The K-12 school in Nikolaevsk will permanently shut its doors at the end of this school year. That’s after Kenai Peninsula school board members unanimously voted to close the school Monday to save money. The district faced a $17 million deficit to implement a status quo budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The district estimates it will save roughly half a million in the first year after closing the school. But district data show those savings diminish over time – to almost half that amount.
Board President Zen Kelly read a statement into the record explaining the closure and what the process of decommissioning the school will look like.
“Continued operation of Nikolaevsk School is not financially sustainable, and closure is projected to reduce – to result in substantial cost savings for the district,” he read.
The school can accommodate 175 students. But the district estimates it will serve just 19 next year.
The board directed Superintendent Clayton Holland to put together a plan to reassign Nikolaevsk students to other schools, develop a plan for future use of the school building and assist families and staff with the transition.
Depending on their grade level, the closest schools for displaced Nikolaevsk students are the K-8 Chapman School, about 10 miles away in Anchor Point, and Homer High School, about 20 miles away. District data show Chapman’s student enrollment is already above capacity.
Monday’s vote came about a month after district officials met with community members at the school to talk about the then-proposed closure. At that meeting, community members pleaded to keep the school open. And subsequent efforts sought to boost the school’s pre-enrollment.
Lisa James’ son is a fifth-grader at Nikolaevsk. During Monday’s meeting, she had logistical questions for board members – like what happens to the school trophies on display near the entrance.
“I just – it’s so sad,” she said. “Like I’m beyond sad that everyone has to basically plead, you know, to keep our schools open for our kids.”
She also asked for administrative help reviving efforts to open a charter school in Nikolaevsk. A group of parents have tried and failed multiple times in recent years to get a charter application approved.
Board members appeared reluctant to vote to close the school. After Kelly, the board president, announced the agenda item, there was a brief pause when no one moved to start the discussion.
Multiple board members, like Virginia Morgan, said closing the Nikolaevsk School was a tough decision. Morgan has previously said she’d never vote to close a small school. She says she attended a small school and that her children attended small schools.
“I think that comment I made was overly hopeful and naive,” she said. “And I don't really see any other options right now with the budget that we're dealing with. I don't believe that it would be fair to my fellow board members to vote against this closure, because I just don't see any other options.”
The last day of school for Nikolaevsk is May 22. The school will close permanently at the end of June. Now that school board members have voted to close the school, state law says they can’t reopen it for at least seven years.
