District overview
Annette Island School District
How Annette Island School District is funded, governed, and what changed this year
Where does AISD's money come from?
Annette Island School District sits entirely on the Annette Islands Reserve, land held for the Metlakatla Indian Community rather than taxed like an ordinary Alaska city or borough. That leaves the district with almost no local tax revenue: in the most recent complete federal fiscal-year data (2020), local sources supplied about 1% of AISD's budget, versus roughly 59% from federal sources (chiefly the federal Impact Aid program, which compensates districts for untaxable federal/tribal land) and 40% from Alaska's state per-student formula (the Base Student Allocation, or BSA). That mix makes AISD unusually exposed to Washington and Juneau budget fights rather than to local ballot measures. In 2025, both fights hit at once: the state BSA had gone years without a real increase, and a federal 'Forest Receipts' payment the district was counting on stalled in Congress. The district responded by cutting 15 staff positions through attrition, trimming travel budgets, and introducing new student fees for the first time. Governance runs on a separate track: AISD is run by a five-member Board of Education filled by community election (the district's own December 2025 board record documents re-elected members being sworn in) rather than by appointment from the Metlakatla Indian Community's tribal council, though the board and the Community coordinate formally, including a March 2026 memorandum of understanding.
No local tax base to fall back on
The Annette Islands Reserve isn't part of any borough and isn't property-taxed the way most Alaska school funding areas are, so local revenue covered roughly 1% of the district's budget in the most recent complete federal data (FY2020).
Federal Impact Aid is the largest single source
Federal sources supplied roughly 59% of AISD's revenue in FY2020, well above the roughly 40% from Alaska's state per-student formula. The district's July 2025 letter to families says its main federal source, Impact Aid, was not affected by that year's funding fights.
The state BSA fight has a direct dollar impact
The district told families that every $100 increase in Alaska's Base Student Allocation is worth roughly $100,000 to AISD district-wide, and used the state legislature's eventual $700 BSA increase to fund a 1.5% raise for certified staff in 2025-26.
A stalled federal payment forced cuts
Federal 'Secure Rural Schools' ('Forest Receipts') funding, worth up to roughly $500,000 to AISD, was left out of the March 2025 federal budget; as of July 2025 the district had received only $13,000 of that.
None of this means AISD is in fiscal distress. The district's own letter says the FY26 budget was built specifically to protect its unreserved fund balance, its main federal funding source (Impact Aid) was unaffected by either funding fight, and the cuts made so far were attrition (not hiring back vacated positions), not layoffs.
Where the district stands
Across one elementary, one middle, and one high school; not a figure from a document collected for this district.
Chiefly federal Impact Aid, which compensates districts for untaxable federal/tribal land; local sources were about 1% the same year.
Election administrator and term lengths are not established by collected records; see the Local Votes tab.
AISD publishes a recap ('Board Meeting Highlights') after most meetings rather than verbatim minutes or agendas; not every calendar month has a posted recap.
Major projects
Distance-learning and telemedicine equipment (USDA RUS-DLT grant)
Vendor procurement stageAISD was awarded a USDA grant to install classroom video-conferencing systems, replacing aging projectors and letting the remote district bring in distance instruction and telemedicine/mental-health services without the cost of flying professionals to Metlakatla.
- RFP issued for video-conferencing equipment and installation
- Vendor proposals due
- Contract term ends (or completion of the project, if earlier)
Funding
USDA Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning & Telemedicine grant (federal)
FY27 (2026-27) operating budget
AdoptedThe board adopted its 2026-27 operating budget in April 2026, following the FY26 budget cuts described above; the district's certified-staff pay schedule shows a further 1% raise built into FY27.
- First reading
- Second reading and adoption
Funding
State Base Student Allocation, federal Impact Aid, and local revenue
Cell phone policy (BP 5138)
Proposed — first reading onlyThe board began the adoption process for a district cell phone policy in December 2025. Collected records don't describe what the policy would require, and there's no record yet of a second reading.
- First reading before the board
Funding
N/A (policy change)
Board and district records collected from AISD's public document library (Apptegy/Thrillshare document API) covering roughly the trailing 12 months. AISD does not currently post verbatim minutes or agendas for most meetings; its 'Board Meeting Highlights' recaps are the closest official record and are cited throughout. Enrollment and revenue-mix figures come from federal NCES/Urban Institute data because no per-pupil budget document was found in the collected corpus.
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