This budget timeline calendar combines important dates for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education, the Borough Assembly, and State of Alaska legislature and Office of the Governor.
It will be updated when additional dates are available. Current version: 1.10.20
PDF version: Education Funding Calendar for FY21 (2020-2021) school year
At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, KPBSD school principals and district leadership will meet with families, staff, school site councils, and the public after a live video-streamed presentation from the district to 20 school sites.
This budget meeting is the autumn opportunity to involve everyone in this important process. The annual budget for the district and its 42 diverse schools is the foundation for quality instruction and school culture, ensuring all learners can pursue their dreams in a rigorous, relevant, and responsive environment.
School Site-Councils, parents, staff, students, business partners, community members, and elected officials—everyone is invited to participate.
To prepare for November 12, kindly review this information online before participating in the meeting so time at the meeting is not needed to do so, then bring your questions and comments to the meeting:
Participant input will be synthesized and presented to the KPBSD school board during future board meetings and work sessions.
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Seward High School Principal, Trevan Walker, Seward Middle School Principal, Jenny Martin, William H. Seward Elementary School Principal, Alan Haskins, district administration, and the school board request your thoughts and input about potentially consolidating Seward Middle School (6-8) into Seward High School (9-12), and William H. Seward Elementary (6th). No decisions have been made, and your thoughts are valuable.
Exploring the difficult concept of school consolidations or closures is a challenging task. However, with fiscal uncertainty at the state and borough levels, it is an act of due diligence to have the conversations in order to learn community concerns and thoughts, and share with families and staff. In that light, KPBSD is being proactive to explore a number of possibilities to meet potentially significant funding cuts in all areas of our district, including southern, central, and eastern peninsula schools.
A community meeting for families, students, and staff will be April 11, 2019, at 6:30 PM, in the William H. Seward Elementary School. The meeting will be hosted by the school principals and Dr. Christine Ermold, KPBSD Director of Human Resources and Professional Development.
Seward Survey: Parent, student, and staff survey is open April 9 – 16, 2019 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/27PHGPS
Timing of any potential school consolidations in the Seward or Homer areas is unknown, and at this time, school closures or consolidations would be dependent upon funding from the state in FY20 and beyond. It is unlikely that school closures would occur in the Seward or Homer area as fast as the 2019-2020 school year, unless the Governor’s proposed budget stands.
Link: School consolidation discussions webpage and report
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Homer High School Principal Doug Waclawski, Homer Middle School Principal Kari Dendurent, district administration, and the school board request your thoughts and input about potentially consolidating Homer Middle School and Homer High School. No decisions have been made, and your thoughts are valuable.
Exploring the difficult concept of school consolidations or closures is a challenging task. However, with fiscal uncertainty at the state and borough levels, it is an act of due diligence to have the conversations in order to learn community concerns and thoughts, and share with families and staff. In that light, KPBSD is being proactive to explore a number of possibilities to meet potentially significant funding cuts in all areas of our district, including southern, central, and eastern peninsula schools.
A community meeting for families, students, and staff will be April 15, 2019, 6:00 p.m., Homer High School Commons. The meeting will be hosted by the school principals and Mr. John Pothast, KPBSD Director of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Homer Survey: Parent, student, and staff survey is open April 9 – 16, 2019
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2TJG85C
Timing of any potential school consolidations in the Seward or Homer areas is unknown, and at this time, school closures or consolidations would be dependent upon funding from the state in FY20 and beyond. It is unlikely that school closures would occur in the Seward or Homer area as fast as the 2019-2020 school year, unless the Governor’s proposed budget stands.
Link: School consolidation discussions webpage and report
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Soldotna High School Principal Graham, Soldotna Prep Principal Schmidt, district administration, and the school board request your thoughts and input about consolidating Soldotna Prep School (9th grade) and Soldotna High School (10th-12th grade) beginning with the school year beginning August 20, 2019.
Current reality
Enrollment is declining at Soldotna Prep and Soldotna High School, so both schools will lose teaching staff in the 2019-2020 school year. In addition to declining enrollment, the current state budget deficit in Alaska will require the KPBSD to adjust high school staffing formulas—raise the Pupil-to-Teacher Ratio (PTR)—which will increase class sizes and reduce teaching staff at both schools.
Academic offerings
To retain essential elective offerings for 9th-12th grade students in Soldotna, and ease the teaching position reductions, Principal Schmidt and Principal Graham believe that now is time to move Soldotna ninth grade students into Soldotna High School. This move would create an economy of scale that will lessen the amount of staff reductions and allow for more core and elective offerings for Soldotna 9th – 12th grade students.
Savings to budget
Moving Soldotna Prep 9th grade students into Soldotna High School, relocating River City Academy (RCA), and closing the building that houses Soldotna Prep and RCA will result in an approximate $630,000 overall annual savings to the district budget expenditures. This savings would come from reduced building operations and personnel costs to operate the current building housing two schools.
Soldotna High School and Soldotna Prep School consolidation meeting
April 11, 2019, meeting, 6:00 PM,
Soldotna High School Auditorium
A community meeting for Soldotna High School, Soldotna Prep School, incoming 9th grade students for the school year beginning in August, and community members, families, and staff will be April 11, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. in the Soldotna High School auditorium. The meeting will be hosted by the school principals and John O’Brien, KPBSD assistant superintendent of instruction.
Survey: Parent, student, and staff survey is open from April 4 – 12, 2019
Kindly participate in the survey to share your thoughts, and participate in the potential fast-track action that will benefit the educational opportunity for our Soldotna area teens.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZVY7YLR
Tony Graham, Soldotna High School principal:
“We want to provide the best experiences and most opportunities for the students. With the likelihood of an increase to high school pupil-to-teacher ratio and loss of staffing, it will hinder our ability to provide a 10th -12th grade quality education. However, because of economy of scale and staffing formulas, a consolidation with Soldotna Prep 9th grade house would allow us to maintain offerings for 9th -12th grade students that will give them the ability to have a full and rich high school experience preparing them for their future.”
Curt Schmidt, Soldotna Prep School principal:
“Research tells us that ninth grade is the most critical point to intervene and prevent students from losing motivation, failing, and-or dropping out of school. At Soldotna Prep (and through partnership with Soldotna High School) we have done an excellent job to create a school that consistently leads to increasing graduation rates for ninth graders. However, faced with the near certainty of reduced staffing (due to declining enrollment and a loss of state and local funding) our community may be facing a scenario where our school district can no longer support Soldotna Prep in a standalone environment. Under these unfortunate circumstances, we have reached a tipping point that requires us to examine consolidation with Soldotna High School if we are to continue to offer education programming that includes a broad variety of electives, effective intervention programs, and utilizes proven strategies that we know motivate and encourage 9th grade student success.”
Sarge Truesdell, Skyview Middle School principal:
“At Skyview Middle School we created a high school academic schedule with a middle school climate. We use this two-year transition from elementary to high school as a learning experience in preparation for the demands and the rigor of the high school. Over the past five years, the ninth grade Soldotna Prep School has helped our students by intervening during this critical first year of high school. The data has shown that Soldotna Prep School has helped raise graduation rates and success for ninth grade students in the Soldotna area. With the uncertainty of the state budget and declining enrollment, the school district may no longer be able to provide this standalone ninth grade school. If consolidating the Prep School into Soldotna High School is necessary to broaden the elective, intervention, and advanced options for our ninth graders, then I am confident Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Graham, and their teachers will use the strategies and successful ninth grade model to make sure our students are successful in a 9th – 12th grade high school.”
Dawn Edwards-Smith, River City Academy (RCA) principal:
“I’ve discussed with our students and parents the possible closure of the Soldotna Prep building, and the potential need for RCA to move. The district is working to find us a location, should we need it. In the eleven years I have been at RCA, we have moved a number of times. In each of those new spaces, we have built positive partnerships and used the opportunity to evolve. At RCA, we value improving our work through revision or iteration cycles. Changing location or changing space is just one more way to iterate how we do business. With each move, we have maintained our central mission, core values, positive school climate and family atmosphere.”
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News Release: Your Voice is Needed
Community schools, sports and activities, and effective class sizes are critical to continue successful outcomes for K-12 schools on the Kenai Peninsula. In February, the Governor proposed a budget substitute for the 2019-2020 school year that will result in a cut of $22.4 million from KPBSD schools.
However, the Governor and state legislators want to hear from you about that proposed budget before it is set in stone. Therefore, now is the time to join the conversation and contribute to positive outcomes for our young people through these opportunities to speak up about what you value in schools and education funding:
“One thing is clear, in order to be successful, we must have the engagement and support of the Alaskan people.”
– Governor Michael J. Dunleavy
“Cuts and efficiencies are possible and necessary, but these proposed reductions would have significant impacts on elders and youth, rural and urban residents, and every facet of our economy. Because of this stark reality, all budget decisions must be informed by input from people across our state.”
– House Speaker Bryce Edgmon
*KDLL 91.9 FM public radio will stream these events live.
District administration, principals, and the Board of Education identified cuts that will be necessary if the Governor’s proposed budget is adopted. This list is $5 million shy of the proposed $22.4 million cut.
Links
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Six state legislators represent Kenai Peninsula Borough Schools
PDF Flyer to print: Kenai Peninsula legislators
Links
In addition to this list, $5 million further in cuts would be needed to meet the deficit the Governor’s proposed budget would create for the KPBSD.
State funding reductions link to how much the Borough can fund education for the school district, which results in an even further reduction to education funding to KPBSD.
Current bills before the legislature may also affect Borough revenue if passed, which would affect Borough revenue, and create an even larger deficit.
Links
In March, you have several opportunities to become informed, and advocate for K-12 education funding. Events are happening at local schools, in communities, with the school district, the borough assembly, at town halls, and with hearings of bills in Juneau.
Monday, March 4, 2019
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
*Public opportunity to testify to the Senate State Affairs committee
To balance the FY20 state budget, the Governor has proposed the State of Alaska cut $20.9 million in funding to Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools.
Public testimony limited to one minute:
1. In person: at the Capitol, 2nd Floor, Butrovich Room
2. Legislative Information Offices: Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, Fairbanks, Kenai
3. Call in: you may call in starting at 5:30 PM to get in the “queue”
From Juneau: 586-9085
From Anchorage: 563-9085
From all other locations: 844-856-9085
more info., and link to listen online: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/
LINKS
To balance the FY20 state budget, the Governor has proposed the State of Alaska cut $20.9 million in funding to Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools.
