Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board delays votes on two elementary closures, directs closure plans

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education on March 25 postponed decisions to close Fawn Mountain and Point Higgins elementary schools and directed district leaders to prepare comprehensive closure plans for presentation at the board’s April 8 meeting.

The board first considered a motion to close Fawn Mountain effective at the end of the 2025–26 school year and to have the superintendent implement a transition plan for students, staff and programs beginning in 2026–27. After lengthy staff presentations on budget deficits and legal requirements and substantial public comment, Member Montgomery moved to postpone the closure vote to April 8 and to direct the superintendent to produce a comprehensive closure plan that meets board policy 5.30 and relevant Alaska administrative code sections. The board voted to postpone and to direct staff 7–0.

A separate motion to close Point Higgins was also introduced and likewise postponed to April 8. The board voted unanimously to require a detailed closure plan that includes a financial-impact analysis and the elements required under state rule if it proceeds with permanent discontinuation.

Superintendent Miss Bullard and district staff outlined the rationale for considering closures: a multi‑million dollar budget shortfall driven by declining enrollment and rising operating costs. Bullard said consolidation is one of several options the district examined after exploring alternatives including schedule changes, salary and insurance strategies, targeted program reductions, and transportation adjustments. She emphasized that permanent closure requires a separate, department‑approved plan and that the district cannot close a school until DEED approves the closure plan and procedural requirements are met.

Public testimony before and during the motions focused heavily on the impact closures would have on students, families and programs. Multiple high‑school students and CTE teachers described CTE classes as a primary reason students attend and graduate. "There's nothing driving us to be there except for just getting stuff done," said student Lehi Romero, urging the board to protect career and technical education. CTE teacher Mary Miller noted that maintaining pathways is tied to Perkins grant eligibility and that some CTE courses produce industry‑ready graduates.

Board members pressing for postponement argued the packet did not contain a line‑item budget or specific program protections and that approving closures without a full plan would deprive parents, staff and unions of meaningful notice. Members who supported accelerating the process cited May 15 statutory notification deadlines for tenured teachers and said a RIF plan and closure planning were necessary to meet legal timelines.

The board’s direction requires district administration to provide comprehensive closure plans for both schools on the April 8 agenda. Those plans must address the educational services for all eligible students, pupil transportation, provision for students with disabilities, any required compensatory services, and state reimbursement issues, and they will then be submitted to the Alaska Department of Education for approval before any permanent closure could take effect.

The board scheduled additional special meetings and work sessions to continue budget and staffing work; the April 8 regular meeting is now the target for both the closure plans and the next budget action.