Assembly members voted through a number of changes on Tuesday to the interim manager’s proposed budget for the upcoming year, including fully funding the school district and opening the pool for 11 months.
School funding
Haines Borough School District superintendent Roy Getchell once again sounded the alarm on school district finances, which he says have been “shaved to the bone.” Getchell said the problem is a combination of rising costs and stagnant funding, pointing to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s repeated vetoes of school funding increases in the state budget, something multiple borough officials in recent weeks have called an unethical passing-off of state costs onto municipalities.
Throughout the budget process, Getchell has asked the assembly to fund the district “to the cap” – the limit in state law on how much the borough can spend on schools. Prior to Tuesday, school funding in the interim manager’s proposed budget was $270,000 short of that ask, though still an increase on last year’s funding levels.
Discussion between assembly members and Getchell Tuesday night focused on nailing down the specifics of how funding would be used. Getchell confirmed that with current finances, programs like school athletics and fresh food at school lunch could be on the chopping block. Getchell also spoke to teacher retention, describing being moved to tears earlier this year hearing district students come to him with concerns about teacher turnover. Getchell says that he does not have enough funding to fill a music teacher position and paraprofessional positions that are currently open, and is not ordering any new technology.
While borough finances are tight this year, particularly with the loss of federal grant money and expired Biden-era funding, assembly members have expressed universal support for the importance of the school district. “This is the morally correct thing to do right now,” said assembly member Mark Smith about fully funding the school.
The final vote on increasing school funding to the cap passed unanimously. According to Getchell, the extra $270,000 for the school will cut their projected deficit for the upcoming year to $630,000 absent any more state-funding increases.
Pool Funding
Another week, another round of pool testimony. Pool goers have packed the assembly chambers during recent meetings after Fullerton’s proposed budget cut pool operations from 11 months to 10. Tuesday was no different, and this week’s seven advocates for the pool included Joan Snyder, age 96, who swims in the pool multiple times each week. Other testimony included stories of infants who had survived near-drowning incidents thanks to pool classes, and chef Travis Kukull, who serves as one of 96-year-old Snyder’s rides to the pool. Kukull said he worked 120 hours this past week, and all he wants to do after that is float in peace.
At this point, it’s hard to deny the impact of the pool, given that public testimony from pool goers has exceeded public testimony on any other issue in the assembly this year.
Assembly members Tuesday weighed that impact against the estimated $30,000 cost of keeping the pool open for an extra month next year. With little debate, the merits of the pool won out. Once Tuesday’s budget hearing began, assembly member Gabe Thomas made a motion to fund the pool for 11 months and the measure passed unanimously.
Non-Profit Funding
$100,000 was distributed to non-profits from the borough this year, but as it stands, that will fall to zero dollars next year.
The interim manager’s budget included no non-profit funding, with Fullerton writing in the budget that non-profit funding “is a political decision best left to the Assembly.” That leaves funding for next year contingent on an assembly amendment to add it to the budget. Assembly member Kevin Forster proposed on Tuesday adding $100,000 in non-profit funding to next year’s budget, which would hold current funding levels steady. That was voted down 4-2, with Stickler, Smith, Clement, and Thomas in opposition.
There was only brief discussion on the issue. Of the four opposed, Thomas said he supports funding non-profits, but wants it to be done differently, as a permanent percentage of a fund or of the budget, so that it isn’t a fresh debate year in and year out.
While Clement and Stickler did not speak about their votes, Smith did. Smith argued in favor of letting organizations that couldn’t be self-sufficient die-off. “I am a social darwinist,” Smith said.
Up Next
There is one more public hearing left in budget season on June 8. That will be the last chance for residents to make their voices heard on municipal funding, and also the last chance for assembly members to further amend Fullerton’s proposed budget, with a vote to adopt the budget scheduled for the end of the meeting.