KPBSD Communications Field Notes
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District | Sharing Stories ~ Learn, Connect, Engage

“I am honored to receive this award, I hope this is seen as a reflection of the great work our entire district office department team has done along with our outstanding teachers, related services staff, and paraprofessionals that we have working in the KPBSD. I am thankful for our parents and community partners who work with us to provide positive long-term outcomes for our students. As the foundation to what we do, we have focused on building positive relationships and developing a culture across the district that is inclusive and welcoming to all students. One of the departmental highlights has been that we continually improve our graduation rate, and consistently lead the state with the number of student in special education graduating high school in four years. We have also lowered the discipline rate for students with disabilities (nationally, students with disabilities are up to five times as likely to receive long term suspension) to the point that students with disabilities are less than half as likely to face long term suspension.”

Clayton Holland, Director of Student Support Services, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Superintendent John O’Brien said, “I consider our Student Support Services department to be one of the highest performing and well-run departments in this fine district. Clayton is a visionary leader who sweats the small stuff and pays attention to details. His proactive approach to deliver quality professional development and essential trainings for his staff has resulted in exemplary services to our students, very few parental complaints for the size and diversity of our district, and no requests for mediation or due process hearings for as long as I can remember.

Clayton does a fine job overseeing our school psychologists, school nurses, Quest staff (gifted & talented), and our intervention department. He is the district point person for suicide risk assessments, self-harm, and behavioral threat assessments. Last year he spearheaded a major re-vamp of our behavior threat assessment process transforming it into a multi-disciplinary team approach. In addition, he serves as our district lead director for social & emotional learning and for partnerships with community-based behavioral health agencies and services. Mr. Holland is an exemplary educational and instructional leader, and our special education and gifted students are served well by the leadership that Director Holland provides.”

2020 Distinguished Special Education Administrator of the Year Award
Mr. Holland learned he was the recipient of this distinguished state recognition when he heard this spoken at the annual special education conference: “Each year, the Alaska Council of Administrators of Special Education (AK CASE) awards the Distinguished Special Education Administrator of the Year. W. Clement Stone once said, ‘I think there is something more important than believing: ACTION! The world is full of dreamers; there a rent’ enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision.’ This year’s recipient demonstrates the actualization of their vision each day by providing quality education and instructional leadership to their district. He always has the students’ educational needs at heart, working tirelessly to ensure that no matter the school, classroom, or student that all students are afforded the opportunity to be successful. He serves as an advocate throughout the district and his community, focusing on the needs of each child individually. He is committed to excellence and holds high expectations for both himself and those he works with. He models acceptance and inclusive practices in his everyday life and work, while working hard to nurture and develop a purposeful and accessible learning environment for all. He has led the idea and the statement ‘They’re all, all of our kids’ which is echoed throughout the district-from the custodians, secretaries, teachers and administrators. We are honored to recognize this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Special Education Administrator of the Year Award -Clayton Holland of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District!”

About Mr. Holland

Mr. Holland has been the director of student support services (formerly known as director of pupil services) for the past 12 years. Prior to this, he served as the assistant director of pupil services, a pupil services program coordinator, and as a special education teacher in the KPBSD. MR. Holland has experience as a special education teacher in the Lower Yukon School District (three years), and in Missouri (two years).

KPBSD is a district of nearly 9,000 students and over 1,200 employees, and boasts one of the highest graduation rates for special education students in the State of Alaska, and also compares well to the national average.

Mt. Holland has been an active member and leader of the Alaska Council for Administrators of Special Education. He has served as president (2015-2017), has held other officer positions, and has presented at many conferences.

Link
KPBSD Student Support Services

You have questions & thoughts about K-12 education on the Kenai, so Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent John O’Brien and communications director Pegge Erkeneff invite you to join us on Friday, February 21, 2020, for an informal, responsive conversation!

Who? parents, site councils, KPBSD key communicators, business and community partners, you!

No RSVP necessary, everyone is welcome.

Meet at KBay Caffe & Roasting Co. (378 E Pioneer Ave, Homer, AK 99603) at 10:30 AM, order yourself a tea or coffee and pull up a chair. Your thoughts about K-12 education and schools matter, and we care. Bring your questions and ideas for a helpful, insightful conversation. We look forward to connecting.

Coffee & Conversations are happening in Homer, Kenai, Nikiski, Seward, and Soldotna this spring

10:30-11:30 AM

• 1-31-20, Soldotna, Odie’s: 10:30–11:30
• 2-21-20, Homer, K-Bay Caffé, 10:30-11:30
• 3-6-20, Seward, Resurrect Art Coffee House, 10:30-11:30
• 3-19-20, Nikiski, The Compass Coffeehouse, 10:30-11:30
• 3-20-20, Kenai, Veronica’s, 10:30-11:30

►ALERT: KPBSD schools in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula* will open with a TWO HOUR DELAY START on THURSDAY, February 20, 2020, due to weather and road conditions.

If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools, that announcement will be made about 7:00 AM. If you don’t hear anything, the two-hour delay start remains in effect.

Parents and guardians, if you decide, based on conditions near you to keep your child at home, absences will be excused.

*A two hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, staff arrives at school two hours later than normal, and both morning and afternoon Pre-K sessions are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time.

*Eastern Peninsula Schools
Hope School
Moose Pass School
Seward Elementary
Seward High School
Seward Middle School

Public involvement in the school district budget counts. District administration will meet with site councils and everyone interested in K-12 education to present the nearly $145 million preliminary budget for the school year beginning in August.

February Community Budget Forums begin at 6:00 PM
Site-Councils, together with everyone who is interested—parents, staff, students, business partners, community members, and elected officials—are invited to participate.

• Tuesday, February 18, 2020, Homer High School library
• Wednesday, February 19, 2020, Kenai Central High School library
• Thursday, February 20, 2020*, Soldotna High School library, plus remote broadcast to Nanwalek, Nikiski Middle-High, and Tebughna schools
• Tuesday, February 25, 2020, Seward High School library

*Additional school locations receiving the remote broadcast on Thursday, February 20, 6:00 PM will be updated at www.KPBSD.org

“At the community budget forums, we will review the 2020-2021 (FY21) preliminary budget. Staff, parents, students and community members will have an opportunity to learn about our budget, provide input, and ask questions.”

–Liz Hayes, Director of Finance, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Planning for the 2020-2021 school year, KPBSD projects a budget deficit of $2,255,900. The FY21 projected expenditure budget is $144,776,830. On March 2, 2020, the recommended budget for the 2020-2021 school year will be on the KPBSD Board of Education agenda.

Links
FY15 – FY20 Budget Reductions History 

KPBSD Finance Department

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►UPDATE, 5:15 AM: Eastern Peninsula Schools (Hope School to Seward area) will also open with a TWO-HOUR DELAY START on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

►ALERT: KPBSD schools in the Southern Peninsula* will open with a TWO HOUR DELAY START on THURSDAY, January 30, 2020, due to weather and road conditions.

If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools, that announcement will be made about 7:00 AM. If you don’t hear anything, the two-hour delay start remains in effect.
All Pre-K sessions—both morning and afternoon–at these schools are cancelled during a two-hour delay start.

Parents and guardians, if you decide, based on conditions near you to keep your child at home, absences will be excused.

*A two hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, staff arrives at school two hours later than normal, and Pre-K sessions are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time.

Southern Peninsula Schools:

• Chapman School
• Connections Homeschool (Homer)
• Fireweed Academy
• Homer Flex School
• Homer High School
• Homer Middle School
• Kachemak Selo School
• McNeil Canyon Elementary School
• Nanwalek School
• Nikolaevsk School
• Ninilchik School
• Paul Banks Elementary School
• Port Graham School
• Razdolna School
• Susan B. English School
• Voznesenka School
• West Homer Elementary School

**Eastern Peninsula Schools
Cooper Landing School
Hope School
Moose Pass School
Seward Elementary
Seward High School
Seward Middle School

Central Peninsula Schools:
Schools in this area (Kasilof, Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, Sterling, Tebughna) will be opening on a normal schedule.