Lawmakers press DEED on Mount Edgecumbe maintenance, missing kitchen equipment and contract amounts
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Summary
Subcommittee members reviewed photos and budget lines for Mount Edgecumbe High School, pressed department officials about missing kitchen equipment and 59 USDA inspection violations tied to a prior contractor, and sought documentation to reconcile contract RFP amounts (dorm $2.1M, food $1.2M) with the budget.
Members of the House Finance Education Subcommittee spent much of the morning pressing Department of Education and Early Development officials about conditions at Mount Edgecumbe High School, including missing kitchen equipment and unresolved facility maintenance projects.
Deputy Commissioner Karen Morrison and Administrative Services Director Dawn Hanish reviewed photos taken in June 2025 that they said show the condition the school was left in after a previous vendor vacated. Hanish told the committee that monthly meetings between the new residential program contractors and students have boosted meal participation and that students are now employed in the kitchen, producing a roughly 20% increase in meal counts.
Representative Hemshutt repeatedly asked the department to reconcile budget line items with procurement documents after the committee observed a $3.3 million total in contracted services while public RFP postings appeared to show $2.1 million. Morrison said there were two separate RFPs and that the dorm contract is $2.1 million and the food contract $1.2 million; she promised to provide the committee the RFPs and contract documents requested.
Committee members also raised compliance concerns. Representative Schwanke said the 59 USDA inspection violations reported in January 2024 were connected to how the prior contractor left the facility and asked whether the state could pursue damages. Dawn Hanish said the department had discussed the violations but did not have immediate information on legal or financial repercussions and agreed to follow up.
Commissioner Dina Bishop told lawmakers that, while about $20 million in appropriations were vetoed in prior years, roughly $15.3 million was placed in the major maintenance account for Mount Edgecumbe and some projects have since moved forward, including roofing and ADA work. Bishop offered to provide the committee a detailed list of which projects were completed and which remained outstanding.
The committee requested: the two RFP documents for dorm and food services, the department's assessment of potential recoveries related to the vendor departure and USDA violations, and the original list of major-maintenance projects tied to the $15.3 million that appeared in the governor's budget. The department agreed to return with those materials.