Base Student Allocation

There’s also transportation money and Maintenance of Equity funding allotted to the district. Gov. Mike Dunleavy could still veto either of those items, or the $175 million one-time boost.

Teachers and community members held “walk-ins” across the school district Wednesday morning, gathering outside schools in support of funding public education before going about a regular school day.

Hundreds of students protested outside the high school Wednesday morning, chanting for a raise in the Base Student Allocation.

The budget — which uses 100% of the district's unrestricted fund balance and still includes $7.8 million in cuts to staff and programs — was approved in an 8-1 vote Monday.

In a board meeting Monday and joint session with the Borough Assembly Tuesday, school board members continued to discuss a tentative budget that accounts for no increased funding from the state. “We’re hopeful that this isn’t the budget that’s gonna last,” Board Vice President Jason Tauriainen said.

The tribe hosted an information-gathering meeting Thursday to learn what parents and community members would want in a K-2 charter school.

In a Monday finance committee meeting, Board of Education members created budgets that account for no increase to state funding, a modest increase, and a large increase. The full board will approve a preliminary budget in April.

The Board of Education's Information Committee met Thursday morning to discuss talking points and bills that are priorities to the district, including a Base Student Allocation increase. Board members and student representatives will travel to Juneau later this month.

Most members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly and the mayor sponsored a resolution calling on the state legislature for a timely, inflation-proof increase to per-student funding.

The school district kicked off its Budget 101 series in September, with the hope of educating the public about its budgeting and funding process. Last month's lesson focused on the state funding formula, and October's was about in kind services.