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Kodiak school board weighs $750k-plus in preliminary FY27 cuts; pool, activities and travel debated
Summary
Trustees reviewed revised FY27 revenue after a lower-than-requested borough allocation, considered proposed contingency cuts (including a 10% activities reduction and potential pool-cost savings), and reached consensus on a preliminary package totaling about $753,294 to present June 15 while preserving the community pool for now.
The Kodiak Island Borough School District board spent the bulk of its June 1 work session reviewing updated FY27 revenue and debating contingency reductions to avoid depleting the fund balance.
CFO Krista Cowley told trustees the borough allocated roughly $13.7 million to the district, below the districts ask, and presented two revenue scenarios: a conservative middle column that relies in part on fund balance, and an optimistic right-hand column that assumes one-time state funding and energy-relief dollars (an additional roughly $2.3 million). Board members and staff stressed uncertainty until legislative bills are transmitted to the governor and the 20-day review period runs.
On expenditures, Cowley reported about $900,000 of below-the-line non-personnel reductions using a new zero-based budgeting exercise with site administrators, though she cautioned that items such as food service and AK Teach enrollment will modify that amount once finalized.
Administration proposed a June 1 contingency package that included a 10% cut to activities ($90,000), three currently unfilled aide positions ($168,294), one FTE nurse ($159,000), $100,000 in pool costs, an ELAP-certified teacher ($150,000), and a nine-month maintenance hybrid position ($41,000). Board members debated whether identifying the pool cost as a cut meant closing the pool; Trustee Mike Litzow warned a $100,000 reduction would likely end heat/utilities and program use for water safety and community events.
Trustees discussed alternatives to preserve high-priority services: reducing staff travel, using construction impact aid for capital maintenance projects, and phasing back one-to-one elementary iPads. Several trustees noted the difficulty and timing of large instructional or technology shifts before fall and urged careful planning if the board chooses to pursue them.
By the end of the session the board reached a working consensus for materials to prepare for the June 15 meeting: a 5% cut to student activities ($45,000), the three aide FTEs ($168,294), one FTE nurse ($159,000), the ELAP teacher ($150,000), the nine-month maintenance hybrid ($41,000), apply up to $150,000 of construction impact/maintenance-eligible projects to reduce general-maintenance costs, and reduce staff travel by about $40,000 — a combined preliminary package of roughly $753,294 to present for formal approval.
Why it matters: Trustees must adopt a balanced FY27 budget by the end of June without certainty about possible one-time state funds. The package preserves the community pool for now and targets a mix of unfilled positions, targeted program cuts and capital-money reallocations instead of broad teacher layoffs.
Next steps: Administration will prepare the detailed June 15 budget documents, provide program-level activity funding detail, and, if the governor signs one-time funding, return to the board with a prioritized "add-back" list for staff and programs.
