This week the Juneau School Board is inviting the public to give their take on the school district’s budget for the next fiscal year.
Kristin Bartlett, the Juneau School District chief of staff, said the district adds items to its budget one piece at a time.
“Rather than cutting, which is a process that was used in the past,” Bartlett said. “So, what the school board starts with is prioritizing programs and spending lists so that they can build this budget in an organized fashion.”
There will be two budget meetings – one at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Juneau-Douglas High School library and one at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Thunder Mountain High School library.
A Juneau School District news release said the board wants to hear the community’s opinions on funding priorities and on what works in local schools.
Principals from district schools will share their recommendations at both meetings.
“On Tuesday, the school board will be hearing from Auke Bay, Mendenhall River, Gastineau, Harborview, Dzantik’i Heeni and Juneau-Douglas High School,” Bartlett said.
On Wednesday, she said principals from Montessori Borealis, Yakoosge Daakahidi, Riverbend, Glacier Valley, Floyd Dryden and Thunder Mountain will speak.
Bartlett said the school district will submit its budget to the City and Borough of Juneau at the end of March.
She said the district doesn’t expect revenue from local, state and federal governments to increase, but it does expect an increase in operating costs and a slight enrollment increase.
The district’s budget documents are on its website.
If you can’t make it to the meetings, you can email your thoughts to budgetinput@juneauschools.org.
