Assembly approves consent agenda; dozens of residents urge funding schools to full cap

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly unanimously approved its agenda and consent agenda at the April 15 meeting in Seward, completing a package of ceremonial resolutions, ordinance introductions and other routine actions. The vote followed a lengthy public‑comment period in which many residents — parents, teachers and students — urged the assembly to "fund to the cap" for school funding.

Items approved on the consent agenda The clerk read the consent agenda, which included the following items that were approved when the assembly accepted the agenda and consent agenda by unanimous consent: - Ordinance 2024-1934: accepting and appropriating congressionally directed spending grant funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, to upgrade the mechanical and power plant at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer (sponsor: mayor). The ordinance as read was updated to include advisory board recommendations. - Ordinance 2025-06: providing an exception to borough code to accept late‑filed FY26 senior citizen grant applications for the senior citizen program (sponsor: mayor). - Resolution 2025-018: urging U.S. Congress and NOAA to address outages of National Data Buoy Center stations (sponsors: Morton, Dunn, Tonseth, Johnson, Eklund, Cox). - Ordinance 2025-1935: appropriating funds for the Central Peninsula Landfill Leachate Infrastructure Improvement Project (sponsor: mayor; hearing set for May 6). Finance committee discussion referenced a request for an additional $1 million from the general fund; assembly staff noted the borough general fund balance was roughly $44 million and that the appropriation would reduce that to about $43.9 million. - Ordinance 2025-07: amending KPB 4.10.100 (use of public funds on ballot propositions) to mirror state law (sponsor: Cox; hearing May 20). - KPB 6823: confirming an appointment to the Planning Commission (Corina England, seat for the City of Seward; term expires 07/31/2026).

Public comment on school funding During a 20‑minute public‑comment block, dozens of speakers urged the assembly to fully fund the borough school district to the state cap so the district could avoid program cuts. Commenters included teachers, parents and several students.

- Tara Swanson, a fifth‑grade teacher at Seward Elementary, warned that cuts to staff and programs would jeopardize best‑practice classroom sizes and hands‑on projects: "If the assembly chooses to not fund to the cap, which is my understanding is the current plan, we are losing out on an opportunity."

- Dr. Erin Pierce, a first‑grade teacher and former university professor who resigned her post to teach locally, told the assembly: "Please fund to the cap."

- A fifth grader, Delaney Leonardi, described participation in the Quest program for gifted students and said a loss of Quest would remove important enrichment: "If we are not funded to the cap, Quest will most likely be 1 of the many things cut."

- Micah Van Muskerk, a Seward parent, outlined how even a half‑teacher reduction would eliminate programs in small schools and urged the assembly to fund the cap so the district could avoid deep cuts.

School district and mayor comments School Board President Zen Kelly provided a procedural update to the assembly: the district finance committee was meeting and a preliminary draft budget would be delivered to the borough in advance of the May 1 statutory deadline. Mayor Michicky reiterated the borough's long‑term support for education funding and described several borough efforts, including a proposed land affordability program the administration plans to bring forward in May to prioritize borough residents in land sales; he said the borough has funded schools above the state floor in recent years and encouraged residents to press state legislators for additional support.

Actions and next steps The assembly's adoption of the agenda and consent agenda was moved by Vice President Cooper and approved by unanimous consent; the individual ordinances and resolutions on the consent agenda will proceed as scheduled, including the landfill leachate ordinance public hearing on May 6 and other hearings noted on the agenda. Public testimony on school funding will be part of the upcoming budget cycle discussions.