The Petersburg School Board will take a look at a second draft budget for the coming year at tonight’s meeting. Last month’s first draft budget included cuts to all travel for middle school activities. The new draft doesn’t cut all travel for middle school. Instead, it includes reductions for both middle and high school activity budgets in general. That’s according to Finance Director Shannon Baird. She says those activity budget reductions can come from increased activity fees or a reduction in activity spending, or a combination of the two.
The new draft budget also includes salaries to replace two teachers. Elementary physical education teacher Dino Brock and second grade teacher Michelle Brock both announced recently that they will retire at the end of the school year. Four other teachers are leaving the district, and will not be replaced. In a letter to parents and students, Secondary Principal Brad King said the district plans to address the decrease in teachers with larger class sizes, and by asking teachers to take on more classes. Some small-enrollment classes will be consolidated, or moved online.
This draft budget also includes higher teacher salaries than the first did. That’s because the district made a new proposal to the Petersburg teacher’s union last week, after months of negotiations. It includes a teacher salary schedule proposed by the union in February, which is higher than the district’s last offer.
Reps from the union have said they wanted higher teacher salaries. They said their wages haven’t kept up with the inflation of the last few years, and they were essentially being offered a pay cut.
But the new proposal from the district is only good if Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs the state operating budget that contains $175 million dollars in one-time funding for public schools. Dunleavy signaled earlier this month that he won’t veto the one-time funding. The district’s proposal is also contingent on $3.4 million dollars in funding from the Borough – the maximum amount the borough can legally contribute. If either of those funding sources come in lower than hoped, the district will withdraw the offer to the union. School Board President Sarah Holmgrain will update the board on the details of the negotiations with the teachers’ union.
The public will have an opportunity to comment on the second draft budget at tonight’s meeting, which is at 6 p.m. in the middle and high school library. KFSK will broadcast that live and will post the recording on our website, KFSK.org in our School Board Meeting Archive.
