March 15, 2023

Allison Sayer - CRR Staff

The Copper River School District Board of Education held a regular meeting on March 7.

During the public comment period, Linda Bates requested approval for the Slana archery team to travel to the national tournament in Salt Lake City. Due to procedural constraints, the board created a separate meeting to vote on this request, which they all favored.

Avery Hart ranked first for shooting a 3D target and second for bullseye targets at the high school level. Justin Clary was first in state for a paper target and second for 3D at the elementary level, winning a bow for his efforts. Adrian Brown placed first for 3D and third for paper targets at the elementary level. Ashton Hicks and Benton Clary placed in the top ten for 3D targets. All five students qualify to travel to the national competition in Salt Lake City.

George Drinkwater made a presentation to the board regarding his son Ronan’s education. Ronan has metachromatic leukodystrophy, a rare illness that progressively affects the nervous system.

Drinkwater stated that Ronan is experiencing discrimination in receiving educational services. Drinkwater also stated that all seven students who receive their education at the Chistochina Annex of the Slana School were subject to “deficiencies in compliance.” He also stated he has borne many costs personally of his son’s education.

Drinkwater presented the board with several years of correspondence and financial records regarding Ronan’s access to transportation and school staff, in addition to “deficiencies in facility control,” while attending school in the Chistochina Annex. The documents will be incorporated into the formal minutes of the meeting.

Later in the meeting, several board members thanked all guests for coming in. Board member Schwanke specifically thanked Drinkwater for “seeking resolution” and said the board would follow up.

Interim superintendent Richard Carlson stated in his report that the district will create three possible budgets, which are needed because the Alaska State Legislature has still not decided on the amount Alaska’s schools will receive per student from the state next year.

Assistant superintendent Theresa Laville added there are still teaching job vacancies within the district, including one to replace a newly resigned fourth-grade teacher.

The business office reported the district only earned $168 last year on investments, but with the sale of retired vehicles this year, the district received about $12,000.

The maintenance department had little to report. Board members asked about any new issues with mold, icing, or flooding, and maintenance director Jim Kistler said everything had been “dry.” The board also asked whether there had been any progress with making vape detectors operational. Kistler stated they had reached out to the manufacturer but had not yet received a response.

Sarah Linnell’s grant management report highlighted the potential to receive a special federal appropriation for a “shovel-ready” project within the district. She has been working with Senator Murkowski’s office on applying for funds to replace the Kenny Lake School boiler system. The estimated budget is $658,000, including tanks and other components needed to bring the system up to code.

Upstream and Glennallen Elementary School (GES) students made a strong showing in the Battle of the Books statewide tournament. GES principal Frances Jackson thanked Alyson Geldersma for coaching the Glennallen team.

Jackson also stated she had been visiting student classes to tell them she would be out of the school for several weeks. She said that a prior absence had affected students and hoped that by sharing with kids ahead of time, she could make the transition easier.

Kenny Lake Lead Teacher Cheralea Purcell reported a new long-term substitute has been fitting in well at the school, which was confirmed by student representative Calie Conway. She also mentioned that teacher Jennifer Hodges was interviewed by NPR about the popular salmon-rearing program students participate in every year.

The board approved the hiring of Charlie Ebbers as a grant writer for the district, noting he has “hit the ground running.” The board approved the hire of Melissa Smith as a Kenny Lake middle and high school teacher. Smith will be new to Alaska but has traveled worldwide as a teacher. Terri Schuetz was hired as special education director for next year. Scheutz has worked in remote Alaska and also has a background in behavioral health.

The board moved to approve the Impact Aid application, which provides schools with funding based on certain qualifications involving federal land or federally employed families. There was some discussion, initiated by board member Hannah Bengston, that communication with parents around finding qualifying families could be improved. Administrators stated they had learned from the process this year and would work to make it smoother in ensuing years.

The school board did not approve travel to the Association of Alaska School Boards meeting in April. Members expressed the most interesting topics could be covered locally, which would be more cost-effective. They stated they would like to be included in restorative practice training run by Assistant Superintendent Laville in the future. Interim Superintendent Carlson offered to provide information about the Alaska Reads Act.

Complete reports from school administrators are available with the agenda for the meeting posted on the CRSD Board of Education website. The next meeting will be April 4 in Slana.

More reporting on the Copper River School District:

Copper River School District September Board Meeting (Sept 20, 2022)

School Board Candidates (Sept 22, 2022)

CRSD Hires Interim Superintendent (Sept 21, 2022)

Profile: Acting CRSD Superintendent Theresa Laville (Sept 7, 2022)