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Ketchikan school board rejects FY2026–27 budget in first reading after hours of public testimony and heated debate
Summary
After more than two hours of public testimony and extended board questioning about staffing, special programs and underfunded operating lines, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District board voted 0–7 to fail the FY2026–27 budget in first reading, and directed staff to return with a revised proposal accounting for roughly $1.0–1.3 million in shortfalls.
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education on April 8 failed to approve the district—Y2026–27 operating budget in a first-reading vote, leaving administration to rework a plan amid competing priorities for counselors, RTI support, CTE and custodial and utilities funding.
Board members heard a string of public comments—students, parents, teachers and community advocates—urging preservation of librarians, elective classes and CTE programs before Superintendent Bullard and business staff presented the proposed budget and the assumptions behind it. Bullard highlighted results of a community survey (435 responses) that prioritized counseling, mental-health supports,…
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