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Board approves three long‑term substitute contracts amid questions about hiring practices and contract execution
Summary
The board voted to offer three long‑term substitute contracts for 2025–26 after debate about posting practices and transparency. Members raised concerns that contracts should not be executed before board approval and called for clearer HR policy; the district’s HR director has resigned.
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District board voted to approve offering three long‑term substitute contracts for the 2025–26 school year after discussion about recruitment and district hiring practices.
The motion to offer the three long‑term substitute contracts carried on a roll call vote, 7–1. Member Ginter recorded the sole opposing vote; other members voted yes. Board members debated whether the positions had been posted as permanent openings and discussed the operational need to fill classrooms and counseling roles before permanent hires can be found.
Superintendent Ford Slack said vacancies and tight candidate markets drove the decision to hire long‑term substitutes: “Counselors are very hard to find, but the position is posted. We have not found anyone, so we reached out to someone who had the certification to be the long term sub until such time as we have someone to apply for the permanent position.”
Several trustees pressed staff on a related governance concern: whether the district or administrators have permitted contracts to be signed before the board approved them. Board member Ginter said she was concerned that contracts may have been executed prior to formal board action and asked the administration to clarify policy. Superintendent Ford Slack replied, “This is certainly not a practice that I have ever seen with boards in Alaska ... I have never seen contracts signed before a board approval,” and told the board that the standard practice is to use a letter of intent while awaiting a board meeting.
The board also heard that HR director Escalante has submitted a letter of resignation; the district will advertise to fill that role. Trustees emphasized that hiring processes should be transparent and equitable and suggested the policy committee and staff review HR posting and contract procedures.
Why it matters: decisions about filling vacancies affect classroom continuity, student support services and staff morale. The board’s discussion tied hiring choices to governance responsibilities: trustees said they want assurance that the board’s approval is the triggering step before contracts are finalized.
Next steps: trustees asked staff to bring relevant policies or recommended language for handling contract execution and recruitment to the policy committee for review, and to ensure the public packet contains enough information for trustees to review personnel actions in advance when appropriate.
