The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will get three million more dollars from the state to spend on operations for the fiscal year that started last month. That’s after the Alaska Legislature on Saturday overrode Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s partial veto of education money lawmakers approved last session.
Nikiski Sen. Jesse Bjorkman and Soldotna Reps. Justin Ruffridge and Bill Elam, all Republicans, voted to override the governor. Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance voted to uphold the veto. A gubernatorial budget veto requires the support of 45 of 60 lawmakers to override. Saturday’s vote was 45-14 in favor.
The override came two days before Kenai Peninsula school board members convened for their monthly meeting. During a finance work session Monday, Board President Zen Kelly said members should take time deciding what the additional money should be spent on.
“When we look at – do we put stuff back in the budget?” he said. “Do we use some of this money to address our negotiations moving forward? There’s a long line. Long line.”
Board members on Monday voted to spend roughly 10% of the money – $309,172 – to partially restore money for activity stipends that they cut in half earlier this year. The board fully restored middle school athletic stipends, and half of what it cut for high school stipends.
Also Monday, the board voted to increase student activity fees. The resulting revenue will restore money the district contributes to student activities – $145,000.
Board member Virginia Morgan represents the eastern Kenai Peninsula. She says the $3 million the district’s getting through the veto override is welcome. But she says it’s still only $20 more per student than what school districts received last year.
“I’m concerned there’s some tough road ahead still,” she said. “We certainly are not rolling in the dough here.”
The district faced a $17 million deficit heading into the most recent budget cycle. When building the district budget, school board members assumed an increase to state per-student spending and full funding from the Kenai Peninsula Borough. But board members still cut millions of dollars worth of district employees, programs and facilities to balance the budget.
The school district also had about $3 million in grant money withheld by the federal government. But late last month, that money was released.
Kelly, the board president, says the group will determine how to spend the rest of the $3 million dollars over the next month. One unresolved expense is ongoing contract negotiations between the district and its two largest employee unions. The two groups have asked for raises that total more than $15 million.
