AEA Written Testimony
On behalf of the 3,000 members of the Anchorage Education Association (AEA), the AEA Board of Directors respectfully requests that you increase the District’s health benefit subsidy (contribution) for your AEA-certified educators.
This request is independent of ongoing negotiations. It reflects a clear reality: ASD’s current health benefit contribution for AEA members remains significantly lower than what other employee groups receive. ASD’s own data show that the District continues to provide contributions well above the negotiated rates for TOTEM, ACE, principals, exempt employees, and other bargaining units participating in the ASD Health Plan program.
Exhibits 1–4 clearly document the contracts you, the ASD School Board, negotiated and approved in past meetings.
- TOTEM: Expires in July 2027 with a negotiated health benefit contribution of $1900.
- ACE: Expires in July 2027 with a negotiated health benefit contribution of $1900.
- APA: Expires in July 2026 with a negotiated health benefit contribution of $1850.
- Food Service: Approved by the school board on Oct 7, 2025 with a negotiated health benefit contribution of $2050.
On April 8, 2025, ASD Leadership presented ASD health benefit plan data to the School Board during a work session. In that presentation, slide 18 (Exhibit 5) outlined the District’s and participants’ projected health plan contributions. Two key points can be drawn from that slide:
- For the 2024–25 school year, ASD projected a contribution of $2,050 per participant per month—well above the negotiated rate of $1,900 in current contracts.
- For the 2025–26 school year, ASD projected an even higher contribution of $2,167 per participant per month, again exceeding the negotiated amount.
While slide 18 reflected projections, subsequent data provided by ASD show that the District actually contributed approximately $2,090 per participant per month during the 2024–25 school year—surpassing even the initial estimate.
These figures make one thing clear: ASD is already contributing well above the negotiated rates. Therefore, certificated educators should receive the same health benefit contribution as other ASD staff, ensuring fairness, consistency, and equity across all employee groups.
Furthermore, the School Board diverted more than $10 million from the general fund to bail out the ASD Health Plan-an extraordinary step underscoring both the plan’s financial strain and the District’s ongoing attempt to sustain it.
- Exhibit 6: School Board Memo
- Exhibit 7: School Board Memo
This practice of contributing above negotiated rates is not new. As far back as the 2021–22 school year, ASD’s own data showed that the District was already paying hundreds of dollars more per participant than the contractual contribution amounts for bargaining units participating in the ASD Health Plan. (Exhibit 8.)
Today, your certificated educators are facing intense financial strain. To uphold fairness and consistency across all employee groups, ASD must extend the same $2,167 monthly health benefit contribution to its educators. Continuing the current practice erodes trust and undermines the value of negotiated agreements.
We urge you to act before the November paycheck. Financial hardship affects every aspect of an educator’s life-and, ultimately, the learning conditions and success of Anchorage’s students.
Sincerely,
Anchorage Education Association Board of Directors