June 8, 2017
The Alaska State Legislature
Conference Committee on Hb57
Representative Paul Seaton
Senator Lyman Hoffman
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Dear Representative Seaton and Senator Hoffman:
On behalf of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education, I am writing to express our frustration over the Legislature’s inability to produce and pass a budget for the fiscal year 2018. The impact on our schools, staff and students caused by this inadequacy cannot be understated. Our district has less than 55 work days before school doors open again to welcome students for another year. The few summer weeks that schools are closed, the district office administration works diligently to plan and prepare so that our school staff have what they need to succeed the minute they return to their buildings. At this point, KPBSD cannot even make crucial decisions on filling vacant positions, much less move forward with other critical preparation.
This legislative session is a perfect example of why the state must develop a comprehensive, long-term fiscal plan that includes forward funding for education. It is unreasonable and unconscionable to expect school districts to function at their highest level and provide a world class education to students when they are held hostage to the legislature’s timeline and inability to move forward in an efficient manner.
If you would like to discuss this further of if our board can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Joe Arness, President
Board of Education
Posted in Legislature by .
News Release
KPBSD can hire 12 of 30+ frozen positions
Soldotna, June 8, 2017—The Borough Assembly passed the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on June 6, 2017, which included funding for the KPBSD school year which begins August 22, 2017. The State of Alaska has not yet determined funding for public education.
Mayor Navarre increased the FY18 borough funding appropriation to KPBSD by $1.5 million over FY17 in Ordinance 2017-19, and the Borough Assembly voted to pass this funding. The Borough will provide KPBSD $38.88 million in Local Effort support available for use by KPBSD, and $10.85 million for operations and in-kind support, for a total appropriation of $49,738,432.
The increase provided KPBSD the fiscal certainty to offer contracts to a handful of local teachers on June 7, 2017, some of who had not yet been offered positions because of the hiring freeze and fiscal uncertainty. In addition, a handful of principals are interviewing for positions now open at their school site, with the ability for KPBSD to offer a qualified candidate a position immediately. The remaining positions are still on hold until the state legislature determines education funding, which could range from status quo to a five percent reduction.
“I am grateful that the Borough Assembly and Mayor Navarre took action that provided some fiscal certainty to the school district. They demonstrated leadership and made some difficult decisions that supported the schools in our district. We will continue to work closely with the Assembly and Mayor in our planning for next year to ensure efficiencies and provide the best opportunities for all of our students in the coming years. We will work together to make our communities positive, vibrant places that our graduates will want to live and work in as they have their own families in the future.” – Sean Dusek, Superintendent of Schools
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Posted in News Release by .
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Golden Apple Award | June 5, 2017
Mrs. Jeanne Duhan
Mrs. Jeanne Duhan is an outstanding music educator, a tireless advocate for children, and a kind person. In the past five years at K-Beach Elementary School, Mrs. Duhan has gone above and beyond expectations to meet the unique needs of her students. For example, recognizing the need for more structured music learning activities for students over the summer, Mrs. Duhan cofounded and directed the band of the Con Brio Music Camp for two years. She spearheaded the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District adoption of SmartMusic, which is an innovative software application used to provide band students with individualized feedback on their performance.
Under the guidance of Mrs. Duhan, the K-Beach Elementary band program expanded to include grades four through six, three levels of band instruction, and close to 70 students studying a band instrument. “Jeanne inspires a true love of music and band in her students,” said Kent Peterson, Soldotna High School music teacher. “In addition to performing as a full band, she features many of her students in small ensembles and solos. These soloists and ensembles are sometimes performing at a level that is equal to and beyond what would be expected in grades seven and eight.”
“Additional contributions to our district and the wider music education community include adjudicating at a number of regional and statewide festivals; serving as guest conductor of the Aurora Music Festival Mass Band; serving as a student teaching mentor, as well as an informal mentor to a number of early career teachers in our district; designing and leading a number of professional development programs for our district music teachers, including training in instrument repair, music technology, and band teaching methods; and opening an instrument repair business,” said Jonathan Dillon, Mountain View Elementary music teacher.
In addition to the band program, the students at K-Beach Elementary are not just performing music, but learning how to perform music. The fundamentals of becoming a good musician are taught throughout her classes and will benefit her students and the schools for many years to come. Outside of school, Mrs. Duhan maintains an active performance schedule, and plays the French horn with the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra, the Redoubt Chamber Orchestra, and various chamber ensembles; Bari saxophone with the Peninsula Jazz Band; and guitar and vocals with the band, Recess Duty. Being so active in the community through music offers inspiration to her students and families.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Mrs. Jeanne Duhan for her dedication to the students of the school district, past, present, and future.
Posted in Awards by .
click to watch Imagine a Wonderful World
In April and May, three KPBSD Redoubt Elementary music classes (4th, 5th, 6th) joined students from Michigan and Texas to learn a song and employ technology to create a video with 115 young people from three states singing the same song together in a virtual choir!
“We are following the model of Eric Whitacre’s virtual choirs, one of which you can see here,” said teacher, Ms. Pugia. “Students learned and recorded, individually or in small groups, a song that they and two other choirs also learned. Together, all of the videos were uploaded and multi-tracked (voice and video) into one cohesive project, so the whole song is heard as if it is sung by just one choir all in the same place!”
Thank you to:
- Algonquin Middle School (Chippewa Valley School District) directed by Ms. Woodman
- Redoubt Elementary School (Kenai Peninsula Borough School District) directed by Ms. Samantha Pugia
- Sugar Land Middle School (Fort Bend ISD, Texas) directed by Ms. Capdau
All composer credits are in video. All songs copyright to original composers.
Posted in Education by .
May 17
22
KPBSD Class of 2017 Graduations
“Congratulations to the class of 2017! I’m very proud to send another high caliber group of young people into their future. I wish all of our graduates the best and look forward to seeing the positive difference they will make in the world!” –Superintendent Sean Dusek
Class of 2017 Graduation Dates & Times
Thursday, May 18, 2017
- Kachemak Selo School – 2:00 PM
- Razdolna School – 11:00 AM
- Voznesenka School – Land’s End, Homer 4:00 PM
Monday, May 22, 2017
- Homer Flex – Land’s End – 5:00 PM
- Homer High – Homer High Gym – 7:00 PM
- Hope School – 7:00 PM
- Kenai Alternative School – K-Alternative Gym – 5:00 PM
- Soldotna High School – Soldotna Sports Center – 7:00 PM
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
- Nikiski High School – Nikiski High Gym – 7:00 PM
- Nikolaevsk School – 5:00 PM
- Seward High School – 7:00 PM
- Susan B. English – 4:00 PM
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
- Kenai Central High School – Renee C. Henderson Auditorium – 6:30 PM
- Nanwalek School – 1:00 PM
- Ninilchik High School – Ninilchik School Gym – 7:00 PM
- Port Graham School – 4:00 PM
- River City Academy – Soldotna Sports Center – 6:00 PM
- Tebughna School – Tebughna School Gym – 6:00 PM
Thursday, May 25, 2017
- Connections – Soldotna High School Auditorium – 4:00 PM
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
KPBSD appreciates dedicated staff who will retire or depart this year
“This is a bittersweet time of year with our staff. It is a time to celebrate the successes and growth we’ve all experienced throughout the district. It is also a time for transition. We are losing some excellent educators and support staff, and while it is sad they are leaving the district, it is also a time to be thankful for their contributions and also wish them well on their next adventure. So, thanks and best of luck goes to all our retirees and staff moving on to other adventures. You will be missed!” – Sean Dusek, Superintendent
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District appreciates the commitment and service these employees contributed, each with fifteen or more years in the school district. Each of you has made a difference, THANK YOU!
- Rosemary Bird, Kenai Middle School, Choir and Home Economics Teacher, 37 years
- Teri Zopf-Schoessler, Soldotna High School, English and Drama Teacher, 33 years
- Leobof Dorvall, Nikolaevsk School, ELL Tutor and Food Service Manager I-S, 32 years
- Daniel Hastings, Student Nutrition Services, Districtwide Kitchen Manager, 31 years
- Mo Sanders, Montessori Charter School, Administrator, 30 years
- Kenneth Roser, Kenai Middle School, Physical Education and Health Teacher, 30 years
- Daniel Calhoun, Homer Middle School, Math Teacher, 30 years
- Linda Raemaker, Soldotna High School, Social Studies Teacher, 29 years
- Bill Noomah, McNeil Canyon Elementary School, Fifth Grade Teacher, 28 years
- Marilyn Dvorak, Homer Flex and West Homer Elementary, Custodian I, Food Service Cashier, 28 years
- Phyllis Halstead, Kenai Alternative High School, School Secretary II, 27 years
- Eric Benson, Paul Banks Elementary School, Head Custodian II, 26 years
- Jean Calhoun, West Homer Elementary School, School Secretary III, 26 years
- Pamela Howard, Tebughna School, School Nurse, 26 years
- Catherine Patterson, Sterling Elementary School, Food Service Manager I-S, 26 years
- Katie Blossom, Tustumena Elementary School, Kindergarten Teacher, 25 years
- David Fischer, Kenai Middle School, Math and Science Teacher, 25 years
- Michele Stenger, Kachemak-Selo, Kindergarten and First grade Teacher, 25 years
- Laurie Olson, District Office, Director of Finance, 24 years
- Teresa Dalebout, Soldotna Prep School, Special Education Aide, 24 years
- Stuart Laurion, Soldotna High School, Special Education Aide, 23 years
- Martha Shirley, Skyview Middle School, Special Education Resource Teacher, 22 years
- Penny Duncan, Seward High School, Head Custodian III, 22 years
- Laurie Martin, Paul Banks Elementary School, Second Grade Teacher, 20 years
- Dolan “Wayne” Cowan, Kenai Middle School, Head Custodian II, 20 years
- Mary Helminski, Redoubt Elementary School, School Secretary III, 20 years
- Diane Ames, Nikiski North Star Elementary School, Food Service Cashier, Kitchen Assistant, 19 years
- Barbara Njaa, Central Peninsula Area Schools, ELL Tutor, 18 years
- Carol Boehmler, Sterling Elementary School, Third and Fourth Grade Teacher, 17 years
- David Kingsland, Seward Elementary School, Administrator, 17 years
- Teri Diamond, Soldotna Elementary School, Administrator, 17 years
- Janet Szajkowski, Connections Home School Program, Generalist Teacher, 16 years
- Kimberly Johnson, Chapman School, Second Grade Teacher, 15 years
- Andrea Fischer, Kenai Middle School, Food Service Manager I-S, 15 years
As part of the Safer Alaska initiative, Governor Bill Walker announced the names for the two new Alaska State Trooper drug detection K9s. K9-B will be named Mak (short for Kachemak, as in Kachemak Bay) -that name was suggested by Hannah Dolphin’s class at Kalifornsky Beach Elementary School in Kenai!
Hannah Dolphin, 6th Grade Teacher, K-Beach Elementary said, “We’re excited! One of my students, Karley Johnson, was the one who came up with the name. When I asked her why she picked it she said, ‘I thought of it because my dad goes fishing a lot. He fishes in Kachemak Bay and I was thinking of some of the days I’ve gone fishing with him.’ My class also thought the name was fun because of the play on words with Kachemak, like “Catch ‘em, Mak!”
As 5th graders, K-Beach students have the opportunity to participate in D.A.R.E, thanks to the Soldotna Police Department. Officer Brennan comes in each year to teach students about positive decision making, and resisting drugs. Our school works closely with the police department, and I think these are really good ways to foster positive relationships between students and law enforcement.”
K9-A will be named M.O.C.H.A. (acronym for Meth, Opioids, Cocaine, Heroin, Alaska); the name was suggested by Ryan Engebretsen’s class at Teeland Middle School in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
“M.O.C.H.A and Mak will play important, integral roles in our efforts to create a Safer Alaska,” Governor Walker said. “I’m so grateful for the participation of Alaska 6th graders and citizens across the state in selecting these names. I look forward to seeing the important work these new dogs will do.”
The State Troopers will use the K9s to help detect opioids and other drugs in a variety of places across the state in continued efforts to tamp down on drug use and trafficking. Alaska 6th graders initially submitted over 70 potential names for the new dogs after learning about the impacts of drug abuse, and how to respond in difficult situations.
Names were selected via Facebook poll from suggestions made by Alaska 6th-graders.
Posted in Community Partners Inspiration by .
The weather cooperated with the 4th Annual Kenai River Spring Cleanup, students scoured the river and campgrounds, and logged in a total of 3,055 pounds of debris and trash. And that’s a lot considering how light fishing line is!
Six KPBSD schools and nearly 700 students participated from 27 third through sixth grade classes. Connections Homeschool program, Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science, K-Beach Elementary, Soldotna Elementary, Sterling Elementary, and Redoubt Elementary participated.
Congratulations to Redoubt Elementary for once again pulling together to bring in the “Most Trash Collected” award! Their contribution to this year’s total was a whopping 1,540 pounds!
Thank you to all of the students and volunteers who contributed their time to make this year’s event another huge success, and all the local area sponsors who collaborated and donated prizes to create another excellent event for children and the community.
Links
Photo album: 2017 Kenai River Spring Cleanup
Facebook: Kenai River Spring Cleanup
Posted in Community Partners Education by .
May 17
15
Middle School Math Meet in Homer
KPBSD Math Meet
Homer Middle School reports over seventy 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from all around the school district met in at Homer Middle School gym on Thursday, May 11, 2017, to compete in the KPBSD Middle School Math Meet. This all day event consisted of four grueling rounds of math competition in which students competed against and collaborated with their peers from around the district.
HMS results
Larry Dunn took third in the sprint round, a 40-minute test of thirty questions students had to tackle without the aid of a calculator. In the target round, a shorter round with longer, more complex questions, Ben Coble also scored a third place finish. For the team round, competitors are put into groups of four with students from other district schools and asked to work together to solve ten difficult problems. Casey Otis came in first with his team, Hunter Green and West Homer student Garrett Briscoe second, and Kazden Stineff third.
Overall Homer Middle School’s Larry Dunn took second on the combined total, with Ben Coble and Sam Larson also placing in the top ten and going on to compete in the game show style countdown round.
The students who represented Homer Middle School this year were Larry Dunn, Ben Coble, Sam Larson, Katlyn Vogl, Emmet Wilkinson, Vianne Sarber, Casey Otis, Olivia Glasman, Keith Roderick, Kazden Stineff, Delilah Harris, Peyton Tobin, Hunter Green, Ryan Carroll, Izzy Fisk, and Elijah Blake.
Homer Middle School would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped make the math meet possible as well as the sponsors: Two Sisters, Latitude 59, SpitwSpots, K Bay Coffee, Alice’s, Representative Seaton, and the Strydom family.
Thank you to Rand Seaton for contributing this story.
Posted in Education by .
The Borough Assembly proposed and passed (5-4) an amendment that had the effect of reducing the amount of funding available to KPBSD for use in the classroom by $138,052. The State of Alaska has not yet determined funding for public education.
Mayor Navarre proposed to increase the borough funding appropriation to KPBSD by $1.5 million in KPB Resolution 2017-035* on May 2, 2017. This increase would have provided KPBSD the fiscal certainty to offer seven teaching contracts the morning of May 3, 2017.
However, also on May 2, 2017, a Borough Assembly Amendment to Resolution 2017-35 reduced Mayor Navarre’s proposed education funding by $1,438,432. Because this reduction was designated solely in section A. Local Effort Appropriation (in contrast to in-kind funding categories), the net result is a further deficit to the KPBSD FY18 budget of $138,052.
The Borough Assembly will meet on May 16, and June 6, beginning at 6:00 PM in the Borough Assembly Chambers. Borough residents have the opportunity to speak about education funding during public hearing on item M4, 2017-19, An Ordinance Appropriating Funds for Fiscal Year 2018. Click here for the Assembly calendar, agenda, and documents.
If you support funding education, please contact your Borough Assembly member today. This is your link to the Borough Assembly member contacts: http://www.kpb.us/assembly-clerk/meet-the-assembly
As a result of the unanticipated Borough Assembly amendment action to the original funding resolution on May 2, 2017, offering contracts for the following positions was frozen:
- Four kindergarten teachers: Mountain View Elementary, Soldotna Montessori, Sterling Elementary, and Tustumena Elementary
- Two first grade teachers: Nikiski North Star Elementary, Paul Banks Elementary
- One middle school math teacher: Kenai Middle School
These positions reflect seven of the thirty unfilled and frozen teaching vacancies for the school year beginning in August.
Links
- Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) Resolution 2017-035
- Amendment to Resolution 2017-035
- Ordinance 2017-19 KPB: An Ordinance Appropriating Funds for Fiscal Year 2018 (Mayor)
*Mayor Navarre’s $1.5 million increase designated $1,303,380 for local effort, and $199,620 for in-kind funding categories, which is not available for unrestricted use.