FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Sitka Assembly Hears Optimistic School Report
By Sentinel Staff
“The School Board’s goals will drive everything we do throughout the district,” Superintendent Mary Wegner said Wednesday night at the start of her outline of a detailed FY 2018 education budget to the City and Borough Assembly.
The presentation was the roll-out of the district’s first “outcome (initiative-based)” budget, replacing the traditional “line item (roll-over)” method in a process that the School Board set into motion two years ago.
The effect of the “trend data analysis” method is a preliminary budget with a projected deficit of $95,926 instead of the $1,723,024 that would have been the result of the traditional method, Wegner said.
Over all, the preliminary budget of $19,852,714 represents a $1,166,162 decrease from the current year. The spending plan is based on district enrollment projected at 1,253, and a legislative commitment to “hold harmless” school funding based on enrollment.
Decreasing elementary enrollment will allow the district teaching staff to be reduced by two, with the cutback achieved by attrition, Wegner said.
The school board, which had heard the presentation the previous evening, sat with the Assembly members to hear Wegner and district business manager Casee Olin present it again in the district board room.
Unlike previous years, when the School Board did not have a figure for local funding until late in the budget process, Wegner started this year with a working figure of $5,944,533, which is $239,229 less than the city provided for the current year. City Administrator Mark Gorman said he submitted that figure based on a percentage cutback that he will apply to other city expenses. There were no objections from Assembly members at the meeting. They will set the actual figure some time before the statutory April 30 deadline.
This year’s school budget took a $1,328,699 draw on district reserves. Wegner cited “fund transfers” instead of reserves as a key element of the new budget. These are carry-over amounts from seven categories of the 2017 budget, totaling $850,021.
The new budget takes into account a 1.5 percent increase in teacher salaries, a 12 percent increase in health insurance costs, and a $263,000 decrease in fuel and utilities based on “a 10-trend data analysis.”
The projected decrease in the number of students who need intensive special education will reduce the number of paraprofessionals needed by four full-time positions.
In the “bottom line” comment section of the budget report, Wegner said “we reduced a potential FY budget deficit of $945,947 due to a mind-set that has been established throughout the district related to non-personnel efficiencies, coupled with a mild winter last year.”
The School Board is prepared for the upcoming public hearings on the budget by having, for the first time, detailed breakouts, complete with graphs, showing present, historic and projected funding, programs and staffing for each school in the district,
Wegner expressed appreciation for the work of district staff for setting up a new budget process that “is conservative, realistic and precise.”
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....