"Juneau School District Budget"

The district’s school closure plan means fewer school administrator positions, but they didn’t lay anyone off.

The plan puts seventh and eighth grades at Thunder Mountain High School’s campus and ninth through 12th grades at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé — as previously planned.

The city has been looking for space to put all of its employees, who are currently split among five buildings.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has suggested he’ll veto the bill unless it includes more of his priorities.

“The thing we need from the public is an awareness and an acceptance that nobody is coming out untouched,” one school board member said. “Nobody.”

The district has five years to address a $9.5 million gap created in part by accounting errors.

Juneau School District leaders are gearing up for major budget decisions over the next two years as enrollment declines and major funding sources expire.

The total budget is $1.7 million more than the current school year’s budget. It includes almost $27 million from the Assembly.

Seven people spoke during one of two school district budget meetings last week. Nearly all said they were most worried about class sizes.

Members of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, parents and concerned community members told the School Board the programs that help Native students graduate should be a higher priority.