A windfall of state education money means the Juneau School District Board of Education can pay off debt and hire new positions. But looming funding uncertainties on a state and federal level could mean future cuts.
The board had $994,688 extra to work with after legislators boosted state education funding, even after Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto. At a meeting Tuesday, members opted to put most of it toward the district’s transportation and food service deficits, as well as a new school librarian and a registrar for the district’s homeschool program.
Board member Amber Frommherz said they have to really consider what’s necessary.
“Everything right now is a moving target and … we are all trying to budget for a moving target with disappearing pots of money,” she said.
Last week, the federal Department of Education blocked millions in grants for Alaska schools. The district is supposed to receive $419,694 of funding for those programs.
That money pays for a high school computer science class, as well as support for English language learners, professional development and four staff members. District officials say they could reassign some staff members, but the board set aside $80,000 to keep the programs’ administrator if the blocked funding doesn’t come through.
Board member Emil Mackey said the district shouldn’t count on the frozen federal dollars.
“I regard them as gone until proven otherwise, because that is the stated intent of this administration, and it’s the stated policy of the Supreme Court to allow that to happen,” he said.
There’s state funding uncertainty, too. A proposed regulation change from the state Department of Education and Early Development could cost the district $8 million in funding, as well as services provided by the City and Borough of Juneau.
Several board members like Mackey were in favor of closing the deficit in transportation and food service.
“This is an intergenerational deficit that if we don’t address each single year, we pass it on to the next group of students,” Mackey said. “It will compound, and eventually there will be a day where this becomes an oppressive amount.”
Mackey said he would only approve the deficits, but later voted to approve the homeschool and federal grant administrators.
The district also approved adding an administrator to act as a registrar for the growing number of homeschool students. State data shows HomeBRIDGE had 224 students in October last school year, and 164 were in high school.
Board member Steve Whitney supported the position because it would support students who he said really need it.
“I just think it’s worthy that for that number of students we have. It sounds to me like this is understaffed and and especially relative to other schools, especially if you compare the amount of services students are getting,” he said. “So I think that is justified to add back in.”
The Dzantik’i Heeni campus, which houses three schools, will also be getting a librarian. Member Elizabeth Siddon said the students need it, even with funding uncertainties.
“These are hard conversations and frustrating conversations, and there’s a lot of, like … theoretical crises happening all around us,” she said. “But when I think about those students at that Dzantik’i Heeni campus, you know, walking to school August 15, they deserve a library.”
The board funded the positions, but the district still needs to recruit and hire staff to fill them.
These additions took up most of the additional revenue the district received. The board chose not to continue the long-running universal free breakfast service, and did not add staff to support teaching math and reading at elementary schools.
The school year begins Aug. 15.
Editor’s note: Amber Frommherz is a member of KTOO’s board.
