ASD discusses potential 2011 bonds

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Discussions on potential Anchorage School District bonds for next year are under way. At a special Anchorage School Board session Thursday night, members discussed renovating facilities and whether or not to bring a bond forward in April for voters to consider.

It's still in very early stages of discussion, but ASD Superintendent Carol Comeau says because there were no school bonds on last April's ballot, it's important to start brainstorming early.

A career and technology education bond was discussed because of the building limitations of those classes at middle and high schools. Other potential bonds include renovating portions of Service high and a school in Girdwood, as well as a bond to maintain the existing 100 facilities within the school district.

“Right now, we're focusing renovating our old buildings and expanding our capacities in middle school and high schools to deliver career and technical-education kinds of programs, because that is clearly a community priority and we know it works with a number of our students,” Comeau said.

The board also approved advance payments to pupil transportation services at Thursday’s meeting, as long as the payments don't exceed the value of the company's performance bond.

Contact Christine Kim at ckim@ktuu.com