The Kodiak Island Borough School District will receive local funding at a less-than-requested level following a robust discussion at Thursdayâs Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting.
In a 5-2 vote, the assembly approved an amended budget resolution to provide the school district with just over $10.4 million for fiscal year 2021-2022, with an additional $683,000 should the final Alaska state budget restore school bond debt reimbursement.
The school district originally asked for $11.09 million in funding â $10.6 million directly and $430,000 in in-kind contributions. It represents about 20% of the school districtâs planned $47.39 million budget for next fiscal year.
Assembly Member Duane Dvorak, the assembly representative to the school district, noted the KIBSD board of education âdid its due diligence to vet these numbersâ of its original budget request.
The Kodiak Island Borough School District is currently planning on holding an in-person graduation ceremony for seniors at Kodiak High School on May 30, as long as positive COVID-19 cases remain low on the island.
âWeâve heard it loud and clear: They (the students) want to be together,â said Joyce Blair, the assistant high school principal.Â
Similar to last year, the graduation ceremony is likely to take place in the gym â rather than in the auditorium where it usually occurs â to allow for social distancing. Â
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people stand 6 feet apart, making them less likely to transmit the virus. These spacing guidelines mean that the auditorium is too small for all 140 graduates and their families.
One result of the coronavirus pandemic was that enrollment in the Kodiak Island Borough School Districtâs AKTeach homeschool program more than doubled. In 2019-2020, there were 105 students in the K-12 program. The 2020-2021 school year saw that number shoot up to 274 students.
The number of students in the program is expected to drop for the 2021-2022 school year, but remain well above pre-pandemic numbers. According to the programâs coordinator, Lisa Cavan, more than half of the families who participated in homeschool this year plan to stay in the program next year, when 150 students are expected to enroll. Â
Cavan presented at a board of education meeting on Monday, and said that about 120 students have indicated they will reenroll in the program, and an additional 30 students are likely to join by the fall.
Some of Kodiakâs subsistence fishermen have missed out on fishing trips during the past year because of COVID-19 restrictions, making it challenging to provide for their families.
Earlier this month, subsistence fishermen became eligible to apply for emergency funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.Â
Some of that funding could come in the form of financial assistance to families of subsistence fishermen enrolled in the Migrant Education Program. The program helps the children of families that move for fishing activities stay at the same level of their classmates if they are starting to fall behind.Â
Wes Hanna, the coordinator for the program at the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said that many subsistence users in his program have had trouble feeding their families because they were unable to fish during the pandemic.Â
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