Without an increase in state education funding, the Ketchikan School District is projecting a deficit next year of roughly $4 million, or about 10% of their total budget.
School Board President Stephen Bradford said in addition to stagnant state funding, the District is also expecting declining enrollment, compounding the problem. If nothing changes, he said they’ll need to make substantial cuts.
“I don’t think we’re at the point yet where we’re considering closing one of the buildings,” Bradford said. “But certainly there will have to be some reductions in staff, there will be some cutting of some programs, and we will see our student to teacher ratios have to go up, perhaps significantly, in our classrooms.”
Last week, the Alaska Legislature failed to override a veto from Gov. Mike Dunleavy of an education bill that originally passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill would have, for the first time since 2016, provided a meaningful increase to the state’s per-student funding formula, the BSA.
Had the bill not been vetoed, Bradford said the funding boost would have been just enough to cover the district’s projected $44 million budget for next year. It also would have paid back some of the debt they owe to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
Bradford said moving forward, the Board will continue lobbying the Legislature and Governor to get some sort of increase passed this year. But in the meantime, they have to start planning for the worst-case scenario.
“It’s a tough spot we’re in, because on the one hand, we’ve got to be prepared for this, frankly, devastating funding level of 40 million,” Bradford said. “But we also don’t want to put fear into some of our staff and have them start looking around for other jobs because they think the state government’s not going to come through.”
Bradford said they may need to provide a legally required notice, as they did last year, that they anticipate reduced staffing. Even if layoffs aren’t ultimately necessary, he said that notice creates anxiety among employees and the community at large.
