Daily Sitka Sentinel

District Expects Bumper Kindergarten Crop

Sentinel Staff Writer

The Sitka School district could be looking at a larger kindergarten class this fall, or at least a more punctual one. 

Kindergartners at Baranof Elementary School play on the slide this morning. At their meeting Tuesday the Sitka School Board members discussed enrollment numbers. Next year the district is expecting an unusually large class of kindergartners. Ninety-one students are already registered or expected to be registered to start kindergarten next school year. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Superintendent Mary Wegner told the School Board at its Tuesday meeting that 91 students are already registered or expected to be registered to start kindergarten next school year.

Typically, the district has around 90 kindergartners, but usually doesn’t hit that number until the beginning of summer. 

“I think we’re going to be looking at a very high kindergarten class,” Wegner said. 

Business manager Cassee Olin said that usually at this time of year only around 50 or 60 kids are registered, so this year’s class is either larger or very good at paperwork. The numbers will factor into the School Board’s upcoming budget process, which will last for the next few months. 

A large portion of the budget is built on student numbers because the state funds schools on a per pupil basis. The School Board is projecting 1,300 students for next year, and at Tuesday’s meeting members amended the number of intensive-needs students to 36, down from a previous estimate of 38. Intensive-needs students are funded at a level 13 times that of a regular student. 

The amended number was recommended by district staff and approved unanimously by the board. 

Another budget tweak the district will have to navigate is the loss of $180,000 in federal funds that subsidize internet and phone service. The federal E-Rate program distributes money to schools to help cover the cost of these services, but the E-Rate Modernization Act is removing telephone services funding. 

In response, the district is moving to a digital system that Wegner said will come before the board at a later meeting. 

“We have been working on an option for a phone system that is significantly cheaper,” Wegner said. 

Schoology

One new system that’s been causing headaches for the district in recent weeks is the Schoology learning management system that allows students and parents to access classroom information online. 

Co-assistant superintendent Phil Burdick gave a presentation on the software at the request of board member Eric Van Cise, who had heard about the problems. Burdick said problems are being resolved after a few weeks in which teachers were unable to enter grades. Sitka High Principal Lyle Sparrowgrove said the high school staff and students have been patient with the changes. 

“There just seem to be some challenges putting all this together and time seems to be the factor,” Sparrowgrove said. 

The switch to Schoology began with a proposal at a technology committee meeting in 2010. 

“This was difficult to get to because, as you can see, this took six years and a lot has happened in six years,” Burdick said. 

Asked if more IT staff would help smooth the transition, Burdick said the extra help is not something the district can afford. 

“We could always use more staff but I hear they cost more money,” he said. 

Van Cise said he recognized the challenges associated with the introduction of any new system.

“I just hope that we’re able to move forward, and it looks like we are,” he said. 

AMP Testing

Despite the move away from the Alaska Measures of Progress testing system by the state Department of Education and state legislators, the Sitka school district is still gearing up for the soon-to-be replaced test. 

“We will continue to amp up for the AMP assessment this spring while advocating for a pause (in standardized testing),” Wegner said. 

Because of funding requirements, the district is still obligated to do administer the AMP test, which is in its second year of use in Alaska. Legislators are looking for an alternative, and Wegner said superintendents are working with lawmakers and the department of education on that. The problem is that state law requires the standardized test be administered, and the penalty for failing to do it would cause the entire district to lose their teaching licenses. 

Additionally, funding to the state and the Sitka school district is tied to administering the test. For Sitka, Wegner said, that amounts to around $1 million. 

The testing window for the AMP test is in April. 

Other business

The board unanimously approved revisions to board policies on concepts and roles, family involvement and crisis response planning. They also changed their board bylaw related to meeting length to more closely resemble the City Assembly policy. 

The change requires meetings to end at 10:30 p.m. unless a majority votes for a half-hour extension. Additional 30-minute extensions would require unanimous consent. The move comes after a stretch of longer-than-normal meetings, including one last month that stretched till nearly 1 a.m.