Sitka’s Community Schools is open again, under the management of the non-profit Hames Center.

The Sitka School Board on Wednesday (8-7-19) approved a one-year contract with Hames, with the option to renew for four additional years.

The district will pay the Hames Center $25,000 a year in monthly installments.

The deal was well-received by school board members, including Amy Morrison — but she was concerned that if the district was forced to make staff cuts again next year, wouldn’t Community Schools be better off under city management?

“I personally would still like to see some discussions with the city, with Parks & Rec, to see if at some point it could be transferred to them to do this,” said Morrison.

Community Schools closed on July 1, when the previous contract expired. Matthew Turner had been managing the program for $75,000 a year for the last four years, but declined to take the same deal at only $25,000.

Superintendent Mary Wegner said that the Hames Center would not be disadvantaged by the lower fee.

“The Hames Center has that infrastructure they are able to do it in a way that makes sense,” said Wegner. “They already have insurance, they already have a staff that can take reservations, so it helps. It (the contract) helps them to be functional, but we will learn more, since Dawn will have to hire some staff.”

Wegner was referring to Dawn Johnson, the director of the Hames Center, who attended the meeting. Johnson told the board that Community Schools would be run out of the existing Hames Center office, and that after-school youth programs would be coordinated as usual, as well as adult sports leagues. Johnson added that the Hames Center would enter into a formal agreement with Youth Advocates of Sitka to operate some Community Schools programs, like Skate Night.

Sitka’s Community Schools are closing at the end of the month (June 30). The school district hasn’t been able to find new management for the after-school and weekend activity program for kids and adults, after cutting back the budget by 75-percent. But school officials are hopeful it can be revived — an possibly reinvigorated — with the city’s help.

No one submitted a formal proposal to manage Community Schools by the June 13 deadline. District business manager Cassee Olin told the Sitka School Board at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday (6-19-19) that, under state procurement rules, she could negotiate a contract with any of the four entities which showed interest — even if they didn’t submit a proposal.

But it wasn’t looking likely.

“We haven’t received word back from any of the four,” said Olin.

If no one steps forward by July 2, Olin said that she’d be putting out a public service announcement to alert residents that Community Schools would be closing, but that “we are working on a solution, and hope to have something done in the month of July.”

Note: In recent reporting by KCAW, the Sitka School District was confident that it could have an interim solution to keep Community Schools open past June 30, but that plan has not come to fruition.

Community Schools is home to many after-school and weekend activities for kids and adults — including city league basketball and volleyball, and youth soccer.

School board president Jenn McNichol asked Olin the question that’s likely on many parents’ minds right now.

McNichol – What does that mean in concrete terms? What’s actually going to happen on July 1 if there are no bids and no proposals?

Olin – We would probably need to have a discussion with the board to talk about what they would like to do. Whether or not you would like to increase the dollar amount to offer to a potential proposer, from the $25,000 up. Or if you would just like to close Community Schools permanently, or if you would like to request something from the city — we would come back with options as to what we could do.”

Since 2015 the district has outsourced Community Schools to a contractor, Matthew Turner, for $100,000 a year. He’s told KCAW that he can’t get by on a 75-percent reduction in the contract, without doubling fees that many families already struggle to pay.

Earlier in the spring as it crafted next year’s budget, the board considered taking the Community Schools contract down to zero. Board member Elias Erickson pushed to restore at least $25,000. Now, Erickson wants to bring the city to the table — the Parks & Recreation committee especially — to create a solution for a program that he described as being in “its eleventh hour.”

At 20 years old, Erickson said that he was in a “Twilight Zone” age group, with both younger and older friends. He sees Community Schools as common ground for all of them.

“If we see community basketball and volleyball go away, there’s not a lot of places for young people to socialize,” he observed, “and I don’t think we want them socializing at the bar. Because that’s the reality of what a lot of people over 21 are going to do, because there’s not a lot of places for them to hang out.”

Erickson added, “If we lose it (Community Schools), I worry that it’s going to be so hard to get it back.”

The city has underwritten Community Schools before, as well as paid for other so-called “non-instructional” expenditures like the Blatchley Pool, and student travel. But the school board opted this year to roll the Community Schools portion into instruction — or in other words, into teacher salaries. 

Teacher’s union president (SEA) Roxann Gagner, speaking from the audience, reinforced that sentiment. “When we look at the purpose of a public school is — is it hiring and supporting teachers, or supporting a Community School?” she asked. “In my opinion that’s the responsibility of citizens,” she said, encouraging the board to hand Community Schools back to the city.

But some board members were nostalgic for the time when Community Schools meant much more than after-hours sports — it also meant a variety of classes, and summer programs. This is Amy Morrison.

 “I think it’s important too to just keep in mind everything that we’ve lost in Community Schools in the last 10 or 15 years,” said Morrison. “I remember all the summer programs we had. It’s not just a matter of keeping up what we have right now, but we’ve lost a lot. (Erickson: ‘We’re settling for less.’) We are, and I’d love to see this whole thing completely rebuilt somehow from the ground up and get it back to what it used to be.”

Board president McNichol agreed, saying she remembers planning her work schedule around the Community Schools camp schedule for her two boys. “It was an enriching, safe environment to be in for kids of all ages,” she said.

Ultimately, there was no resolution over Community Schools, except a willingness of the board to try and meet with Sitka’s Parks and Rec Committee at that group’s next regular meeting on July 9 — and even then, larger distractions may loom for the Sitka School Board: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has threatened to withhold state education funding from schools beginning on July 15, unless the current Legislature gives him veto authority over a $30-million special appropriation for schools made by last year’s legislature, and signed by his predecessor, Bill Walker.

Failing to fund schools is expected to trigger an immediate court battle in the capitol, and throw school districts into crisis across the state.

Sitka district business manager Cassee Olin told the board that there were still 18 untenured teachers who had not received contracts for next year. If the governor follows through with his threat, Olin said that not only would those contracts be in jeopardy, “We may not even be able to open school in August.”

More should be known about that issue when the board meets next on August 7.

The future of Sitka’s Community Schools is uncertain, now that the contractor who manages the after-school program has announced he’s closing down at the end of the month. And while no one’s offered to replace him, the school district hopes to find a way to keep the program going past July 1.

Note: The Sitka School Board will take up the issue of the Community Schools contract at its next regular meeting on June 19.

Matthew Turner has operated Community Schools in Sitka since 2015. His current contract ends on June 30, and the district’s latest offer of $25,000 does not interest him.

“I can’t do it for that,” Turner said. “There’s so much risk involved.”

For each of the last four years Turner has been paid $100,000 to manage Community Schools. His insurance bill is $25,000 which comes right off the top.

“The remaining $75,000 of that I considered my salary — which seems pretty good — but let’s not forget that 22-percent of that is taxes,” said Turner. “So that brings me down to about $60,000, without any benefits. So once I’ve paid for my health insurance and stuff, that’s what I consider my salary.”

Turner has seven part-time employees who are paid out of revenues the program generates running weekly activities like Skate Night and Vintage Basketball, managing ongoing leagues for basketball and volleyball, and providing space for clubs like the Baranof Ballers, Tsunami Wrestling, and three seasons of youth soccer (which is organizing as an independent activity).

By cutting down the contract from $100,000 to $25,000 the Sitka School Board knows it is shifting costs onto the users of Community Schools, who typically pay around $4 for an activity. Turner says that fee would likely jump to $8, and have a chilling effect on participation.

Putting Community Schools into a pay-to-play model is deterring Turner from submitting a new proposal, and he believes it will deter others as well.

“If not enough people sign up for city league basketball, then I won’t be able to make enough money to live,” Turner said.

So, he’s pulling the plug. Turner posted on the Community Schools Facebook page on June 4 that he was closing down as of June 30.

“It’s not exactly correct that it will completely end,” said Mary Wegner, Sitka’s superintendent of schools.

Wegner confirms that no one has put in a proposal on the $25,000 Community Schools contract, but she has had some nibbles. If the district receives no offers by the June 13 deadline, Wegner says she’ll be ready to deal.

“Plan B is that I would reach out and contact the nibblers and see if they’d be interested in putting in a proposal for consideration,” said Wegner. “Just not through the formal RFP (Request for Proposals) process.”

Wegner says that’s how the district arrived at a contract with Turner four years ago. And it’s similar to how the district handles other contracts like buses and food service.

In an interview with KCAW, Wegner said she’s not expecting any interruption in Community Schools programs.

KCAW – If you did get a favorable response to the RFP, when would Community Schools be up-and-running again?

Wegner – July 1.

Matthew Turner has nothing but sympathy for the school board, as it navigates this year’s tense budget politics. He knows that the $100,000 the district formerly paid for Community Schools represents one teacher’s salary — so he’s not surprised that the program lost out to educational priorities. But he also believes there’s more at stake with Community Schools than people realize.

“The same arguments happened with the library, when we were talking about reducing hours in the library,” said Turner. “The library ain’t just about books: It’s about having a safe, public space where people can go and be safe and warm and dry. And in much the same way, we don’t have an open-to-all youth center in our community. But Blatchley Middle School commons area became one whenever I was in business.”

Turner thinks that equity and access are both important discussions to have around Community Schools — perhaps at the assembly table, rather than at the School Board.

Downloadable audio.

According to Matthew Turner, his contract with the district will focus on Community Schools activities at Blatchley. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Sitka’s Community Schools program will survive into the fall and beyond, in the hands of a private contractor.

During the spring budget process, the Sitka School Board allocated funding for Community Schools, but only through the end of September. Over the summer, the board solicited proposals for the management of the program. When no one responded, they put it out to bid.

Downloadable audio.

And the winner is Matthew Turner, a management consultant based in Sitka. Turner has organized Sitka Community Schools, LLC, but it’s not much more than a business license right now.

KCAW – You’re going to start with new staff?
Turner – Well, I’m going to start with me.

Community Schools — as we know it — would be a lot of work for one person. It organizes and staffs the town’s recreational sports programs, and oversees the public use of the school buildings for classes and activities of all kinds. But Turner says he bid on services that are considerably scaled down.

“What Community Schools is currently changes with this contract. The school district has pared down the functions that I’m contracted for significantly. It’s really just focused on activities and classes that are taking place in the Blatchley Middle School facility.”

Everything in Blatchley, except for the swimming pool.

Under the contract, Turner will receive $75,000 for the remainder of this school year, and have the option to renew for four times at $100,000 per year.

Turner was one of two bidders for Community Schools. Both bids were evaluated by a committee consisting of school board members Jennifer Robinson and Tom Conley, district business manager Cassee Olin, and district superintendent Mary Wegner.

Their recommendation to support his offer drew some opposition from the public. This is Faith Lee.

“I read the proposal, but there’s no meat. So the community continues to ask questions, and we have no answers to give. It doesn’t say that youth sports programs will continue, adult ed will continue, summer programs will continue. It’s really vague.”

Turner’s proposal is only seven pages long. While it does have some specifics, it also has some generalities, like “be a responsive, quality operation.” The terms of his contract were also news to at least one board member who was not on the evaluation committee. Tim Fulton pressed acting board president Jennifer Robinson for details.

Fulton – Can you tell me, is he allowed to increase the fees?
Robinson – Yes.
Fulton – So he can set the rates at what he wants and there’s nothing the district can do to control that?
Robinson – Well, there would be constant communication. If we award this contract to someone and then the prices skyrocketed, they’re going to fail immediately.
Fulton – Would we have… sorry.
Robinson – I believe that if it went really bad, we could pull out of the contract. We’re not giving away all control.

The survival of Community Schools has been an issue before the board since last spring, when the September 30 deadline was set for new management. Even though a bidding process was not what board members originally wanted, there was a consensus to proceed.

This is board member Cass Pook, who called into the meeting.

“When we had the big discussion over Community Schools, whether we were going to keep it in the budget or not, it was pretty packed. And there were people there who said that if the prices were raised, they wanted Community Schools. They wanted activities for their kids after school, and for adults in the evenings. I don’t think we have the timeline to say no.”

Jennifer Robinson agreed. September 30 was a hard deadline, and she said there simply wasn’t district funding beyond that date.

“If we don’t approve this I don’t know what other option we would have other than to eliminate community schools.”

The board approved the contract with Turner 5-1, with Tim Fulton opposed.

The business office estimates that the contract will save the district over $200,000. The two current employees of Community Schools will receive layoff notices. Both belong to SESPA, the union for non-teaching personnel in the district. Under union rules, they may be allowed to move into jobs held by employees with less seniority. A SESPA grievance is pending over the district’s handling of the Community Schools issue.

As for Matthew Turner? He’s going to be busy. He’s hoping to streamline much of the way Community Schools works, and allow people to register teams, sign up, and pay for events and activities online. He’ll also figure out what to do with the 25 or so referees, building supervisors, and score keepers who keep all the activities running.

Turner knows that one individual can’t run Community Schools. He’s going to dive in on October 1 and learn what he’s up against.

“Because we’re transitioning to a different set of services with community schools, it’s not really clear what it’s going to take to run that. So my plan is to kind of get in there and understand the scope of the landscape, and based on that, make sure I bring in enough of the right people to provide good service.”

Turner hopes that the current Community Schools staff will take registrations for adult basketball and youth soccer this fall. And after that, they’ll have to hand him the big key ring. “And with a lot of keys,” Turner says, “comes a lot of responsibility.”