The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board on Wednesday approved the district budget for the upcoming fiscal year. It includes a cut of over 50 staff members and the closure of two elementary schools in an effort to cut back on costs and pay back millions in debt.
Interim superintendent Sheri Boehlert told the school board that the budget is a compromise — meaning they’ve avoided cutting entire programs. But it’s come at a substantial cost. It includes a cut of over 50 staff members and the closure of two elementary schools in an effort to cut back on costs and pay back millions in debt.
“We’ve scaled everything back so much that it almost feels like it’s totally cut, because we are making it nearly impossible to do the work that we know needs to be done,” Boehlert.
Boehlert said that includes cuts to the district’s central office, library programming, and mental health supports. It also includes a cut to Revilla, the district’s only alternative school, despite them gaining another grade next year. Ketchikan High School is budgeted to have 15 fewer staff members.
Earlier this month, the board voted to close both Fawn Mountain and Point Higgins Elementary Schools. That will save the district an estimated $3.2 million. These cuts and closures are due to millions of dollars of debt to the borough, declining student enrollment and high operating costs.
Boehlert said after school populations shift with the reconfigurations, she expects the incoming superintendent will flex the budget and move some staff members across schools as needed.
A handful of people voiced concerns about the proposed lack of school counselors and mental health supports.
“We do personal counseling… anxiety attacks, self harm, suicidal ideation, there are kids walking in with, you know, snot bubbles because they’ve gotten broken up with or a friend is being mean to them,” Natasha O’Brien, a retired school counselor, said at the meeting. “We got the notification from the state that Ketchikan was experiencing a suicide cluster of attempts. We’re cutting counseling in the wake of that. It’s just beyond me.”
The board later voted to replace one social worker position with one counselor position. They also voted to remove a curriculum director from the budget — a position in central office the board agrees is important, but has gone unfilled for years.
District administrators have struggled with being stretched thin and understaffed in the central office. But board members have said they’re not comfortable adding positions to the budget right now .
Interim Business Manager Lisa Pearce said she understands the perception of adding an administrative position when they’re cutting dozens of staff members and closing schools — but it might be imperative for sustainability.
“I’m not going to say [your education system] is going to fail, but it is certainly going to lack even the luster of what you have this year,” Pearce said. “That can’t be done by principals who are managing buildings, that can’t be done by one superintendent. Those are investments for the future, so that you have someone who can lead your district in taking these programs forward.”
Board member Jordan Tabb proposed the amendment to remove the curriculum director from the budget. But he clarified it’s not because he sees the position as less important than others — and they’ve been in similarly difficult situations before.
“Like a few years ago, there was a situation where it was thought of as, ‘do we want preschool, or do we want principals?’” Tabb said. “And I think that was a very unfair way to categorize a challenging budget situation, because our administrators and our executives are very important.”
The 2026-2027 budget is required to be submitted to the borough by May 1.
At the meeting, the school board approved a partial list of teacher contracts, and more are expected in the coming month.
The new superintendent, Kara Four Bear, will start on July 1.
