings the administration held with the APC between November 1st of '25 and October 1st of '26, and a speaker said zero. 2:08:09
- One board member said it was troubling and that the board was looking at an incomplete application. 2:08:49
- It was announced that the board expected to take up the charter application as an action item on November 3rd, and the work session was adjourned. 2:28:30
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
Who spoke
Who spoke
We can’t yet tell who is speaking at this board’s meetings.
Video: posted by the district as “2026-10-27 | Board Work Session: Pearl Creek STEAM- Presentation by Administration”