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Parents and students criticize district instructional changes, cite busing and enrollment concerns
Summary
Speakers at the Ketchikan school board’s May 28 meeting accused district leaders of making undisclosed instructional-model changes and warned of school disenrollment, long bus rides and families leaving the community.
At the May 28 Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education meeting, community members voiced sharp criticism of recent instructional-model changes and the district’s communication about them.
Tiffany Cook, speaking for a newly formed nonprofit called Save Our Students, told the board that on May 14 the group’s legal counsel delivered a letter citing alleged violations of district policy and state statutes and requested a written response by May 22. Cook said the district acknowledged receipt but provided no substantive reply and that repeated requests for workshops and dialogue had gone unanswered.
Cook told trustees that changes approved earlier in the year have not resembled the publicly discussed “Option B,” which she described as originally promising no secondary cuts and preserving music and art. She said the district’s adopted budget lacked funding lines for music and physical education, which concerned families and staff.
Cook raised operational concerns about transportation and enrollment: she said Point Higgins area routes had been reduced so three routes now run on a single bus and that her child’s 75‑minute bus ride caused motion sickness. She reported -- as an informal estimate from parents -- that at least 30 and as many as about 60 students may disenroll because of the changes, and that some families are leaving the island permanently.
A 10‑year‑old student, Torin Cook, spoke at the podium about his attachment to his neighborhood school, naming teachers he will miss and saying some peers are shifting to homeschooling or longer bus rides. He described friends who may face 90‑minute commutes if routes are reconfigured.
The board did not take action during the public-comment period. Several trustees acknowledged the complaints and said broader planning — including busing schedules and personnel lists — remained in process. The speakers requested clearer, timely information on staffing, transportation plans and possible student disenrollment.
Ending: The public remarks underscored community frustration with communication and operational detail ahead of the end of the school year; speakers asked the board for specific responses on the points raised.
