APPROVED 03-06-2023

Board of Education Finance Committee Meeting (Tuesday, February 21, 2023)

Generated by Nikkol Sipes on Wednesday, February 22, 2023

1. Board Finance Committee

A. Call to Order

Mr. Kelly called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.

B. Roll Call

Members Present: Zen Kelly, Matt Morse, Beverley Romanin, Jason Tauriainen (arrived late)

C. Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved as printed.

D. Approval of Notes

The notes from the February 6, 2023 Finance Committee meeting were approved as printed.

2. Finance New Business

A. FY24 Preliminary General Fund Budget

Ms. Hayes spoke to the FY24 Budget Reduction List on the agenda. Mr. Kelly spoke regarding the ESSER III funds. He spoke to the reductions list that is presented as a guideline, and spoke to this committee prioritizing items moving forward. Mr. Kelly spoke to how making these decisions should reflect the Board Goals and Strategic Plan and prioritize accordingly. Ms. Romanin spoke regarding discussions that members had in Juneau regarding accountability measures. Mr. Kelly pointed out that test scores are a way to be accountable. Mr. Kelly proposed having a tiered list for priorities in regards to the budget reduction list. Mr. Morse spoke to not being in favor of reducing athletic funding, and spoke to the impact this could potentially have on enrollment. Ms. Romanin agreed that the reductions should not specifically target athletics. Mr. Kelly spoke to increasing pupil to teacher ratio (PTR). Mr. Kelly asked Ms. Ciufo to speak to these numbers. Mr. Kelly posed a question regarding how this could impact the site level. Mr. Holland gave some examples of various ways this could impact certain schools. Ms. Hayes spoke to the FTE numbers that would result if this were to be implemented. Mr. Holland spoke to increasing the PTR. Ms. Cary posed a question regarding utilizing the unassigned fund balance. Ms. Hayes spoke to the impact of reducing certified staff, and spoke to the difficulties of filling those positions if they were to be reduced. Mr. Kelly spoke to this as well, and spoke to concerns regarding retaining certified professionals. Ms. Cary posed a question of the number of current staff that would be affected by increasing the PTR. Ms. Ciufo spoke to this. Mr. Holland spoke to the budget process, and also legislation that if passed would support district funding. Mr. Kelly and Mr. Morse spoke again regarding athletics and reductions in this area. Mr. Holland spoke to the impacts of reduction in the uses of pools, and theaters. Ms. Romanin spoke to the affect this could have on community members, and how it could even spark community involvement and advocation. Ms. Morgan commented on increasing the PTR, and spoke to the difficulty of retaining certified professionals. She also proposed looking other places to balance the budget besides PTR. Mr. Morse spoke regarding the potential BSA increase, and how that could impact the District. Mr. Kelly spoke to this as well. Ms. Cary posed suggestions on how to tier some of the proposed reductions from the committee. Members once again spoke to extra curricular activities, including pool usage. Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Holland spoke to teacher retention in particular in Alaska. Mr. Kelly posed a question regarding FTE and attrition. Ms. Ciufo spoke to this and noted the deadline of contracts, and how much variability there can be in these numbers until then.

Mr. Tauriainen joined the meeting at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. Tauriainen spoke to athletics, and how this would potentially impact coaches. Mr. Tauriainen spoke to the items that he would prioritize from the list of reductions that has been proposed. Ms. Hayes and Mr. Kelly spoke to projections at this point. Mr. Kelly spoke to the potential BSA increases and what the impact this would have on the District. Ms. Morgan spoke to what she would prioritize on the reductions list. Ms. Hayes reorganized the reduction list in order to have a better understanding of the committee's priorities. Mr. Tauriainen and Mr. Kelly spoke to Elementary School Counselors. Mr. Morse also spoke to this and what he would prioritize from the reduction list. Mr. Holland spoke to the impact of PTR at specific school levels, in particular the impact on elementary schools.
Mr. Morse left the meeting at 2:55 p.m.
Ms. Cary and Ms. Romanin spoke to tiering the reduction list, in particular pools and theaters. Members worked to organize the reduction list further to balance the budget moving forward. Mr. Kelly reviewed the recommendations of the committee. Mr. Tauriainen proposed adding Student Success Liaisons to the possibilities of the reduction list. Ms. Hayes spoke to the preparation of the proposed reductions on the list and having this available to the committee moving forward.

3. Information Requests to Administration

There were none.

4. Adjourn

Mr. Kelly adjourned the meeting at 3:23 p.m.