The Kenai Peninsula Borough School district next month will host a series of budget development meetings, seeking input from staff, parents and community members, per a Monday release.

Meetings are set for Homer, Kenai and Seward, across two weeks. On Feb. 11, a meeting will be held in the Homer High School library. On Feb. 19, a meeting will be held in the Kenai Central High School library. On Feb. 20, a meeting will be held in the Seward High School library. All three meetings are set for 6 p.m.

The school district prepares budgets for fiscal years that run from July 1 to June 30. The school district has to provide their balanced budget to the Kenai Peninsula Borough by May 1.

At similar budget development meetings held in 2023, district staff shared information about the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, describing the budget deficit faced by the district and how that deficit might be overcome. At that meeting, KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes urged community members to tell their representatives in the Alaska Legislature what they wanted for school funding.

The school district last year, facing a deficit of $13.7 million, approved a budget with cuts to staffing positions, deferred payments for curriculum and equipment, and other impacts to extracurricular activities including closing pools and theaters. Those cuts were later reversed after one-time funding was secured by the Legislature, but KPBSD Board of Education President Zen Kelly then said he expects “a $17-plus million deficit” in the coming fiscal year.

The board of education next meets on Jan. 13.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.