Kodiak Island Borough School District’s central office was packed for Tuesday evening’s school board work session. So much so that they opened a second room for more people to watch live or line up for public comment. Both rooms were remarkably tense.
Dozens of people spoke at the Board of Education’s work session, largely in favor of taking Main Elementary, just outside downtown, off the chopping block – including some kids.
“My name is Iris and I’m in fifth grade at Main,” she said at the work session. “I’ve gone to Main since Kindergarten and even though I’ll be going to middle school next year, I don’t want Main to close. My little sister will be in third grade next year, and I want her to be able to go to Main.”
Main was spared a closure recommendation, at least for now. Instead, the district’s superintendent, Cyndy Mika, listed closing North Star Elementary, just north of town, as Option A. Cutting Peterson Elementary, near the Coast Guard’s Base Kodiak, was listed as Option B.
She said there’s two reasons why she chose those two for potential closures as opposed to Main.
“One was the density study of students,” Mika told KMXT in an interview. “The majority of our students live closer to this downtown area. And the second one was walkability for families.”
She said keeping Main open means more people will have an easier time to engage in school activities like clubs or conferences.
But it still doesn’t mean the school is safe.
“It was a tough decision to make, and now the board has the tough decision on their shoulders – they ultimately are the decision makers,” Mika said. “I don’t have a vote, I just make the recommendations.”
The board also has Option C – making their own plan.
Some people questioned whether closing a school had to be an option. Mark Anthony Vizcocho, a Filipino community leader, pointed out there are several groups and people who are quick to help come up with solutions, especially in a crisis.
“I know that as Kodiak, we can come up with a better solution,” he said to the board. “And closing a school down – I don’t think it’s going to be the best solution for us. Now, if the school board needs help, reach out to us.”
District officials are hoping for that too. There’s two meetings on the issue scheduled for next week, a town hall meeting on Jan. 13, a board budget retreat on Jan. 16, and a survey opening to solicit feedback.
Board Member Duncan Fields said he’s open to ideas but hasn’t seen one that could save as much as closing a school would.
“If you can do that, I won’t support closing a school,” he said at the work session. “But from where I sit, looking at the budget, I don’t see an alternative in this budget cycle to closing a school.”
The problem comes down to math.
The school district has faced a shrinking student count and rising salary and maintenance costs despite flat funding from the state’s education funding formula, or the Base Student Allocation. That makes up about 60 percent of its projected revenue.
The state government has only passed one-time funding boosts since 2017. The Alaska Legislature passed a bill last year that would have permanently increased the amount the Kodiak district gets by about $3.5 million, but that was vetoed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. The vote to overturn the veto, which requires three quarters of house representatives, failed by one member. Other districts, including in Anchorage, are also considering school closures to deal with the financial shortfall.
Mika said that much wouldn’t be enough to get the district out of the red though – about half of any increases from the state are promised to staff raises. The district is facing an $8 million deficit.
“Unless we get a huge influx in our BSA, we’re not going to stabilize,” Mika said in the interview. “We’re going to find cuts again next year. That’s a pie in the sky dream that I don’t think is reality at this point, and so it’s not anything I’ve even looked at.”
Closing a school could save up to $2.8 million. Another $1.8 million reduction could come from programmatic cuts that were suggested but not taken last year, when the district made a $4 million reduction.
The district has some savings it could use, but it’s not enough to eat the rest of the cost and still be prepared for an emergency.
There aren’t many other ways for the district to get more money. The borough could increase how much it gives the school – local contribution is expected to make up about a third of its budget for next fiscal year. Mika’s presentation at the work session had a projected revenue of $14,377,558 – over $2 million more than the borough assembly approved for the 2024-25 school year.
Mika said she and the board know that these decisions aren’t in students’ best interest, but there aren’t other options.
“It’s not anything that I want to see us doing in the district,” she said. “I mean — it’s not what’s best for students. But if it comes down to what we have to do, to save our schools, our administrative team stands ready to make the recommendations we have to. Everyone has a face. .”
No layoffs are planned if the board decides to cut a school, but some employees may be offered different contracts from their current jobs.
The district is working to open a survey online for public comments about the closure proposal. Mika said the best way to send feedback and ideas is to reach out to her directly or come to one of the upcoming meetings.
The board is expected to make an action decision at its meeting on Jan. 20.
