In the parking lot of Houghtaling Elementary School, Addie Roth wheeled a flatbed dolly to a U-Haul truck that was crammed with tables and chairs. A large desk, used during Roth’s time as principal of Fawn Mountain Elementary, was loaded onto the cart.
It was just one piece of about 20 years of Fawn Mountain’s supplies that have been brought to Houghtaling and other schools over the past month. Roth has also helped move art supplies, shelving, musical instruments and other items that were used by students and teachers at her school.
“It’s what we have to do, so that’s why we’re doing it,” she said.
Roth said Fawn Mountain’s staff began decluttering a few months ago – following the school board’s vote in April to close both schools in an effort to save money. The district is over $5 million in debt to the borough, which owns the buildings. That’s on top of a $3 million shortfall this year. The borough assembly will ultimately decide the future of the school buildings.
And right now, that future is unclear. Fawn Mountain and Point Higgins could potentially host students who attend Ketchikan Charter School and Tongass School of Arts and Sciences, whose shared building at Valley Park School is in need of improvements and repairs. It may be required for students to eventually relocate. A borough work session to discuss the future of the building, in addition to Fawn Mountain and Point Higgins’ buildings, is scheduled for August.
Borough assembly members said even though the schools are moving, they want the buildings themselves to continue to be used by families island-wide. Some have stressed the importance of preserving the buildings at a low cost and keeping the ballfields and outdoor recreation facilities open. Assembly member Jaimie Palmer said at a May 18 borough assembly meeting that she’d like to involve the community in determining the buildings’ future use.
“I’d love to see some community engagement to that regard, of which buildings and why, and what else could be utilized,” Palmer said in May.
All that’s known right now is that next school year, students from both closing schools will be directed to Houghtaling Elementary.
And its gymnasium and classrooms are quickly filling up with supplies from the now closed schools. During the last week of class, and the week following, staff and volunteers unloaded moving trucks and personal vehicles nearly every day.
Stephen Varela-Kossak, a speech therapist who worked at Fawn Mountain, helped coordinate the school’s move to others in the district by ensuring supplies went to the right place.
“It’s like creating a whole new school, because we’re combining three different cultures and communities into one,” Varela-Kossak said.
And it’s not just supplies like tables and chairs that have found new homes. Both schools’ library materials have also been sorted through.
Point Higgins Elementary School librarian Lara Powers said that some of her library’s books have been distributed to other schools in the district. Others have been donated to schools around the state, from Craig, to Yakutat to Stebbins, in Western Alaska.
Because of budget cuts, most library services in Ketchikan’s school district have been cut. Powers, who’s curated Point Higgins’ library for the last decade, said she hopes that selection is put to good use.
“I’ve selected the best literature for these students, and I know what they wanted to read,” Powers said. “I know what they’re interested in, so I’ve worked very hard for this for the students in the community to have the best literature.”
Back in the parking lot of Houghtling Elementary School, young adult employees of the Clover Bay Lodge were individually grabbing stacks of chairs and moving them into the gymnasium. Some were once students in the district and are helping out their former teachers.
Others, like Briar Kind, are just in Alaska for the summer.
“It’s good to help the schools out, especially when they won’t give them funding and stuff,” Kind said. “Just kind of sucks that, you know, they’re shutting so many schools down. But glad to help.”
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, family and friends of school district employees and others have also helped with the move. Roth, who will be principal of Schoenbar Middle School in the fall, said the relocation has required a lot of manpower.
“When you throw in all of your daily summer traffic into there, it adds on so much, and so you just – it’s just a lot of time and effort, and all of our bodies hurt,” Roth said.
Teachers and volunteers will continue moving supplies from both now closed schools over the coming weeks. The borough will continue maintaining the buildings with basic utilities and upgrades. A work session is scheduled for Aug. 24 to discuss the usage of the buildings.
Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.
