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March 26, 1925 The Civic Club held an interesting special meeting last Saturday. An informal discussion on proposed legislative measures of interest to the women of the territory was followed by a survey of possible candidates for the coming city election. Considerable interest is manifested by the thinking women of the community in the result of the election, owing to the fact that the school question is involved and because of the fact that women have been urged to take a more active part in civic affairs. While several suggestions were made...
FISHING VESSEL SAFETY DRILL CONDUCTOR CLASS 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30, and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the high school. The class is free for commercial fishermen and $300 for non-commercial fishermen. The class meets the U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels. Register online at www.amsea.org or call 907-747-3287. HOMESCHOOL HANGOUT 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 1, at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Bring school work, play games and be with friends. Snacks provided....
“There’s nothing off the list,” Superintendent Bill Burr said about potential cuts to the school district’s 2025-2026 budget. From exploring what life would be like as a satellite site of the Petersburg school district to eliminating teacher positions, Burr said the district is exploring everything and anything. The draft budget presented to the school board last month showed a $1 million shortfall between projected revenue ($5.05 million) and proposed expenses ($6.1 million). Covering that gap — without a significant boost in state funding ...
PORTABLE SOUTHEAST, a traveling art exhibit from the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, is on display at the Nolan Center through March 28. “Portable Southeast provides a new and exciting mode for artists to showcase their works beyond local reach,” the arts council says. BAHAI NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION, Naw-Ruz, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at the multi-purpose room near the old gym. Campfire-themed dinner provided; everyone is welcome for a joyful celebration of renewal and community. Call 907-209-9117. FISHING VESSEL SAFETY DRILL CONDU...
The federal and state stars are not lining up well for Wrangell’s budget future, at least not for the next few years. And that will mean some hard choices for the community, particularly when it comes to deciding the future of its schools and how to pay for that future. The borough has been using money from a federal program that dates back to 2000 to cover much of its annual contribution to the school district operating budget. But Congress failed to appropriate the money last year — the Republican-controlled U.S. House declined to take up...
“There’s nothing off the list,” Superintendent Bill Burr said about potential cuts to the school district’s 2025-2026 budget. From exploring what life would be like as a satellite site of the Petersburg school district to eliminating teacher positions, Burr said the district is exploring everything and anything. The draft budget presented to the school board last month showed a $1 million shortfall between projected revenue ($5.05 million) and proposed expenses ($6.1 million). Covering that gap — without a significant boost in state funding ...
PORTABLE SOUTHEAST, a traveling art exhibit from the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, is on display at the Nolan Center through March 28. A reception will be held 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 14, at the center to showcase the exhibit, which includes works from Alaskans in several cities. “Portable Southeast provides a new and exciting mode for artists to showcase their works beyond local reach,” the arts council says. BRAVE MONTHLY MEETING (Building Respect and Valuing Everyone), 2 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Irene Ingle Public Lib...
The most recent draft of the school district’s 2025-2026 budget shows a deficit of $271,000. With City Hall hamstrung by cuts to federal funding, the school board could need to make sweeping cuts to balance the books. The district is not legally permitted to operate in a deficit and its operating reserve is nearing empty The draft budget assumes that the borough will fund the schools at the maximum amount allowed by state law, around $1.8 million. However, both City Hall and the school district anticipate that number will likely be closer to $...
A particular place in history awaits this year’s Fourth of July royalty, as the fundraising competition marks its 75th anniversary. It began in 1950, when Pat Lewis won with her bake sale earnings, estimated at $405. Over the years, food booths and raffle ticket sales have become the primary fundraisers for those vying for queen or king. It is an intense monthlong June marathon that reaps big rewards for the contestants and the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth of July activities budget. The chamber is looking for royalty candidates to sign...
Feb. 26, 1925 Life in Wrangell this winter is very different from what it has been in former years. During the past two decades there has not been enough traffic by dog teams in this region to attract any attention. But this winter Wrangell resembles Nome or Iditarod with its streets congested with dog teams that are leaving here daily for the Cassiar mining district in British Columbia. There are three outfits now on the Stikine en route from Wrangell to Telegraph Creek, B.C., and a dozen more men will leave this week for the Cassiar. Feb. 24,...
ASH WEDNESDAY 7 to 8 a.m., noon to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the pavilion downtown. Pastor Sue Bahleda of Island of Faith Lutheran Church will be available to impose ashes for those wanting to mark the day. CLIMATE SOLUTIONS EXHIBIT from the University Corporation for Science Education (a nonprofit of more than 130 North American colleges and universities) will be at the Nolan Center lobby through Friday, Feb. 28. No admission fee to see the exhibit. The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. HOMESCHOOL HANGOUT 10...
The school district and borough share a money problem. And it’s a community problem that needs an answer this spring. The schools need more money to continue even the basic programs for Wrangell’s 260 students. The state funding formula over the past eight years has been flat, which is to say far short of keeping up with inflation, which is to say wholly inadequate. The borough assembly has tried pitching in, but its check-writing ability is limited by two factors: A state law that puts a cap on local contributions to school district budgets, a...
The school district has a separate savings account of nearly $1.2 million, which would more than cover its expected revenue shortfall of $767,016 for the upcoming school year. The fund is reserved for capital improvement projects, but it is within the school board’s purview to reallocate the funds if needed. The district has been building the fund since 1998, with only small withdrawals in recent years. Without major new revenues or spending cuts, the district’s operating budget reserve fund — a separate account from the building impro...
Feb. 19, 1925 During the past week there has been a stream of halibut boats putting into Wrangell for herring for bait. Ten days ago it was reported that the local cold storage plant had the only supply of bait in Southeast Alaska. Later herring was obtainable at Ketchikan and Sitka. A supply of herring was sent to Juneau from Wrangell on the Alameda. Feb. 17, 1950 An encouraging note this week is the quarterly report of sales tax collections for the quarter ended Dec. 31. Although down a little from the first quarter, which included the summer...
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS EXHIBIT from the University Corporation for Science Education (a nonprofit of more than 130 North American colleges and universities) will be at the Nolan Center lobby through Feb. 28. No admission fee to see the exhibit. The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. CLIMATE CHANGE PRESENTATION 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Nolan Center, presented by Sean Kelly, assistant professor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. FLAPJACKS WITH FIREFIGHTERS, sponsored by Team Wrangell Firefighter Stairclimb, starts at 9 a.m....
PIANO TUNING Piano tuner from Corvine Piano Care plans a March visit if there are enough pianos to be serviced. Contact Alice Rooney at 907-305-0007 to be put on the work list. FUNDRAISER Fundraiser for Tasha Toombs Peterman. Hand-woven cedar bark hat by Clara Haily. Tickets are on sale through Thursday, Feb. 13. Sellers are Clara Haley, Fern Seimears and Lynn Allen, available at Raymes. Call Clara at 907-305-0874. JOB ANNOUCEMENT Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 School Year: - Paraprofessional: This is a...
A wide-ranging education package with provisions that include allowing students to attend any public school in the state was introduced Friday, Jan. 31, by Gov. Mike Dunleavy at the State Capitol. The legislation also revives numerous policy goals by the Republican governor such as more state money for homeschooling and state authorization of new charter schools instead of leaving that decision up to school districts. The governor’s package contains no increase to the state's per-pupil funding number for school districts, the Base Student A...
Facing a deficit of $111 million, the Anchorage School District released its draft budget on Jan. 31 calling for massive cuts to programs and positions. The cuts represent about 20% of the district’s spending plan for the 2025-2026 school year. In a letter to Anchorage parents, Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the deficit is “driven by more than a decade of flat state funding and rising costs due to inflation.” The budget proposal came on the heels of Gov. Mike Dunleavy rejecting a plan by Alaska lawmakers to significantly increase state...
The Wrangell School District could run short of operating funds by 2026 or 2027 if it doesn't receive new revenues or make large cuts to its programs. The school board discussed the first draft of its 2025-2026 budget on Jan. 20. Barring any notable changes between now and when the budget is sent to City Hall for approval by May 1, the district anticipates a deficit of $767,016, requiring a dip deep into the school district's dwindling reserves. This would leave the reserves at an estimated $51,...
The Wrangell School District — its students, staff and parents — will need to practice deep-breathing exercises to relieve the stress as they wait to see if the state Legislature and governor can agree on adequate funding for public education while at the same time waiting on Congress to reauthorize a quarter-century-old federal aid program for rural schools. These are significant and serious stress issues, particularly for Wrangell. State funding, based on a per-pupil formula, and the federal Secure Rural Schools money that comes through the...
Alaska education advocates are gearing up for another attempt to substantially increase state funding for public schools, but they say it’s unclear how a looming legislative stalemate will be broken. Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy failed to approve an expansive education package after protracted negotiations. Legislators fell one vote short of overriding Dunleavy’s veto of a historic school funding increase. The Legislature later approved a major $176 million one-year funding boost for schools as a compromise. School adm...
As voices became hushed and the crowd waited for the ceremony to begin, a toddler mumbled an inaudible question to their mother. Amid a sea of people packed into the Nolan Center, the woman's response was clear and without question. "The Army killed our people here," she said, "and now they're going to say sorry." The U.S. Army apologized for the 1869 bombardment of the Tlingit village called Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw at a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 11, in Wrangell. Of the seven Tlingit clans that rece...
The failure of the U.S. House to reauthorize federal funding to assist rural communities with a lot of non-taxable federal land — such as the Tongass National Forest — presents a $550,000 challenge for the Wrangell School District and borough. If the new Congress doesn’t fix the problem, the district could have to further draw on its reserves, or the borough could have to take from its reserves to plug the gap, or a combination of the two. Or cut spending at the schools — the federal money represents about 10% of this year’s school district...
NOLAN CENTER THEATER “A Complete Unknown,” rated R, 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. The biographical music drama movie about Bob Dylan’s life from 1961-1965 runs 2 hours and 21 minutes; tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children under age 12. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. LANDSLIDE PRESENTATION, by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and other researchers, 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Nolan Center. Free. SCHOOL BOARD meeting 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in Evergreen Eleme...