Pending approval by Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, the Haines Borough will receive nearly $300,000 more in operating funds from the Alaska Legislature than it has budgeted for the coming fiscal year. About $100,000 of the total will go to Haines School.
The increase in school funding is Haines’ share of an additional $20 million allocated for schools statewide by legislators, plus an increase in vocational education funds.
The $20 million was a compromise between a permanent increase in the education funding formula – favored by the state Senate – and opposition to that idea from members of the state House.
Haines superintendent Michael Byer had previously planned to balance the school budget by spending about $200,000 from the district’s fund balance. As a new teachers’ contract will subtract an unknown amount from the district’s treasury later this summer, the district may still be spending savings in the coming year, he said.
“We may have to dip into the fund balance but it will certainly help the bottom line in terms of keeping our programs intact and our people employed,” Byer said.
The district will revisit its budget at the end of June.
The Haines Borough also stands to receive about $201,000 more in revenue-sharing money than anticipated. The money is aimed at helping communities with high energy costs.
Borough manager Mark Earnest said this week he’s not counting on the extra funds until they’re approved by the governor.