Page 2 - John Holst News Today

Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | May 7, 2021 The Sitka School Board unanimously adopted the recommendations on this list. (SSD image) The Sitka School Board approved almost $900,000 in CARES Act relief spending when it met last Wednesday (5-5-21), on everything from additional staff to copy machines. The board’s only hesitation came from knowing that the money was not yet in the bank. The first pulse of CARES Act relief came into the Sitka District around this time last year, and was spent on...

Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Apr 26, 2021 Out of the budget for 2021-2022: Funding for Community Schools. The School Board reallocated the Community Schools reserve account to fund the Blatchley swimming pool next year. Blatchley will still see a “cut back” version of Community Schools, with buildings (mainly Blatchley) opened and closed by district staff. (KCAW file photo) The Sitka School Board has passed a budget for schools next year, balanced by dipping deeper into savings than usu...

Carbon reduction cash is tiny next to coal subsidy We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss April 22, 2021 — 12.05am Save Normal text size Credit: The Prime Minister’s pledge to spend $500 million on carbon reduction schemes over an unspecified period contrasts with the billions of dollars every year in subsidies to the coal industry (“PM promises $500m hydrogen, carbon fund”, April 21). Adding insult to injury, nearly half ...

Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Apr 15, 2021 Sitka Community Schools has scaled back during the pandemic, but it previously has had a large menu of activities — not just for kids. “Is it community, or is it schools?” interim superintendent John Holst asked the school board. The budget for the Community Schools program in Sitka will likely be zeroed out next year, while the school district and city decide who’s financially responsible for the afterschool activities program. The Sitka Sc...

School Board reports funding miscommunication to Assembly Posted by Katherine Rose | Mar 8, 2021 A comparison Superintendent John Holst reviewed with assembly members at Thursday’s meeting. The left shows how the assembly funded schools last year (FY21). On the right is the funding package approved by the Assembly in February. And in the center is what the School District intended to request, an increase of around $500,000. Editor’s note: This script was amended from the version originally...

New superintendent negotiates three-year contract Posted by Katherine Rose | Mar 8, 2021 The Sitka School District has locked its new superintendent into a three-year contract. In late February, the Sitka School Board met with Frank Hauser to negotiate behind closed doors. According to a district press release, they finalized the contract with a $140,000 starting salary. Hauser is the principal of Service High School in Anchorage, and he brings 23 years of education experience to the job. In Fe...

Service High principal Frank Hauser named to lead Sitka School District Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Feb 22, 2021 Frank Hauser speaking to the Sitka School board during his job interview on February 19. Hauser was selected in part because of his “experience and willingness to be culturally responsive,” said Sitka School Board president Amy Morrison. (SSD screen capture) Frank Hauser has been named as the next superintendent of the Sitka School District. Hauser is currently the principal...

Four finalists to interview for Sitka schools superintendent Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Feb 8, 2021 UPDATE, 2-9-21: The Sitka School Board will host a Virtual Town Hall with the finalists 5-6:15 p.m. Friday, February 12. Questions must be submitted in advance to ttullis@aasb.org by noon Thursday, February 11. For more details and a link, visit the Sitka School District website. Original story: Four finalists have been named in the search for the next full-time superintendent of the Sitka ...

Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Jan 15, 2021 According to interim Superintendent John Holst, around a dozen of Sitka’s senior teachers are eligible for early retirement, sevreral of whom work a the high school. (KCAW file photo) The Sitka School District is considering an early retirement incentive for teachers, as a way of helping make ends meet next year. At its last meeting earlier this month (1-6-21), the Sitka School Board authorized the interim superintendent to open negotiations with ...

Posted by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Dec 21, 2020 Sitka High ESL teacher Betty Richter’s technical writing class demonstrates social distancing technique. Although schools are an easy place to spread disease, the district says tough mitigation measures have resulted in no detectable spread of COVID-19 in schools. “The 10 or 11 times we’ve had a positive case at a building where people were in person,” said special education director Chris Voron, “we followed a mitigation plan and there’...