News Release
Mr. Clayton Holland is selected to serve Kenai Peninsula Borough School District as next Superintendent of Schools, beginning July 1, 2021, when Superintendent O’Brien retires.
Soldotna, January 27, 2021—At a special board of education meeting, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District school board voted, with unanimous consent, to offer a contract for the position of superintendent of schools to Mr. Clayton Holland.
“I am honored by the faith the KPBSD school board placed in me to become the next superintendent of schools. I will do everything I can to live up to the expectations of the school board, the staff, students, and our diverse communities. I thank all the teachers, support staff, administrators, and students who I have worked with over the years who prepared me to take this job. We have a lot of work to do, and I will not let you down. I am committed to taking the best of the past, what we’ve learned during the pandemic, and strengthening our personalized learning to offer enrichment and supports where needed, and build public trust in our excellent school district.”
–Clayton Holland
An educator in Alaska since 1997, Mr. Holland demonstrates a commitment to education. He has served the students, families, and staff of KPBSD as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, program coordinator, director of student support services, currently as the KPBSD assistant superintendent of instruction, and beginning July 1, 2021, as superintendent of schools. He has served on several committees including the Alaska Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Education, and in 2020 received statewide recognition as the Alaska 2020 Distinguished Special Education Administrator, from the Alaska Council of Administrators of Special Education. He frequently presents at statewide conferences and during panel discussions. Holland holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a Special Education Endorsement, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership. Everyone can view his candidate interview and virtual meet and greet, on the KPBSD website.
“After a national search and the selection of three highly qualified finalist candidates, the Board of Education recognized that our current Assistant Superintendent, Clayton Holland, rose to the top of the field. Mr. Holland has an intimate knowledge of our district and is invested heavily in the communities we serve. He has lived the mission and vision of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and will continue to move forward on the tradition of inspiring all learners to pursue their dreams in a rigorous, relevant, and responsive environment.”
-Board of Education President Zen Kelly
February 1, 2021, Board of Education Action Item: Approval of the contract and acceptance by Mr. Holland will officially place him as the KPBSD Superintendent on July 1, 2021.
Links
KPBSD Superintendent Search webpage with links to video interviews
KPBSD Board of Education Board Docs, January 26, 2021 meeting
Thank you to the Soldotna City Council for Resolution 2021-002
Commending the Role of Educators, Parents and Support Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic
CITY OF SOLDOTNA
RESOLUTION 2021-002
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE
ROLE OF EDUCATORS, PARENTS
AND SUPPORT STAFF DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
WHEREAS, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020, placed demands upon educators of all subjects to reshape the methods of delivering education to meet the needs of all of our students; and
WHEREAS, the educational demands brought on by the Coronavirus were immediate and long-term requiring a re-thinking of how to teach and what to teach; and
WHEREAS, being a Teacher has always been at the top of students’ goals when considering their future and who they admire; and
WHEREAS, Parents will always be the first teachers of our students. Their support and involvement is a critical determiner in the success of education; and
WHEREAS, the Support Staff for teachers provide great assistance for teachers and also students as they shape the environment for education and humanize the process; and
WHEREAS, Education is the highest civilian priority of America; and
WHEREAS, funding of our schools, employees, activities, and programs is our most precious commitment of funding;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOLDOTNA, ALASKA:
Section 1. That the City of Soldotna wishes to commend the role of Educators, Parents and Support Staff to our students during this time of crises and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Section 2. That during the 2021 Calendar Year, Teachers will be our models for dedication, perseverance, and creativity during the on-going crises brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Section 3. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL THIS 13TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2021.
News Release
The KPBSD Board of Education invites three finalists to interview for next Superintendent of Schools
Soldotna, January 22, 2021—Three candidates will interview to become the next KPBSD Superintendent of Schools, on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. The KPBSD Board of Education invites everyone to watch the interviews live, or view the video later in the day.
Plus, everyone is invited to a Virtual Meet and Greet with each finalist on Monday, January 25, 2021, and then to provide input to the school board no later than Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m.
Virtual Meet and Greet, Monday, January 25, 2021
Everyone is invited to watch a 30-minute virtual meet and greet with each candidate via the KPBSD livestream, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The video recording for each candidate will be available on the KPBSD website after 2:00 p.m., for everyone who is not able to watch the livestream.
- 10:00 a.m. Dr. Jason R. Johnson | Application and resume packet
- 10:45 a.m. Mr. Clayton Holland | Application and resume packet
- 11:30 a.m. Ms. Janelle Vanasse | Application and resume packet
Provide your thoughts to the Board of Education
Everyone is invited to offer feedback to the school board after watching the livestream or viewing the video recording, via a short online input survey, for each candidate. Survey links will be on the Superintendent Search webpage, and the survey input will open when the candidate interview begins. All surveys will close at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
Candidate Interviews, Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Interviews will begin at 10:15 a.m., Tuesday, January 26, 2021, via the KPBSD zoom platform, and be livestreamed. The public is invited to watch the livestream, or view the board meeting portion of interviews that will be posted on the KPBSD website later in the day. Each candidate will be allotted the same length of time, and asked identical questions.
10:00 a.m. Board of Education Special Meeting
- 10:15 a.m. Ms. Janelle Vanasse | Application and resume packet
- 11:30 a.m. Dr. Jason R. Johnson | Application and resume packet
- 1:00 p.m. Mr. Clayton Holland | Application and resume packet
Board
of Education Executive Session follows conclusion of interviews
Board of Education Special Meeting reconvenes (this portion will be
webstreamed)
The successful candidate will begin serving as Superintendent of School on July 1, 2021.
Quick Links
- KPBSD Board of Education Livestream channel: https://go.kpbsd.org/BOElivestream
- KPBSD Superintendent Search webpage with video and survey links
- KPBSD BoardDocs
Contact or visit McPherson & Jacobson LLC for detailed information about the superintendent search including the position description, qualities, and time line
All Seward area 7-12 grade students can return to onsite-at-school learning on January 25, 2021
Soldotna, January 22, 2021—Good news: the community spread of COVID-19 is continuing to flatten on the Kenai Peninsula, and as more students return to onsite at school learning, if everyone follows the school mitigation plans, schools will stay open for the rest of the school year. Grades 7-12 have been attending on split schedules due to COVID-19 risk levels, and very soon all KPBSD students will have the option to attend school onsite five days a week. If you have questions or issues to solve, kindly call your school and talk to your principal, teacher, or school secretary.
Monday, January 25, 2021, Moose Pass and Seward schools will open for all 7-12th grade students to attend in-person, at school, every day
Monday, February 1, 2021, is the earliest possible date for:
Central Peninsula (Kasilof, Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, and Sterling area schools)
Southern Peninsula (Homer area, Nikolaevsk, and Ninilchik schools)
On or before January 28, 2021, KPBSD will provide an update with an official announcement about when central and southern peninsula schools will open onsite learning for all grades.
Enhanced Safety plans
- Shift in 2021: Instead of broad regional decisions to extinguish the onsite learning option, the KPBSD district level team will work with individual schools when a positive COVID-19 case occurs in a school requiring student or staff quarantine, or results in staffing shortages. Thus, you may experience only a classroom or specific school shift to the 100% Remote Learning option
- To keep onsite learning happening and schools open, it is key that everyone follow the plans for health and safety. Thank you for sticking to the KPBSD Symptom Free School protocol
- Bus transportation is provided on a normal schedule, everyone must wear a face covering, and seating plans will be put in place
- Staff and all ages of students wear a mask at all times
- Mitigation plans at school sites must be faithfully and fully implemented
- Pods or cohorts will be in consistent groups
- 6’ physical distancing needs to occur whenever possible. Physical distance will keep staff and students healthy in school, minimize in-school exposure or transmission, and reduce the number of people who need to quarantine when a positive COVID-19 case occurs
How will I know when grades 7-12 will be open every day to onsite learning at my school?
Parents, students, and families will receive a message from the district through School Messenger, and schools will also contact their families when this change takes effect. An announcement will be posted on KPBSD.org, the KPBSD mobile app, and on social media. The KPBSD team continues to monitor COVID-19 spread, health care capacity, and ability to staff and operate schools safely. Thank you for your good effort to open schools safely, and keep schools open! Monitor your school risk level on the COVID-19 dashboard.
Links
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- KPBSD COVID-19 risk level dashboard
- Helpful flyer: What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19: put your quarantine plan into action
###
Jan 21
15
Grade 7-12 Onsite Learning Update
How soon will 7-12 grade students return to onsite at-school learning every day?
Good news: the community spread of COVID-19 is continuing to flatten on the Kenai Peninsula, so it appears schools may soon open onsite every day for Grades 7-12. Thank you to everyone for your patience—if you have questions or issues to solve, call your school and talk to your principal, teacher, or school secretary.
When is the earliest possible date Grades 7-12 could resume attending onsite five days a week?
Monday, January 25, 2021, is the earliest possible date for:
Eastern Peninsula (Moose Pass and Seward schools)
Southern Peninsula (Homer area, Nikolaevsk, and Ninilchik schools)
Monday, February 1, 2021, is the earliest possible date for:
Central Peninsula (Kasilof, Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, and Sterling area schools)
On or before January 22, 2021, KPBSD will provide an update with an official announcement.
How will I know when grades 7-12 will be open every day to onsite learning at my school?
Parents, students, and families will receive a message from the district through School Messenger, and schools will also contact their families when this change takes effect. An announcement will be posted on KPBSD.org, the KPBSD mobile app, and on social media. The KPBSD team continues to monitor COVID-19 spread, health care capacity, and ability to staff and operate schools safely. Thank you for your good effort to open schools safely, and keep schools open! Monitor your school risk level on the COVID-19 dashboard.
Links
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- KPBSD COVID-19 risk level dashboard
- Helpful flyer: What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19: put your quarantine plan into action
###
January 15, 2021 Update
Jan 21
14
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
School Holiday
KPBSD schools* are closed on Monday, January 18, 2021, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
*variance: Kachemak-Selo, Nanwalek, Nikolaevsk, Port Graham, Razdolna, and Voznesenka schools will be open on a normal schedule
►ALERT: KPBSD schools in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula* will open with a TWO HOUR DELAY START on THURSDAY, January 14, 2021, 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 in two-hour delay start on Thursday, January 14, 2021:
Moose Pass School
Seward Elementary
Seward High School
Seward Middle School
►ALERT: KPBSD schools in the Southern Peninsula* will open with a TWO HOUR DELAY START on THURSDAY, January 7, 2021, due to weather and road conditions.
100% Remote Learning is also on a two-hour delay start–some staff are teaching from the school and need to safely drive to their worksites.
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, all 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
On January 11, 2021, KPBSD expands the onsite-at-school learning option during High COVID-19 Risk
Soldotna, January 5, 2021—KPBSD Pre-K through 6th grades can
attend school onsite, every school day beginning Monday, January 11, 2021,
during High COVID-19 Risk. Grades 7-12 will attend onsite two days a week, with
a split A/B schedule—schools will be in contact with families to announce the
plan they design. When COVID-19 risk levels drop into medium risk*, Grades 7-12
will switch to onsite learning five days a week. The 100% Remote Learning
option will continue to be available.
Attending school onsite-at-school during high-risk (red) beginning January 11, 2021
- Pre-K through Grade 6: every day, Monday through Friday. This includes 6th grade at all KPBSD schools
- Grades 7-12: attend two times a week onsite, with a split schedule
- School teams may identify additional at-risk or vulnerable students throughout the semester to attend additional time onsite
- Schools will communicate their plans with students and families. Your patience is appreciated as these schedules are created and shared
- Previously identified vulnerable students may continue to attend five days a week
These changes begin Monday, January 11, 2021, a week earlier than initially thought. Thank you to everyone for actions to reduce community COVID-19 transmission.
Important:
- Shift in 2021: Instead of broad regional decisions to extinguish the onsite learning option, the KPBSD district level team will work with individual schools when a positive COVID-19 case occurs in a school requiring student or staff quarantine, or results in staffing shortages. Thus, you may experience only a classroom or specific school shift to the 100% Remote Learning option
- To keep onsite learning happening and schools open, it is key that everyone follow the plans for health and safety. Thank you for sticking to the KPBSD Symptom Free School protocol
- Bus transportation is provided on a normal schedule, everyone must wear a face covering, and seating plans will be put in place
- Monday, January 18, 2021, is a school holiday for most schools, and the January early release date is cancelled
*How will I know when my school switches to Medium COVID-19 Risk operations (Yellow)?
The KPBSD team continues to monitor COVID-19 spread, health care capacity, and ability to staff and operate schools safely. You will receive an alert when a region will shift to medium risk operations—when this happens, all grades (PreK-12) have the option to attend school onsite, every day. Parents and families will receive a message from the district through School Messenger, and schools will also contact their families when this change would be in effect. Monitor your school risk level on the COVID-19 dashboard.
Sports?
Middle and high school sport seasons will open with high-risk mitigation plans and ASAA protocols in place. Fidelity to these measures will ideally allow an entire season to be played without interruption or cancellation.
Enhanced Safety plans
To keep schools safe and the COVID-19 transmission level low in school, these actions must be followed with fidelity at all times:
- Staff and all ages of students wear a mask at all times
- Mitigation plans at school sites must be faithfully and fully implemented
- Pods or cohorts will be in consistent groups
- 6’ physical distancing needs to occur whenever possible. Physical distance will keep staff and students healthy in school, minimize in-school exposure or transmission, and reduce the number of people who need to quarantine when a positive COVID-19 case occurs
- Most school facilities are receiving upgrades to their HVAC air handling systems. KPBSD is installing O2 Prime in schools that have large central air handling units (that share air with other rooms in the building). Some areas and older schools do not have central air handling units supplying air to different rooms, and these facilities are being addressed differently as KPBSD continues to implement options for O2 Prime in unit ventilators and small furnaces
- Enhanced sanitation with electrostatic sanitizer: spraying Electrolytically Generated Hypochlorous Acid (HOCL) is currently occurring at all schools
- Staff and students: make sure to follow the KPBSD Symptom Free Schools protocol
Links
- Become a substitute in KPBSD, on your own schedule. All positions will be needed
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- KPBSD COVID-19 risk level dashboard
- Helpful flyer: What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19: put your quarantine plan into action
Kenai
Peninsula Borough School District
Staff and Students who travel outside of Alaska
Do you have questions about when you may return to KPBSD work or onsite-at-school learning after travel out of state? This may help:
Based on the State of Alaska Health Order No. 6 effective December 16, 2020:
KPBSD employees and students must observe “Strict Social Distancing*” for five days after arriving back in Alaska, after a COVID-19 test happened within 72 hours of departure back to Alaska, or testing on arrival into Alaska.
- If staff or students receive a negative test result and are symptom free, they can return to school on day 6. (Arrival day is day 0) Kindly provide your negative test result to the school
- If someone chooses not to test for COVID-19, they must quarantine for 14 days after arrival in Alaska
- If staff or students experience any COVID-19 symptoms after arrival at home in Alaska, they should get re-tested
Tip: Children age 10 and under can test, but it is not required. If a child is not tested, they will need to follow the same quarantine or strict social distancing* time as the adult with whom they traveled.
If the child aged 10 and under travels with an adult who received a positive COVID-19 test in the past 90 days and thus does not need to observe strict social distancing or quarantine, and the child is not tested, the child will need to quarantine for 14 days.
Have you received a positive COVID-19 test within 90 days?
The positive test result may also be used in lieu of testing, strict social distancing, or quarantine related to travel
Make sure to review the State of Alaska Travel Information Webpage for residents and non-residents: https://covid19.alaska.gov/travelers/
State Travel FAQs: https://covid19.alaska.gov/faq/
*Strict Social Distancing defined by the State of Alaska (Health Order No. 6, page 5)
- You may be in an outdoor public place, but you must remain six feet away from anyone not in your immediate household, and you must wear a face covering. You may arrange curbside shopping or have food delivery.
- You cannot enter restaurants, bars, gyms, community centers, sporting facilities (i.e., ice rinks, gymnasiums, and sports domes), office buildings, and school or daycare facilities. Do not participate in any group activities, including sporting events and practices, weddings, funerals, or other gatherings.
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