At least a dozen teachers, staff and school board members showed up for a town hall hosted by the Unalaska City School District on March 6 to discuss an impending $1.2 million budget shortfall for the next fiscal year.
The group overwhelmingly voiced concerns and discussed potential solutions. It's an issue communities across the state are struggling with, as lawmakers in Juneau debate how to fund education costs amidst flat funding and rising inflation.
In Unalaska, some teachers expressed worry at last week’s meeting that financial cuts may impact their insurance plans, making them pay more for coverage. Others were concerned about increasing class sizes, decreasing special education resources and making the district a less appealing place for families. Some also felt that cuts would increase the burden on teachers.
Another big concern? How budget cuts would impact students and staff emotionally.
“I know these are all things for the future, but I'm concerned,” said Dena Royal, a second grade teacher in the district. “You mentioned morale. I know it's affected my morale since I've gone to these budget meetings.”
Superintendent Kim Hanisch agreed with the group, and noted that the impacts of cuts could go beyond programs and activities.
“I mean, risk is not just in the dollars. Risk is in people too, morale, culture,” said Hanisch. “Those all have, in my mind, sort of a dollar value as well. And I think in all of our minds, it's not just black and white, like, ‘oh, let's quickly cut this right here, because that'll save us a lot.’ We could lose in other ways too.”
Many attendees also brainstormed ways that the community may be able to help the district find funding outside of state and federal organizations. School board member Kerry Mahoney said that one option might be increasing parent engagement.
“I've just been thinking a lot about how we don't have a PTA,” said Mahoney. “Having the PTA to boost morale to, you know, to be a person that could go to businesses and say, you know, ‘Ms. Royal’s second grade class, You know, Ms. Charity. They need supplies. Would you be willing to sponsor that classroom?’”
Another idea included searching for local grant writers who might be able to secure other funding opportunities for the district. Others brought up the possibility of charging more in sports fees.
Ultimately, Hanisch emphasized that the best way to protect education in Unalaska would be by advocating for an increase in the base student allocation, or BSA, which is a formula the state uses to figure out how much money to give to each school district. The formula has not significantly increased in over five years.
The district would need the BSA to increase by $1,000 to cover next year’s deficits, but the district’s finance committee is building this year’s budget around a $450 increase instead.
No cuts have been finalized yet. There will be opportunities for public comment at school board meetings later this month. The district will finalize the budget on March 19.
