The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District board continues work on budgetary issues and will address items discussed during Monday’s afternoon work sessions at the evening KPBSD School Board meeting tonight at the Borough Assembly chambers beginning at 6 p.m.
Superintendent Sean Dusek emphasizes the importance of public comment and input to the budget process, especially with the anticipated release of Governor Mike Dunleavy’s state budget document.
Dusek: “We’re coming to the release of the Governor’s budget on Wednesday, that is really going to drive a lot of discussion as we move forward. So, we are going to get prepared for that in our finance committee meetings, and then we have a work session at two o’clock and we’re hopeful that the public is going to attend, those committee meetings and worksession and the board meeting.”
Community budget meetings began in the month of February. The next scheduled public budget forums for the 2019-20 school year budget are set for Wednesday, February 20th at Soldotna High School and Thursday, February 21st at Kenai Central High School.
Dusek: “We do have our community budget meetings that begin this month. And again because of what I believe will be happening from Juneau, there’s going to be a lot of input necessary as we move through the entire process and in the central peninsula on Wednesday February 20th at 6 o’clock will have a budget forum at Soldotna High School and that’s going to be broadcast via Skype to Tustumena and Ninilchik and then they’ll be another meeting on Thursday February 21st at Kenai Central at 6 o’clock.”
The governor is expected to introduce a revised budget on February 13th that includes $1.6 billion in budget cuts including a $20 million education cut.
In the last legislative session, legislators approved a capital construction and renovation budget that contained $20 million in extra funding for school districts. The funding was scheduled to be distributed based on the average daily attendance at each of the state’s school districts.
