Slash School Budget, Keep Arts: Ditch PD Days, Switch Health Plans

0:00It's April 28th. Welcome in. This is Anchorage News Today, where local news meets AI. A school district spacing a big budget crunch, pushing cuts to music programs and band while eyeing tax hikes. But one voice is calling out smarter fixes. Ditch the five professional development days teachers dread, saving $16 million right off the. Top without touching class sizes or teacher jobs. These PD days often feel like a waste. Treat playing board games like shoots and ladders instead of real training. Teachers show up mandatory, but it barely moves the needle on classroom skills. Folks are fed up, seeing vital arts programs on the chopping block while these low value days stick around. Cutting them keeps the school calendar intact and frees up cash for what matters, dodging backlash from parents and staff. Then there's health insurance, costing the district $28,800 per teacher yearly way over priced. Swap to marketplace plans at $800 a month for better coverage and for 2,200 teachers

1:02having costs saves another $30 million. Simple moves like these slash the deficit in half with upsides only, like stronger insurance and protected programs. Why chase taxes when the easy wins? Are right there?