education

State lawmakers put $144 million in bonus funding for K-12 schools in the state operating budget, of which Kenai Peninsula schools would get around $9.5 million. The additional funding is subject to approval by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Middle and high school coaches and directors would also be required to complete mandatory reporting training, although those adults would not become mandatory reporters. All school district volunteers are already required to pass a background check.

Schools will get at least as much local money for operations as they did last year after borough assembly members on Tuesday pledged to give the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District around $62.5 million.

It’s been over a year since the district and its two largest employee unions swapped contract proposals. Union members say they’re frustrated with the sluggish process.

The school board budget closes four schools and cuts millions of dollars in programs and employees. But board members said they’d reverse certain cuts if the assembly funded the school district at the same level as last year.

The budget now heads to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Assembly members still haven’t decided how much money the borough should give the district. Board members hope to get more money than they budgeted around, which would let them undo some of the cuts.

On today’s episode of the Kenai Conversation, we’re joined by three big players in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s ongoing contract negotiations.

The cuts are being proposed as school board members trying to reconcile a roughly $8.5 million forecast budget shortfall, and come as community members fervently advocate to keep their programs.

Josh Bolling, 17, is a junior at Kenai Central High School. Alaska’s state school board is a group created by state law to head up the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.

Aurora Borealis Charter School will welcome ninth and tenth graders to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s first charter high school program next school year.