Haines Borough School District bookkeeper Judy Erekson this week submitted her paperwork to run for assembly, joining incumbent Diana Lapham and planning commissioner Heather Lende in the race for two open seats. Erekson is a former school board member and former manager of KHNS. Two, three-year assembly seats are up for grabs this October, as are two, […]
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Posted inNews, Elections
One week remaining to file for local office
The deadline to file for Haines Borough office is drawing near, with three residents submitting the required paperwork as of press time Wednesday. Two, three-year assembly seats are up for grabs this October, as are two, three-year school board seats. Assembly member Diana Lapham, who is rounding out her first term, has filed to retain her seat. Planning commissioner […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Few turn out for assembly training day
A new program aimed at training residents contemplating a run for Haines Borough Assembly drew little interest this week, with three members of the public attending the Monday session led by Mayor Jan Hill and clerk Julie Cozzi. Leonard Dubber, Judy Erekson and Debra Schnabel turned out. Erekson said in an interview after the meeting she was “fairly committed” to running for […]
Posted inNews
New school chief shares views, outlook on job
New Haines Borough School Superintendent Anthony Habra said disagreement with a board that kept “Redskins” as its school mascot factored into leaving his last job as superintendent in Paw Paw, Mich., a two-hour drive from his boyhood home of East Lansing. Indigenous people there wanted the name removed and a separate group was willing to pay for […]
Posted inNews
Budgets take hit of $265K
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker’s last-minute education cuts will cost Haines about $265,000, but most of that will be borne by the Haines Borough, not the school district. Borough chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart said Walker vetoed 25 percent of the state’s reimbursement for recent school projects, amounting to a $225,207 cut that will be absorbed by […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Lapham, Lende say they’ll run
Though the candidate filing period doesn’t open until Aug. 1, Haines is abuzz with chatter about who will vie for two borough assembly seats up for grabs this fall. The three-year seats are currently held by assembly members Diana Lapham and George Campbell. Lapham said this week she will run for another term. The first […]
Posted inNews
Board upholds non-retention of kindergarten teacher
An informal hearing on a decision by the Haines Borough school board to not renew the contract of kindergarten teacher Sue Ackerman took on the tenor of a court hearing Tuesday, with a union representative and the school district attorney offering conflicting accounts of Ackerman’s performance. The board unanimously reaffirmed its decision. Board member Sarah Swinton was absent. […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Community supports school activities
A long overdue “thank you” to the entire Haines Borough. This community will step up and support extracurricular school activities faster than a hummingbird on PCP. One more fundraising spaghetti dinner and the FBI might start investigating our Cosa Nostra connections. Speaking for girls’ basketball program, I would like to thank those whose laminated names are […]
Posted inNews, School Board
School board OKs $4.85 million budget
The Haines Borough school board on Tuesday unanimously approved its $4.85 million general fund budget for the coming year, which includes some recent staffing reductions and drawing $287,000 from savings. Interim superintendent Rich Carlson said drawing from the district’s general fund balance to bridge the budget gap was “significant,” as the district will deplete its savings account a […]
Posted inNews
Hearings set on wood chip heat proposal
The Haines Borough school board will meet at 7 p.m. on July 14 to hear a detailed presentation and ask questions about a proposal by borough consultant Darsie Culbeck to use wood chips to heat Haines School buildings. In a brief presentation to the board Tuesday, Culbeck said chip-burning boilers in a new building located near the swimming […]