By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
Matthew Turner, contracted through the Sitka School District to run Community Schools, spoke at a recent School Board meeting about the loss of the $380,000 21st Century Grant this past summer. It was worth $380,000 in the 2017/18 school year.
“I was surprised at the enormity of what was lost,” Turner said. “Now, hopefully, it was only for a year. This grant was how after-school programs for our district were funded.”
Turner said the program ran from after school until 5 p.m., and gave students access to help with homework, social-emotional support, a nutritious snack, and a safe, healthy space for activity after the school day.
In the 2017-18 school year the program served about 400 students, 200 of them regular participants. At least 65 percent are determined to be “economically disadvantaged” based on eligibility to the school lunch program.
“When we learned about this loss, this was one of our most vulnerable populations, an amazing thing happened in our community,” Turner said. “We came together to provide some relief for this year and for as long as we can. Sitka Community Schools is just one part of an amazing coalition of providers.”
Turner said they have managed to scrape together an after-school program for this year.
“It’s certainly not what we had with a $380,000 program,” he said. “But we’re going to do our best. It is not a baby-sitting program. We are using curriculum, we are using some tried and true standards, and we have many different people involved in making sure that we provide enriching activities and meaningful assistance to the young people we serve.”
Turner said Sitka Community Schools and Youth Advocates of Sitka are working to provide a full after- school program at Blatchley Middle School. Community Schools and Sitkans Against Family Violence are joining forces to also provide a much more limited program for Keet Gooshi Heen and Baranof Elementary students. Both of these programs are being advanced with no cost to the school district, he said. SCC’s role in operations is to provide building security and staffing oversight, as it’s no longer a school-sponsored program.
“Because there was no time to respond to this need through grant writings, the coalition is relying on their own organizational savings and the goodwill of the community to keep service for the school year,” Turner said. “I am just in awe of the quality of the folks who have come together to provide services, but also this could not be done without the incredible school district staff and support….”
While YAS, SAFV, and Community Schools are the primary agencies in this collaboration, the true list of community organizations and individual support is much longer, Turner said.
Sitka Tribe of Alaska is providing a much-needed $1,000 to help defray the cost of transportation (students are bused home at 5 p.m.). The Sitka Sound Science Center, SEARHC, and several school teachers are providing special clubs.
One example is the science center’s Fab Friday, a 2:10-4 p.m. time when kids go to the center and work on a science activity. SEARCH volunteers are providing an arts and crafts club on Thursdays. The Hames Center has donated space for a climbing club on Thursdays. The Chamber of Commerce donated luncheon proceeds. SSD staff members are providing a chess club. A climbing club has been started. Sitka 4-H and SAIL are providing activities. AmeriCorps volunteers are providing support.
“The list goes on,” Turner said. “We are not out of the woods. There are still some costs. We can cover staffing issues, but food, which apparently young people eat a lot of, and transportation are some of our biggest expenses. We’re chipping away at solving that but it is still a big gap.”
Turner noted that even with all this support, the project will need additional resources to keep going for the year. The coalition estimates that healthy snacks and busing will cost $15,000 for the year. To date, about $3,000 has been raised through various fundraisers.
Turner said the school district expects the 21st Century program will be funded for next year. It has had two five-year grants prior.
School Superintendent Mary Wegner said the Alaska State Board of Education can apply for the grant again this year – the window for applying for what may be a one-year grant begins in January for the 2019-20 year beginning July 1. It is not known if the Federal Government will provide the same grant monies to the state.
“We found out in June our funding would stop on July 1,” Wegner said. “One of the issues, because it was such a late announcement we didn’t have enough transition time. Right now the only allocation is for one more year, they wouldn’t be able to issue new grants beyond a one-year grant until the Federal Government allocates the funding for it.”
School Board President Jennifer McNichol said, “As a district we will continue to do what we can to support this because you are serving our kids.”
That number of kids is well below the 200 that regularly attended last year’s program.
Sydney Carter, School Programs coordinator for Youth Advocates of Sitka, said the initial start to this year has been smooth and beautiful.
“We’re providing safe spaces for kiddos but there’s still a large gap to fill with snacks and transportation,” she said.
Carter said the program is providing academic support and homework help, designating times for special curricula, and a daily fitness time.
“And it is also a safe space with helping adults that a lot of these kids won’t get after school,” she said. “They don’t have that safe space to go to.”
Carter said snacks are a major need, since the after-school ones are dinner for a lot of the charges.
Tina Bachmeier, children’s program coordinator at SAFV, said satisfying safety concerns, especially for younger kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, is a major component of the after-school program.
“Having a safe place to go after school, especially something that is successful for all families,” she said. “It doesn’t cost money and provides transportation to the home so parents can work fully and provide for the rest of their families.”
Bachmeier said more staff volunteers are needed so more students can be in the program.
“We’re always looking for safe adults who would love to spend time with kiddos,” she said. “We are relying on the school counselors as well as some of our service providers in Sitka to work for families that are most at need, or at risk, of not having a safe place after school.”
Turner noted that the after- school program is something the community should not want to go away.
“We’re going to need some influx of assistance to make it to the end of the year,” he said. “Keep in mind it was an $380,000 program. We think we need about $15,000 to provide for our current capacity to the end of the year. We’re chipping away at that… We know and love these kids, we don’t want to send them home hungry.”
Turner said the most critical, and least fun, help is with finding money.
“We’ve got to come up with enough funds to pay for the buses,” he said. “A more interesting challenge is covering the nutritional needs of our after-school students. I think we’re in consensus that we are not looking for random drop-offs of food. We are interested in coming up with a reliable way to offer healthy and nutritious snacks Monday-Thursday that our students want to eat. For an alarming number of these kids, this snack will be their evening meal. This will require some creative thinking and coordination.”
To help staff, donate food or money, or provide fundraising ideas Turner noted that the following three agencies serve as conduits:
Community Schools - Matt Turner - 747-8670 or info@sitkacommunityschools.com / YAS - Sydney Carter - 747-3687 / SAFV - Tina Bachmeier - 747-3370.
