The Ketchikan School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the FY2017 school district budget and submit it to the Borough Assembly for review.
The vote came just a few days before the May 1st deadline. The Board had delayed submitting the budget to the borough because of uncertainty over state education funding.
The district has requested about $7.6 million in local funding. That doesn’t include in-kind contributions from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, such as use of borough-owned recreational facilities.
In-kind contributions, also referred to as contracted services, have been a point of contention between the Assembly and School Board. But, two ordinances recently were adopted by the Assembly that more clearly define how the borough will fund schools.
School Board President Michelle O’Brien thanked borough and district officials who worked on those ordinances.
“I certainly would say it feels much better to be working as two bodies in a very congenial nature,” she said. “It certainly benefits our entire community as opposed to always sparring. Very positive.”
The entire district budget calls for spending about $42 million next school year.
Also Wednesday, the Board approved a first reading of a revision to the student nutrition and physical activity policy, allowing a waiver to nutrition guidelines for fundraising activities.
The policy change will come back in second reading at the Board’s next meeting, set for May 11th.
