Kenai Peninsula school board members are again putting their heads together to decide which budget cuts, if any, they should reverse in the face of a possible funding boost from the state.
State lawmakers put $144 million in bonus funding for K-12 schools in the state operating budget approved last month. Of that, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District would get around $9.5 million, including an almost $2 million energy relief payment that will go into the district’s general fund.
The group’s finance committee convened Monday morning in Soldotna ahead of the board’s regular meeting. Sarah Douthit chairs that committee and outlined the group’s objective.
“We have, hypothetically, some additional funding that we could use to help add programs, restore programs, and that's something that we're kind of here to talk about today,” she said. “Again, nothing is for sure, but we would like to at least have an idea of where we're going to possibly go if this funding becomes a reality.”
If approved, the extra funding will come months after the board passed its budget. The plan cut more than $11 million in spending, including by closing four schools and school pools, eliminating librarians and slashing funding for programs like distance education and middle college.
The board has pledged to reverse some of those cuts with money from the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Borough assembly members voted to give the district around $3.3 million more than was expected. With that, the school board plans to restore librarian positions and keep class sizes the same.
On Monday, board members had different ideas for what the bonus state money should be used for if it comes through. The group ultimately coalesced around a few areas for restored funding: custodian work days, library aide positions and the district’s middle college program.
Mica VanBuskirk, who represents the eastern peninsula, pushed for the addition of a part-time theater technician for Seward schools. She says the school district isn’t a bank and that the board should use the money it has.
“If we've got some money this year, that could impact children's lives and education for this year,” she said. “Because every single year we have children in our schools who need that support, and if we have the money to do something, even if it's just one year, my opinion is that we use all of that to do what we can to directly affect the outcomes of our students.”
But others cautioned against spending money now that the district isn’t guaranteed to get in the future. Here’s Sterling representative Kelley Cizek.
“I think that we need to try to not create the same scenario that we did last year by adding all the goodies back and then finding ourselves in the exact same boat being forced to make decisions that are driven by the lack of maybe what one-time funding will look like next year,” she said.
At the beginning of this year’s budget cycle, the school district forecast an $8.5 million shortfall if it wanted to maintain status quo operations. Last budget cycle, it was $17 million short.
Even this year, extra state money isn’t guaranteed. Gov. Mike Dunleavy hasn’t signed the state’s operating budget yet, and he could veto some or all of the money. That’s something Superintendent Clayton Holland is worried about.
“We all have a desire to do something big, but I know we'll be right back here again next year with the one-time funding,” Holland said.
Once Dunleavy receives the Alaska Legislature’s operating budget, he has 15 days to take action. The current fiscal year ends on June 30.
