Ketchikan school board rejects FY2026–27 budget in first reading after hours of public testimony and heated debate

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education on April 8 failed to approve the districtY2026–27 operating budget in a first-reading vote, leaving administration to rework a plan amid competing priorities for counselors, RTI support, CTE and custodial and utilities funding.

Board members heard a string of public comments—students, parents, teachers and community advocates—urging preservation of librarians, elective classes and CTE programs before Superintendent Bullard and business staff presented the proposed budget and the assumptions behind it. Bullard highlighted results of a community survey (435 responses) that prioritized counseling, mental-health supports, activities and career and technical education.

The budget debate focused on staff allocation decisions that dominate the districtudget. Administrators built the proposal on class-size targets (K:20; grades 1':22; grades 4'8:24; grades 9':28) and said those targets drove FTE allocations. The business manager also reported a better-than-expected health-insurance renewal (12.1% vs. an earlier 19.1% estimate), saving about $263,000 in the draft.

Board members pressed administration on large non-personnel gaps they say are not fully funded in the draft (transportation, utilities, operations-and-maintenance contracts and substitutes). Staff warned those lines were underfunded by roughly $981,000 in their estimate and that special-services (SPED) contract obligations added another estimated $611,000 of pressure from the prior year.

Several trustees proposed targeted cuts and reallocations to close the gap, including removing a curriculum-director position, delaying or eliminating an IT director position, and reallocating teacher FTEs across schools (examples discussed included shifting some positions from Schoenbar to shore up Ravilla).

A board-member amendment that would have implemented a detailed package of reductions and swaps failed on a roll-call vote, 16. When the board then voted on the budget as presented, it failed 07. The board and superintendent agreed on the need for clear direction to staff and scheduled follow-up meetings (a special session on April 10, and additional meetings April 15 and April 22) to craft a revised budget and finalize contracts.

What happens next: Superintendent Bullard told trustees the timeline is tight because teachers must be notified of layoff status by May 15; she asked for specific, actionable direction so staff can produce an amended budget and a prioritized fiscal note for the next readings.

The board id not adopt staffudget recommendations tonight; instead, trustees asked administration to return with a revised proposal that addresses the non-personnel shortfalls and reflects board priorities for student-facing services and school equity.