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Public backlash over school restructuring and landslide safety dominates Ketchikan school board meeting
Summary
Hundreds of residents, parents and students urged the board to halt a district restructuring plan and cited last week's landslide as a concrete reason to preserve neighborhood schools. Speakers also criticized district communication and leadership turnover.
KETCHIKAN, Alaska ' At a packed Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District board meeting on March 26, dozens of parents, staff and students urged the board to pause or abandon a proposed district "specialization" (restructuring) plan, saying it risks separating young children from families and worsens safety and transportation problems highlighted by a recent landslide.
The public-comment period stretched more than two hours and included appeals from parents of special-needs students, elementary children pleading to keep their neighborhood schools, and teachers who said alternative plans could preserve local campuses and save comparable money. "Please don't take away my school. I am a dolphin," said Leo Perry, identified as a second-grade student at Houghton, drawing applause.
The meeting occurred amid leadership turnover and community tension. The board accepted the written resignation of Board President Michelle O'Brien earlier this month; board members said they will fill that…
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