01/12/2026
An advocacy update from Seward Education Advocates, if you would like to receive email updates from or have questions for SEA please email:
[email protected]
Happy Sunday and Happy New Year everybody,
Thank you for your patience in this advocacy update.
There have been a lot of moving pieces that are beginning to delineate as we prepare for the next stages of advocacy in our community.
School consolidation
There has been an ongoing conversation over the consolidation of our middle school for the past couple years. Currently our middle school and Paul Banks in Homer are the two schools on the chopping block. There are several factors that contribute to the decision to consolidate: declining enrollment numbers, whether consolidation impacts bus routes, amongst other factors.
However, after initial conversations, it is not clear what the cost-savings would be to the district to close the middle school (see attached document).
There are pros and cons for consolidation: potential to develop programming opportunities at the secondary school, would simplify the logistics of having one admin between two buildings, and fewer buildings to house a dwindling number of staff members. However, students at the middle grades would lose the opportunity to be in a developmentally specific environment geared for middle school students. Regardless of which side you feel is most compelling, please make your thoughts known to the school board members. There is an upcoming worksession and board meeting on Monday, Jan. 12 (info below).
Formula change work session
Due to the ongoing disparities between services available between schools across our district, the Seward PTA and other advocacy groups have focused their energy on targeting reforms for the funding formula which determines the programming, staff and services based on students enrolled. This concept might seem intuitive except that Seward schools in particular hover right between the number of students needed to secure personnel, like athletics directors for example, and a school that does not have that personnel allocation. Because of how Seward school enrollment numbers have fluctuated within 5 - 7 students of this 'boundary', the current formula does not allow the schools to make long-term plans or stabilize resources needed to improve outcomes in our schools.
We are unique not only in our size, but also in the services Seward schools provide the our neighboring community (the pool, theatre, extra-curriculars, sports, etc.). Even though the formula is based on students enrolled in Seward schools, students between Seward, Cooper Landing, Moose Pass and Hope utilize services and programming from Seward schools. In addition to KPBSD students enrolled in these neighboring schools, students enrolled in correspondence programming (Connections and otherwise) utilize many of the services provided by our local school district, all determined by the number of students enrolled in the brick and mortar buildings on any given year.
It is clear that the services Seward schools provide extend far beyond just the students enrolled in the brick and mortar and that the formula must be adjusted to account for the utilization of these services and impact to the broader area rather than an arbitrary cut-off enrollment number crafted in 2007.
Some wording to help craft your testimony:
* Seward schools are the Eastern regional hub schools of KPBSD
* Impact of services are not reflected in the enrollment at brick and mortar, but by the broader community population
* Seward secondary schools require base-level resources to provide adequate in-person core curriculum to meet state mandated graduation requirements
At the PTA meeting discussion last week it was decided that PTA would craft a letter to the school board requesting that any consolidation decision be made after the funding formula work session. (date forthcoming).
Four-day school week
The concept of a four-day school week has been a topic of serious investigation by the school board president. There are pros and cons to this decision and how it may impact the community, schools, students and academic outcomes. Please do your research and if you would like additional support and resources in investigating this topic, please reach out. If you have an opinion on this issue, please communicate that with our school board.
Upcoming Meetings and Community Engagement Opportunities
Great Alaska Schools meeting
Zoom for Monday, January 21st, 7 pm:
Topic: Great Alaska Schools Kick-Off
Time: Jan 21, 2026 07:00 PM Juneau
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83220737154?pwd=iOlHJdm2bjSzAEkaqmrLDS5kbmd5Ak.1
Meeting ID: 832 2073 7154
Passcode: 989887
KPBSD School board work sessions
Board of Education Work Sessions (Listen Only)
1:00 p.m. Meeting Protocols & Questions
1:15 p.m. Board Policy Review
1:45 p.m. Class Size Report, Enrollment & PTR
2:30 p.m. Finance Work Session
3:30 p.m. AASB Legislative Fly-In Attendance & Budget
4:00 p.m. Discussion with State Legislators
PLEASE NOTE: The meeting is open to the public. The public is invited to attend in person or virtually and participate by listening only.
To connect via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/708024188
KPBSD Schoolboard Meeting
Regular Meeting
6:00 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE: The meeting is open to the public. The public is invited to attend in person or virtually and participate as noted on the agenda.
To connect via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/708024188
To connect via telephone (audio only), dial:
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
877 853 5257 US Toll-free
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
Conference ID: 708 024 188
When prompted for an Attendee ID, press #.
Zoom ID: 708 024 188
Next Seward Education Advocates Meeting
We will continue doing the work of SEA by advocating and being present at school board meetings, PTA meetings, and other advocacy branches like GAS, across our state. If you are interested in meeting in small groups to prepare for testimony, practicing and refining letters of support, crafting op-eds, please reach out and we will coordinate workshop times. Expect some type of reconvening in the next few weeks.
Become a PTA member
If you are not already a member of Seward PTA, please consider joining! This membership is a direct line to support our schools and information about goings-ons at your community school sites.
Become a member of the Seward PTA
Have a wonderful week and please reach out with questions or thoughts!
The SEA People
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