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District social work program faces funding cliff, staff shortages, leaders warn
Summary
Lead social worker Katie Frutiger told the board RISE social work staffing is down and a federal grant supporting the program expires Sept. 30, 2026, putting continued in-school counseling and outreach at risk.
Lead social worker Katie Frutiger told the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District board on Oct. 22 that the district's RISE social work program is at risk because federal grant funding runs through Sept. 30, 2026, and recruiting licensed school social workers has become difficult.
Frutiger said the program currently has two social workers on staff, with three open positions. She said recruitment is challenged by the elimination of a state tuition support program that previously helped candidates complete school‑social‑work certification and by the national trend toward telehealth positions that offer higher pay and remote work.
"We are at a substant…
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