Missed deadline
costs school district

By Ann Petersen

A missed application deadline means the Haines Borough School District lost its chance at significant funds for maintenance projects, according to state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines.

The school district in September failed to apply to the “major maintenance grant fund,” a pot of state money that goes exclusively to schools each year for capital needs.

Administered by the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), the fund doled out $81 million for 21 projects last year and will distribute $42 million for 23 projects in the fiscal year starting in July.

Thomas said the matter came to his attention late last fall, when his office received a list of Haines school project requests more appropriately funded by major maintenance money.

“When I saw Haines’ (maintenance) wish list, I thought those projects should be major maintenance grant funds. I didn’t know why the district did not (apply) for it,” Thomas said.

Assemblyman Doug Olerud put that question to school superintendent Michael Byer at last week’s joint meeting of the Haines school board and assembly.

Byer told borough leaders he thought he’d wait a year following completion of school construction before filing another application. He also assured leaders the district would apply for the money in coming years. “I learned something.”

The district applied for $1.9 million from the fund two years ago. If the district had put in for the same amount, Thomas said it would have been “easy money” for the school to receive.

In an interview after the meeting, Byer said he had difficulty identifying needs in the wake of school construction and the district hadn’t gathered estimates in time for the filing deadline. He also said there were repair issues he wasn’t aware of in time to get them on a list to DEED.

Sam Kito, a DEED employee who evaluates applications for major maintenance grant funds, said projects such as roof repair and fire sprinkler replacement, such as are needed in Haines, score high on the department’s ranking system and are likely to be funded.

Kito said about 25 school districts submit applications to the fund each year, totally about 170 project requests annually. Projects funded in the current year included $1,115,000 to Yukon-Koyukuk district for heating systems renovations, $131,000 for siding replacement in Aleutians East, and $1.1 million for Wrangell City school playground upgrades.

The last time Haines applied with a new application for funds was in September of 2006 for school building costs. The application was carried over into 2007.

 Haines Borough manager Tom Bolen said in past years, the borough manager would prompt the district to apply for the grant money.

Former borough manager Robert Venables used to be “very vocal” about upcoming deadlines for the school district to apply for funds, Bolen said. Bolen’s first day on the job was Sept. 15. “This time around, we kind of fell prey to having two new people at the helm.” Byer was hired in May 2007.

At that time of the September deadline for applying for the fund, Bolen said, “Everybody was just thinking about something else.”

At last week’s joint meeting, Bolen suggested establishing a joint subcommittee of assembly and the school board members to oversee school construction projects.

Additionally, Bolen said he would pursue creation of a grants deadline calendar.

Kaci Schroeder Hotch, a staffer for Thomas, this week said it was unlikely Haines would receive other capital funds for school projects. The state has diminished revenues and other communities have more urgent needs than ones in Haines, including getting clean water to their schools, she said.

Venables this week said he would remind former superintendent Woody Wilson about making the September application deadline. “In defense of our superintendents, they’re focused on educating our kids.”