FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Sitka Officials Relieved Budget Impasse Over
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka School Superintendent Mary Wegner says she was “thrilled” with the news Thursday that the House and Senate have reached an agreement on a budget with no cuts in school funding.
The budget will allow the district to fill three teaching positions, for second and fifth grade and special education, and keep class sizes at their present level.
“I’m thrilled the conference committee has met and addressed the constitutional requirement of funding public schools, and I’m thrilled they decided to fund foundation funding formula at the current rate,” she said.
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (Sentinel Photo)
The House and Gov. Bill Walker had backed flat funding from last year, and the Senate Republican majority was advocating up to a 5 percent cut.
Sitka’s legislators said the compromise was good news – although no huge surprise – with both expressing frustration with the Legislature’s inability to solve the long-term budget challenges.
“These are tough economic times,” said Sitka Sen. Bert Stedman, a Republican. “I wish the state would’ve responded to the financial crisis like Sitka and Ketchikan did when the mills closed. ... The state has drawn its constitutional budget reserve down to $2 billion from $4.5 billion, which gives us about $2 billion in cash left. We have $2.5 billion in savings left outside the permanent fund. We do not have enough to do the following year’s budget – in 2019. The state will need $2.5 billion in liquidity to operate the system.”
“It’s reasonable and rational that Alaskans don’t have a 5 percent cut (in school funding),” Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins said. “Although flat funding is a cut because of inflation and rising fixed costs. Five percent would have been devastating.”
Kreiss-Tomkins described the regular session as “frustrating and dysfunctional as far as a lack of progress, and systematic differences” between House and governor’s fiscal plans, and the Senate’s, he said.
“The reason the operating budget took the state to the brink – which is totally unacceptable, by the way – is the operating budget is wrapped up in the components of how to balance our budget and eliminate our structural budget deficit,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “With the operating budget specifically, it was a good compromise.”
While city and school officials expressed similar frustrations they were pleased with the agreement.
“Now we’ll be able to hire teachers,” Wegner said. “It’s a crazy process. We want to be focused on doing the best work for our students. Instead we have to be held as pawns. It’s frustrating not to have forward funding, and to have it held over our heads: our budget has to be completed by April 30 and the Assembly has to vote on their support not knowing what we’re going to have ... As thrilled as I am I’m disappointed there’s no long-term fiscally sound revenue source to make sure we won’t be in this same situation next year.”
Municipal finances were also at stake in the uncertainty over school funding.
“That blade was being held over our head because any revenue the school district lost there was an expectation the city was going to make it up,” said Deputy Mayor Bob Potrzuski. “It’s great news, but the bad news is that they’ve kicked the can down the road. .... The state is in huge trouble. They need to address it. They just don’t have the political will to do it. It’s great short term news but terrible long term news.”
The school district had been holding off on filling job openings, waiting for a final decision on education funding by the House and Senate. That news came though Thursday, with the announcement of a compromise budget totaling $4.1 billion in unrestricted general fund spending and sets this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend at $1,100.
“The K-12 Base Student Allocation will be fully funded at $1.2 billion, the same level of funding as the current year. This reverses the $69 million cut to education advanced by the Alaska Senate,” the House majority said in a news release.
Both Stedman and Kreiss-Tomkins said Southeast saw several successes in this session, with an agreement on discharge regulations for small boat cruise ships and state ferries, a land exchange bill that should help free up timber on Prince of Wales, and a land grant bill for Petersburg.
“The operating bill was good for Sitka and Southeast,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “But we’re still kicking the can down the road (with the budget) and it’s irresponsible to have that and not solve the budget problem.”
Stedman is looking ahead to the next challenge, working on a bill related to oil tax credits, although this might not be resolved until fall, he said.
Stedman said he’s looking forward to completion of the Mt. Edgecumbe High School pool and its opening after Christmas. He said he’s still working on funding for operations.
“We’re very interested in getting that facility up and running for the kids and the benefit of the community,” he said.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....