School Board President Dave Wilson on April 14 named 10 people to a special committee to assist the board in developing a long-term budget plan.
The district has been drawing on its dwindling savings the past few years to cover spending, and it doesn’t look likely that any combination of state, municipal or federal money is going to rescue the district from spending cuts.
“The budget situation is extremely dire,” Ryan Howe, a 16-year teacher in the district, said at the school board’s April 14 meeting. “There’s no calvary coming.”
Wilson said the special committee would present its report to the full board for its Aug. 18 meeting. Monthly progress reports are due for the May 19 and June 16 board meetings.
The committee’s first meeting is on the school district calendar for 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, at Evergreen Elementary School.
In announcing his selections, Wilson said district policy calls for the board president to appoint members of ad hoc committees. “I reviewed them (the appointments) with the superintendent and Kim Powell (the district’s human resources director).”
There was some pushback to the selection process from members of the public at the meeting, including teachers union president Mikki Angerman who questioned the lack of tribal representation on the committee from the Wrangell Cooperative Association.
Wilson responded that the district did not receive any nominations from WCA.
He didn’t remember how many people had applied for the committee, but noted, “it was enough that we had to make choices.”
He named nine members to the committee, then expanded it to 10 when board member Angela Allen asked to be added.
Wilson appointed himself to the committee, along with Sarah Scambler, the parent of an elementary school student; Aaron Angerman, parent of a secondary school student; Stephanie Carney, another parent of a student; Schools Superintendent Bill Burr; Secondary Schools Principal Greg Clark; elementary school teacher Alyssa Howell; secondary school teacher Winston Davies; and the district’s technology director Tony Anzalone.
“I would like to ask Sarah Scambler to chair” the ad hoc committee, Wilson said April 14. There was no objection from the board.
“The purpose of this committee is to take a neutral position on long-term budgetary considerations for the purpose of documenting fiscal and academic impact (pros and cons) of each of the following topics and explore cost considerations/savings associated with each one,” according to instructions provided by the board.
Options for the committee to consider include cutting back to a four-day school week; consolidating Wrangell’s three schools which could include moving elementary classes into one building, moving the middle school into the high school, or moving the elementary school into the middle school; and “other cost-saving ideas.”
“These are not intended to go into effect immediately but rather to create a fiscally responsible, long-term plan for the district,” according to Wilson’s instructions.
The district was prompted to appoint the special committee after a public work session with the borough assembly last month, during which elected officials and administrators discussed the need to find long-term answers to the schools’ budget problems.
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