The Ketchikan School Board on Wednesday directed the district to move ahead with newly approved funding, which they had delayed due to a potential veto.
The nearly $2.4 million boost was approved by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly on Monday, but Mayor Rodney Dial had threatened to veto it over an accounting concern.
School Board President Stephen Bradford expressed confidence that the funding would materialize.
“There is the possibility that the mayor may veto that ordinance,” Bradford said. “And if he does, it’s the vice mayor’s intent to call as quickly as possible a special meeting to see about overriding the veto.”
Vice Mayor Glen Thompson led Monday’s borough meeting when the money was approved. The veto threat came in an email from Dial, who was absent from the meeting. He was concerned about new questions raised by borough auditors about the treatment of school district debt, and the effect it could have on the local education fund.
Bradford said he thought there was a good discussion about Dial’s concerns at the borough meeting. With the vote passing 6-1, Bradford was confident the assembly would have the five votes necessary to override a veto.
The School Board then, by a show of hands, unanimously directed the district superintendent to proceed with hiring and distributing the new funds. The move will bring on several teachers and about $700,000 for athletics and other activities.
In the same meeting, the School Board accepted the resignation of member Melissa O’Bryan, who’s moving out of state. After discussing it, they decided to leave her position open until October 1, which is the same day elections are scheduled for the School Board and other local positions. They reasoned that most of their critical work had been resolved, and they didn’t want to give anyone an unfair advantage by appointing them for such a short time before election day.
