Kodiak Island Borough School District is starting its school closure discussions tomorrow (Tuesday) at its Board of Education’s work session.
Main and North Star Elementary schools are both on the chopping block. The district’s superintendent is expected to present which one she will recommend to close as officials address an $8 million budget deficit.
The district has a few key dates for discussion before it anticipates a board decision:
- Jan. 7, staff will present their recommendation which school to close in its central office at 6:30 p.m.
- Jan. 8, the district will open a survey for community feedback on its website.
- Jan. 13, there will be a Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m., but does not have a location yet.
- Jan. 16, the school board will have a public budget retreat at the central office at 6:30 p.m.
- Jan. 20, the board is expected to make a final decision which school it will close, if any, at its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
KMXT plans to broadcast all of the public meetings on 100.1 FM, on our app, and on our website.
Kodiak would be the latest among several districts to close schools in recent years, joining districts in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. The cuts are partly due to declining enrollment and flat funding from the state government.
The last significant permanent increase to the state’s education funding formula was in 2017, with the state government only approving one-time funding boosts since. [WEB: The state did approve a slight increase for the Alaska Reads Act though.]
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy did not include an increase for education funding in a draft budget ahead of the Legislative Session, which starts on Jan. 21.
