Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District group tasked with charter school oversight got its first look at the draft charter earlier this month and members were quick to point out concerns.

Todd Brigham is running for the school board’s Nikiski seat and Charlie Redfern is running for the board’s central seat.

The board defunded the pools earlier this year to save money. This year, the district is working with community partners to keep five of its seven pools open without school funding.

Charter organizers include five parents and two Soldotna Elementary employees, who say the proposal is the result of tumult Soldotna schools have faced in recent years.

Across all grade levels, about 38% of Kenai Peninsula students are proficient or advanced in English Language Arts. The same proportion are proficient or advanced in math. That’s about five percentage points higher than statewide proficiency levels.

The vote caps a year-and-a-half of work between the district and unions’ bargaining teams that was punctuated by multi-million school district budget shortfalls, a rejected healthcare proposal and an impasse over salaries.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly members voted Tuesday to put the question on the ballot for the upcoming municipal election.

Seward Middle School was one of four schools Kenai Peninsula school board members voted to close earlier this year to save money.

The contracts are subject to approval by union members and the school board.

Holland says the policies are informed in part by school districts around the country, and by input from about a dozen district principals and administrators.