The Chatham School district was awarded over $700,000 in federal COVID relief funding this year. That’s as the district debates whether to close the Klukwan school due to low enrollment and loss of state funding. But as KHNS’ Corinne Smith reports, questions remain on whether that will be used to help fill the gap for the Klukwan school.

 

The Chatham School District has been awarded $1,104,917 in federal COVID relief funding, most recently $706,428 in American Rescue Plan funding, according to the state’s education website.

The federal relief money has not been mentioned in nearly three months of highly emotional and often tense public negotiations between the district’s board of education and Klukwan leadership over the future of its school. Klukwan’s enrollment dropped to six students this October, below the threshold of 10 – the minimum to receive state funding.

The federal funding is aimed at supporting districts through the COVID pandemic, with a wide range of eligible spending guided by stakeholder input. The district is supposed to gather public feedback, devise a plan, and report back to the state.

Superintendent Bruce Houck confirmed via email that the district is working on the application to the state to receive the over $700,000 grant, but he did not respond to repeated requests for comment on whether the funding could be spent to help fill the gap at Klukwan.

Klukwan school currently has six students attending grades K-5, the community says more families would be interested in attending if there was a full-time teacher, a reliable bus, and a hot lunch program (Photo courtesy of Frances Leak)

The five-member Chatham School District board of education did not respond to requests for comment. 

Grant Robinson, spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, or DEED, said applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and there is no set deadline. Robinson said it’s pending approval from their finance director and superintendent, then will be reviewed by the state within 14 days. The funds are available through September 2024.

At a special roundtable November 17, board members estimated the budget shortfall for the Klukwan school to be around $268,000 this year. The superintendent told the board the state awards about $22,000 per student. 

“We are having to supplement their budget at the expense of the other sites, Superintendent Bruce Houck told the board. “And the board did agree to do that. And so, but now that we’re below the 10, that puts a different point on it.”

The district has budgeted for a full-time teacher in Klukwan at $64,000 a year, but has not secured a teacher this fall. Klukwan’s six elementary students have been taught by substitutes since August. In recent weeks the board debated whether to hire a teacher for next term, given the current discussions on whether to close the school. 

On Tuesday Principal Bradley King confirmed the district had hired a teacher, Laura McIndoe but only for January through March. 

That’s after urging from the Klukwan community. They say that a teacher is key to drawing students back to the school, and boosting enrollment. Shanah Kinneson is with the Klukwan advisory school board.

“It’s just kind of embarrassing to keep asking people, do you want to come back to school? Do you want to come to Klukwan school? And they say, do you have a teacher yet? So we’re sort of a little bit at a standstill on recruitment,” Kinneson said.

According to the state website, the Chatham School District was awarded $83,998 in CARES Act funds in 2020, but failed to spend it, so it then rolled over. So far in 2021, they spent just $58,443.87 of that award. 

In 2021, they were awarded another $314,490.99 in COVID relief funding and to date have spent just $103,103.65. 

The $706,428 grant would provide about a 22% boost to the district’s budget. That’s over $3.2 million for 2021 to support four school sites and 136 students.

In the meantime, the Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan has moved to fill in the gaps – when the district failed to fix Klukwan school bus, CIV loaned the village van for school pick up and drop off for the last year, covering the cost of gas, and recruited volunteer drivers. The school bus returned from Juneau in November, but its interior was moldy from sitting outside, and it had mechanical issues, and so is still not operating or back in use.

The tribal government organized volunteers to provide on-site support for tutoring and special events, a hot lunch program — which was eliminated by the district last year — and are providing free snow plow service for the school. 

Most recently, it’s proposed covering the school building’s water, sewer, trash and some heating fuel expenses to help the district cut costs, as well as continue providing transportation. Dan Hotch is on the Klukwan advisory school board and a village tribal member, and told Chatham board members that it will be up for a vote by the tribal council this week. 

“We’re trying to find different ways we can really help out the district,” said Hotch. “The (Chilkat Indian) Village is bending over backwards trying to figure out what we can do to help to and at our next meeting we’re present trying to help a little bit more on the fuel cost to just for the building but that has to be voted on by the council.”

The next special meeting on the future of the Klukwan school is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday December 9.