Ketchikan school board introduces interim superintendent PJ Ford Slack; assembly requests detailed fund-balance report

Catherine Tatsuta, president of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board, introduced interim superintendent P.J. Ford Slack at the borough assembly meeting July 21. Ford Slack described her prior work with the district dating to 1998 and said she will support the district until a permanent superintendent is hired.

Ford Slack told the assembly she has worked with the district on special education and personnel issues in the past and reviewed the staffing and recruitment challenges facing Alaska schools. "I have every intention of working as much as the board needs me to," she said.

Assembly response and requested follow-up Mayor and assembly members expressed appreciation and requested additional financial transparency from the district. The mayor asked for a detailed report on fund balances and any required repayment plans affecting the FY2025 budget. Ford Slack said auditors will be on site in August and that she will confer with district staff and provide additional information. "I will certainly do the best I can," she said. Ford Slack said she has reviewed two recent budget reports and sees no significant findings but wants to clarify why certain things were not cited in the front of audits.

Context and why it matters The superintendent introduction comes as the district works through staffing shortages and uncertain state and federal education funding, which Ford Slack described as one of the "strangest financial times" she has seen in education. The assembly requested monthly written reports from the district to improve oversight and assist planning.

Next steps Ford Slack and school board leadership will provide a more detailed fund-balance report to the borough and meet with auditors in August; the assembly will follow up as part of budget monitoring.