Daily Sitka Sentinel

School Board to Get Rundown on Busy Month

Sitka Sentinel Staff
    Sitka School District Superintendent Mary Wegner says a lot has happened in the district since the last board meeting in May.
    “It’s always a busy time between meetings,” Wegner said. “I think with the budget discussions a lot could have gone unnoticed but we have a lot of positive things happening.”
    Wegner included her report in the School Board packet that will be presented at tonight’s meeting in the District Office Board Room at 6 p.m.
    She noted congratulations were in order for the Sitka High track and field boys and girls teams for winning the  Region V team championships, and for the boys team’s placing second at State (the girls placed third). In addition, the girls 4x400 relay took first place at State, the boys 4x800 relay took first place at State, and a unified school student took first at State.
     Wegner further honored the Girls Softball team for winning the Division II State Championships, in which seniors Miah Dumag and Abby Forrester were chosen for the All-State Tournament team.

Mary Wegner (Sentinel Photo)

     Sitka High School 2019 graduate Abigail Fitzgibbon was noted for being named a National Merit Scholar, an academic distinction only 7,600 students in the entire United States achieved.
    Wegner also pointed out that of the 1,277 students who graduated from UAF this May, three of Sitka High School’s recent graduates earned the Magna Cum Laude distinction and also earned an Outstanding Student Award for their degree. Those three are Tristan Van Cise (2015 graduate), who earned an Outstanding Student Award at the College of Engineering and Mines; Chaya Pike (2014 graduate), who earned an Outstanding Student Award in Elementary Education; and Trevor Schoening (2015 graduate),who earned an Outstanding Student Award from the School of Natural Resources and Extension.
    Wegner said that negotiations were finalized with the Sitka Education Support Professional Association (support staff). The new contract starts on July 1, 2019, and runs through June 30, 2022.
    Wegner said the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development conducted an audit of the district’s Title programs in April and the district received few findings in the report – and “those Findings were already being addressed by us prior to the Audit. The Audit team expressed accolades to us for our work regarding Title services.”
    Wegner also noted that since the district’s final fiscal year 2020 budget adoption, “New information has surfaced and we have been able to repurpose existing staff to provide coverage in the Blatchley Library throughout the school day. This allows the Blatchley art teacher to remain a full-time teacher instead of being reduced to a half-time position.”
    The change does not significantly affect the FY20 budget, as a full-time para position is virtually equivalent to a half-time teacher position.
    Wegner also noted that Rep.  Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins presented the district with a Legislative proclamation in honor of Dr. Tom Conley’s long service to the Sitka School District and State of Alaska. Wegner said the proclamation will hang in the District Office.
    Wegner also reported that Cultural Camps have begun offering place-based culturally-relevant learning opportunities for students this summer.
     The district is still anxiously awaiting the final FY20 budget information from the State.
    “At this point I am expecting Gov. Dunleavy to withhold funding for public schools in Alaska beginning with our first expected FY20 payment on July 15,” Wegner said. “At that point the Legislature has said they will sue the Governor, and the Coalition for Education Equity is planning to file an injunction so that irreparable harm is not done to our students and staff by allowing our schools to open as expected.” 
    Wegner will be traveling to Bloomington, Minnesota, along with board member Amy Morrison, parent Geoff Diehl, Family Engagement Coordinator Kari Sagel, and Principal Jill Lecrone to attend InnovateK12’s Innovation Summit that will be held on July 15 and 16. The trip is in support  of the district’s new strategic planning process and they will be trained in how to implement the InnovateK12 strategic planning model.
    This summer, Wegner will again teach a class for new and aspiring superintendents through the University of Alaska Southeast regarding leadership in today’s digital age – the class is part of the superintendent endorsement program. The district receives the instructor payment and Wegner noted she teaches the class as part of her job.
     She will also be traveling to Anchorage for an Alaska State Council on the Arts meeting June 17 and 18. Costs associated with that trip are covered since Wegner is a trustee on the Arts Council. She will leave from Anchorage and travel to Philadelphia to attend the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Board meeting that will be held June 20 and 21 and the ISTE Conference that will be held June 22-26. Costs for the ISTE Board meeting and ISTE Conference are covered because Wegner is an ISTE board member.
    Wegner also will go to Juneau for the Department of Education and Early Development Superintendent meeting and the Alaska Superintendent Association meeting, from July 17 to July 29. While in Juneau she will attend a SERRC Executive Committee meeting where she will take office as president of that board.