The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and the Board of Education will hold discussions next week on a draft budget that includes cuts to programs and staffing and continue the conversation over possible school closures.
According to an agenda published Wednesday, the school board’s finance committee will meet at 11 a.m. on Monday in Homer to discuss responses to the Balancing Act software — which offered a gamified version of the district’s budget that users could balance themselves before submitting their attempt as feedback to the board — as well as review budget reduction scenarios.
The district is facing a $17 million deficit and has a remaining unassigned fund balance of only $300,000, which district administration has described as less than a day’s operating budget. They’ve pointed to stagnant funding from the state in the face of significant inflationary pressure as driving budget deficits repeatedly in recent years.
The draft budget describes deep potential cuts that could be enacted to staffing, including an increase in the pupil-to-teacher ratio in all grade levels and complete elimination of many positions, alongside reductions in days worked by pool managers and theater technicians. It also describes cuts to school supplies, ice rental for hockey, and closures to Ninilchik Pool and Susan B. English Pool.
The various cuts described in the document total over $10 million, but fall short of the $17 million the district is seeking.
A line item included in the budget without a value attached is “school closures.” At 3:30 p.m., the board is set to continue a discussion that it began in February, exploring possible closures for nine schools including Homer Middle School, McNeil Canyon Elementary School, Moose Pass School, Nikiski Middle/High School, Nikolaevsk School, Paul Banks Elementary School, Seward Middle School, Sterling Elementary School and Tustumena Elementary School.
A report included in the agenda resembles the one previously considered by the board, but includes more information about possible impacts for student transportation times, school capacity, and outstanding deferred maintenance at each building. Some of the closures originally proposed, like Seward Middle, do not “appear viable at this time” because Seward High lacks the space to absorb that school’s population.
The board will discuss the possible closures on Monday. The report says they should take a “strategic, phased approach” to any school closures, while weighing both “immediate impacts and long-term sustainability.” It also says that closures of schools this coming fiscal year can provide “immediate cost savings and help address enrollment and budget challenges,” and that “the remaining schools under review should be considered as part of a phased approach over the next two to three years.”
The board will meet Monday in the Homer High School Theater, from 10 a.m. until after the 6 p.m. regular meeting has concluded. The meeting can also be viewed on Zoom. A link to the livestream and the supporting documents can be found at the KPBSD BoardDocs website.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
