January 15, 2026 by Mica VanBuskirk KPBSD School Board Representative

The KPBSD Board of Education met this week for two days of work sessions and our monthly board meeting. Many important topics were discussed that have significant impacts on Seward schools and communities.

Good News on Graduation Rates

Superintendent Holland shared encouraging news about graduation rates across the district. Following a post-COVID dip to 77%, KPBSD’s districtwide graduation rate rebounded to 85% last year, matching our pre-COVID levels. Seward High School’s graduation rate is even higher at 87%.

For comparison, the statewide graduation rate for Alaska in 2025 is 79%, according to DEED. This progress establishes a new baseline for continued improvement. The district has identified the following strategies to further increase the graduation rate:

• Strengthen early warning systems
• Expand targeted interventions
• Deepen culturally responsive practices
• Scale successful school models
• click for graduation rates presentation
  

Refocusing on Our Purpose

Superintendent Holland also led a book discussion with the Board on Great on Their Behalf. The conversation reinforced our core responsibility as school board members: to improve student outcomes. As we enter a challenging budget season, it is critical that we keep this purpose at the forefront of every decision we make and remember that the “magic” in education happens in the relationships between students and educators.

Budget Challenges Ahead

During a finance work session, the Board reviewed a projected budget deficit of $8.56 million for next year (I will explain this deficit in more detail next week). This projection assumes no new expenditures but does include step increases in salaries and a 5% increase in health insurance costs. A deficit of this size, nearly 6% of the total district budget, will require significant reductions. Approximately 80% of district expenditures are staff salaries and benefits, making these decisions especially difficult.

Enrollment Decline and School Consolidation

As we considered upcoming work sessions on school consolidations and pool closures, we kept both the budget deficit and our mission to improve student outcomes firmly in mind. These were not easy discussions, but they were driven by the need to avoid large increases in Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR), which would further reduce teaching staff and negatively impact students.

District enrollment in brick-and-mortar schools has been declining for decades. In 2005, KPBSD had 8,798 students in school buildings; this year we have 6,843, a loss of nearly 2,000 students (over 20%). Seward’s decline is even more pronounced: from 683 students in 2005 to 450 today, a loss of more than 30%. 

It is not sustainable for the district to lose this many students while continuing to operate the same number of school buildings, especially if we want to protect student-teacher relationships and avoid increasing PTRs.

School Closure Considerations

This week, the Board unanimously and reluctantly agreed to move forward (pending a vote in February/March) with potential closures of:

• One school in Homer (Paul Banks or McNeil)
  
• One school in the Central Peninsula (Sterling or Tustumena)
  
• Seward Middle School
  

According to the staffing formula, closing Seward Middle School would result in further staffing reductions at Seward High School. The district is actively working to identify ways to mitigate this impact so the closure could be a win-win for both the district and the Seward community.

Superintendent Holland has already held a preliminary small-group meeting in Seward to begin gathering community input, and a larger community meeting will be scheduled soon. The Board is also planning a work session to examine the staffing formula and address inequities within it.

District Pools

The Board also reviewed the $1.7 million annual cost of operating district pools. Because this expense is not directly tied to improving student outcomes, we reluctantly decided to move forward (pending a February/March vote) with ending district pool operations effective June 30.

By making this decision early in the budget process, we sincerely hope the Borough and local communities will find ways to keep the pools open. We deeply value the role these pools play in our communities, but protecting PTRs is essential to maintaining our focus on student success.

Upcoming Meeting

A district budget presentation and community meeting will be held on February 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Seward High School.