The Wrangell School Board held a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to continue their discussion of a formal reprimand and improvement plan for the superintendent.
Late last August, Superintendent Debbe Lancaster and several district staff members went on a trip to Juneau to purchase supplies to prepare the district for the upcoming school year. This was in violation of a district travel ban during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as done without board approval. The planned use of CARES Act funding for some of the purchases was also controversial. People questioned why the district could not make those purchases locally, and support Wrangell businesses. Total expenses for the trip, provided by Lancaster on Aug. 31, were $6,261.76. The entire situation has damaged trust between the district and the community, school board members had said, as well as between the board and the superintendent.
"The controversy surrounding this trip and the purchases caused the City and Borough of Wrangell Assembly to rescind $250,000 of CARES Act funding that it had previously appropriated to the district," Board Member David Wilson read. "We are hopeful that that money will be reinstated, but jeopardizing that funding has damaged the district's budget. The trip also caused outrage by many community members."
Furthermore, school board members were unhappy with other actions by the superintendent, particularly her reaching out to city officials and the media about police officers traveling to Ketchikan for training.
"On Aug. 25, 2020, you sent an email to yourself and blind copied the mayor, city and borough employees, members of the school board, and the Wrangell Sentinel," Wilson read from the reprimand. "The subject of the email was rumor. In the email you insinuated that the city and borough was violating its own travel ban by having two police officers attend training in Ketchikan."
The Sentinel reported on the two officers traveling to Ketchikan on Sept. 3. According to Police Chief Tom Radke, Mayor Steve Prysunka, and Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen, the city was well aware of the training and had budgeted for it. The city also had exceptions for their moratorium on city employees traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as for public safety training.
The majority of the meeting was spent in executive session, with the district's attorney. When they returned to the public session, the school board formally approved of the reprimand and plan of improvement. Wilson read the reprimand, stating that Lancaster's misconduct has jeopardized the district's reputation with the city and the public.
"During the pandemic it is imperative that parents, students, and community members trust and respect the district," he said.
The plan of improvement will remain in effect until the expiration of Lancaster's contract. The plan states that Lancaster will receive advance authorization for travel from the school board, or by the board president in an emergency situation. All staff travel must be authorized under existing district policies and the proper paperwork must be processed prior to travel. Lancaster will inform the board of any absences and arrange for remaining staff to be designated "acting superintendent."
All district purchases by administration must follow standard business office procedures, Wilson said. All future communications with the borough should be made through appropriate channels and with prior consultation by the school board. The same guidelines are established for communications with the media.
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