School board approves four new hires

The school board Aug. 1 held a special meeting to take care of a few last-minute items before the start of classes on Aug. 25.

Board members approved the hiring of four staff members for vacant positions. The district hired Krysta Gillen as a paraprofessional, Peter Parks as a custodian, Alyssa Howell as a second grade teacher and Holly Padilla as a long-term substitute at the elementary school level.

Only two vacancies in the district remained at the time of the board meeting, but both have since been filled. The board will need to officially approve the personnel choices for high school secretary and Alaska Native education director and tutor.

The board on Aug. 1 also approved minor revisions to the 2021-2022 school year budget.

The school’s fiscal year ended on June 30, but the numbers were not final. Business Manager Tammy Stromberg said she was still making adjustments to the general ledger.

“This is really just a housekeeping matter,” Stromberg said of the budget revisions.

Total expenditures for the 2021-2022 school year were $5.91 million, against revenues of $5.23 million. The district paid its bills by drawing down on its reserves, which started the new fiscal year on July 1 at about $400,000.

This year’s spending plan is just over $5 million.

Low enrollment numbers the past few years have cut into the amount of state funding for the district.

Stromberg also discussed with the board an IRS audit. Accounting mix-ups in 2020 and 2021 resulted in miscommunications between the district and the tax agency.

Stromberg said any amount that might still be owed to the IRS will fall under a “prior period adjustment” or will be covered in this year’s budget, depending on the size. “I’ve left a little wiggle room for what I think will be in this year’s budget. It will be noted one way or another in the June 30 audit.”