The Kenai Peninsula Borough will fund schools to the maximum allowable amount after a 8-1 vote in favor Tuesday.
The move, first discussed on May 6, had been delayed multiple times while the Alaska Legislature and then Gov. Mike Dunleavy hashed out state education funding. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will receive less money from the state this year than it did last year after Dunleavy vetoed funding for schools in the state budget to below the amount defined in Alaska Statute.
Delaying the decision of what level to fund education also delayed action on the borough’s budget, which ultimately passed on the same 8-1 margin during the same meeting.
An amendment to increase the amount of funding in the budget for schools — from around $57 million to $62 million — was advanced by Brent Johnson.
Johnson said that it’s important to fund to the cap, “this particular year,” to retain educators, to maintain important programs and to continue the success already being shown by the local district. Schools should have music, sports and art, he said.
“Even if we fund to the cap, it’ll be inadequate,” he said. “But gosh, would you rather have inadequate funding or less than inadequate?”
Ryan Tunseth, the only member to vote against Johnson’s amendment and the borough’s budget, said that he wouldn’t support more funding to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District because he was unconvinced the increase would “save” anything.
The KPBSD Board of Education advanced a budget in April that describes deep cuts to programs, staffing and facilities while assuming full funding to the borough — at the $62 million number — and more money from the state than Dunleavy left in the budget. The board will meet again on June 26 to adjust their budget and suggest additional cuts to make up the deficit from Dunleavy’s cut — but now won’t have to adjust for less funding from the borough than they expected.
At full funding, Tunseth said, schools will still be closed. Programs will still be cut. People will still lose their jobs. He pointed to the failure of the state to provide adequate funding as the real problem — “if we fund to the cap … all of these same issues that we’re talking about still exist and they will all be back better than ever next year.”
James Baisden, another member of the assembly, spoke similarly, though he voted in favor of the amendment because he said the borough can afford it this year.
“You’re not going to get more teachers,” he said. “Schools are going to get closed. Pools are going to get closed. This money is not going to help. You’re going to get it this year because we have it in the fund balance, but I’m afraid you’re still going to be sad you’re not going to get the things that you think you are.”
Member Tyson Cox said students will miss out on opportunities and they will lose things that keep them attending their classes. He said he supported the increase to do everything he can to mitigate “the disaster.”
The district can’t wait until the Alaska Legislature can reconvene in December and consider an override of Dunleavy’s veto, Cox said.
“How many teachers will be gone by Christmastime?” he asked. “We will not be able to replace them … we’re going to have empty positions.”
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche spoke in opposition to the amendment. He’s said repeatedly that the borough cannot afford to fund education to the maximum allowable amount over a long period of time and that the Kenai Peninsula Borough provides a greater contribution to its schools than other comparable boroughs in the state. He said Tuesday that the borough will be paying more for its schools than the state does by the end of the decade under the current trend.
“That was never designed to be the case, for municipalities to spend more on education voluntarily than what the state is required to do constitutionally,” he said.
On Tuesday, Micciche repeated that the pressure and the onus needs to be on the state to fund education adequately, but also that the KPBSD needs to consolidate its operations and meet the challenge of declining student populations.
After the amendment to raise the borough contribution to schools was passed, Tunseth said that he’d heard it said that he is “the guy that doesn’t support education.” He said he would “double down” on that reputation. He promised that, if the school district makes any more cuts next year, he will introduce a resolution to fund the district to the minimum allowable amount and request a professional review of the district’s operations.
A full recording of the assembly meeting is available at kpb.legistar.com.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
