Klukwan School staff and families are hopeful that the school will stay open the remainder of the year now that they have a long-term substitute teacher hire secured and a new interim superintendent, John Holst, in place at Chatham School District.
“He seems to have a good sense of how to be in relationship with communities and tribal government,” said Klukwan staff member Justina Hotch. “We have a very experienced and enthusiastic long-term sub, and we’re hoping she will have a contract for the full semester. With that educational stability for the students, we can focus on figuring things out with the village council and the district.”
The future of the Klukwan School became uncertain when its enrollment dropped below 10 students last fall, triggering decreased state funding. The Chatham School District board, led by its former superintendent Bruce Houck, who died in December, refrained from hiring a long-term teacher to finish out the year. Holst hired a teacher shortly after he took over in December.
“I would like to talk about how we can support the school going forward,” Holst told the CVN. “I recognize when a school moves out or closes in a community, that causes the community, oftentimes, to just die. We’re very cognizant of our role in trying to find a solution that will be acceptable for the community of Klukwan as well as our school board.”
The status of Klukwan’s enrollment will be the biggest factor in the future of the school, Holst said, especially in light of the costly utilities and maintenance for the large building.
“One of the major costs is the upkeep maintenance and heating of the building,” Holst said. “Also, what kind of an educational program do we offer if we’re having fewer than ten students there? The solutions become far more difficult with enrollments under ten.”
Board president Elizabeth Hooge said the cost to operate the school is much more than what even 10 to 15 students, the enrollment average in recent years, bring in from state revenue.
“I suspect that always the smaller site costs more than they generate in terms of student numbers. At a certain level a district needs to accept that. However, that tremendous imbalance can’t continue,” Hooge said. “We would like to figure out a different way forward and something that would keep the site open and be more in line with the revenue generated.”
Holst said the Chatham board has proposed sending two board members to meet directly with Klukwan’s advisory members and staff to discuss a permanent solution.
“The solutions are on the ground there in Klukwan,” he said. “We’re going to have to help identify those.”
Holst was the superintendent of Sitka schools from 1993 to 2001 and has been doing consulting work around the state for 21 years. This is his fifth interim superintendent position.