Anchorage School District receives funding to tear down Ursa Major Elementary School

During the Anchorage School Board meeting Tuesday night, the board unanimously approved a $5.7 million grant from the United States Department of Defense to demolish a school on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and design the replacement buildings.

Ursa Major Elementary School, located on the Fort Richardson side of JBER, closed in 2022 after an investigation found significant safety issues in its integral structure. PND Engineers, Inc. cited damage from the 1964 and 2018 earthquakes. They concluded that the school, built 72 years ago, was not structurally safe.

Due to the extensive seismic repairs needed, the school board found the cheapest option for the school is a complete replacement. According to the school district, the total cost will be approximately $55.6 million.

The Public Schools on Military Installation program will provide a grant of $5,780,082 to help with the demolition and design of the school, and the Anchorage School District will contribute $1,445,018. According to a project report in February, the school district plans to demolish the school during this upcoming school year.

When the design for the new school is at least 65% complete, the board will need to apply for another federal grant for construction costs. This will allow the district to estimate the construction costs more accurately.

The school district plans to pay $11.25 million for demolishing and building a new Ursa Major Elementary School.

Close to 400 students from Kindergarten through sixth grade were attending Ursa Major. When the school closed in 2022, the district transferred the students to the other three elementary schools on base: Aurora Elementary, Orion Elementary and Ursa Minor Elementary.

The school also served as a polling location for those on base. Ursa Minor Elementary will be the new polling location for House District 18 voters in the upcoming election.