The Sitka School District approved a budget Thursday night that cuts 8.5 positions, half of which are certified teachers. Like other districts across the state, Sitka’s revenue hasn’t met higher costs in recent years. But the cuts are far fewer than were proposed.
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Sixteen staff positions were on the chopping block, including several certified teachers. The proposal followed the district cutting 16 positions in 2024.
For this round of cuts, the administration proposed several options. Board member Courtney Amundson was not satisfied with any of them.
“Every time you cut a teaching position at a secondary level, elective and specialized courses disappear,” she said. “This affects students who may be disengaged from core academics but thrive in arts or career technical education.”
Amundson proposed an amendment – decreasing savings – keeping just about $200,000 dollars in reserves. She argued that it’s manageable and would save three certified teachers and half a secretary’s position.
“I have hope that under new [state] leadership, we will have an increase to funding in general,” Amundson said. “Will that keep up with inflation? I don’t know. Will that be sufficient to cover our needs? I don’t know. Does this balance our budget for the long term? No, it doesn’t. It gets us through this year until we have more information under a new leadership regime.”
Hope. That’s what the decision hinged on – how much hope the school board has in getting future funding from the state and federal governments, and how little they can get by with in their savings account.
School Board President Phil Burdick said the district has managed its finances well and is doing the best it can.
“I hate hope sandwiches, because there’s really nothing in them. It’s just like air,” Burdick said. “It’s not that we’ve always done it this way, and we need to change. It’s that we are handcuffed and we can’t change if the Legislature doesn’t forward fund us, we don’t know how much money we have.”
They’re also hoping for federal money through the Secure Rural Schools program, which funds communities near national forests. Districts in Alaska didn’t get the money last year, but President Donald Trump has approved the funding for three years.
However, promises weren’t enough for a few board members, who voted against fewer staff cuts. Tom Williams said that having only $200,000 in savings wasn’t enough for the what-ifs.
“You’re hoping that we’re going to get those from the Legislature, a one-time amount for this year. I find that budgeting in that manner is irresponsible,” he said. ” It’s going to get us to a point where we’re going to have a failure, and somewhere we’re going to need a bailout.”
The district is counting on funding yet to come. However, Superintendent Deidre Jenson said that’s always the case.
“We always budget approximately from the year prior, and then we don’t get it until May. That’s just the way Secure Rural Schools work,” Jenson said. “We always operate off of what’s anticipated.”
The district considered another way to save money: making health insurance for employees more expensive. That didn’t gain any ground with the board.
Ultimately, they approved the budget scenario that cuts 8.5 positions on a 3 to 2 vote, with Tom Williams and Amanda Williams voting no. They wanted to cut more positions to keep more money in savings.
