KCAW

The Sitka School District approved a budget Thursday night that cuts 8.5 positions, half of which are certified teachers. Like other districts across the state, Sitka’s revenue hasn’t met higher costs in recent years. But the cuts are far fewer than were proposed.

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Sixteen staff positions were on the chopping block, including several certified teachers. The proposal followed the district cutting 16 positions in 2024.

For this round of cuts, the administration proposed several options. Board member Courtney Amundson was not satisfied with any of them.

“Every time you cut a teaching position at a secondary level, elective and specialized courses disappear,” she said. “This affects students who may be disengaged from core academics but thrive in arts or career technical education.”

Amundson proposed an amendment – decreasing savings – keeping just about $200,000 dollars in reserves. She argued that it’s manageable and would save three certified teachers and half a secretary’s position.

“I have hope that under new [state] leadership, we will have an increase to funding in general,” Amundson said. “Will that keep up with inflation? I don’t know. Will that be sufficient to cover our needs? I don’t know. Does this balance our budget for the long term? No, it doesn’t. It gets us through this year until we have more information under a new leadership regime.”

Hope. That’s what the decision hinged on – how much hope the school board has in getting future funding from the state and federal governments, and how little they can get by with in their savings account.

School Board President Phil Burdick said the district has managed its finances well and is doing the best it can.

“I hate hope sandwiches, because there’s really nothing in them. It’s just like air,” Burdick said. “It’s not that we’ve always done it this way, and we need to change. It’s that we are handcuffed and we can’t change if the Legislature doesn’t forward fund us, we don’t know how much money we have.”

They’re also hoping for federal money through the Secure Rural Schools program, which funds communities near national forests. Districts in Alaska didn’t get the money last year, but President Donald Trump has approved the funding for three years.

However, promises weren’t enough for a few board members, who voted against fewer staff cuts. Tom Williams said that having only $200,000 in savings wasn’t enough for the what-ifs.

“You’re hoping that we’re going to get those from the Legislature, a one-time amount for this year. I find that budgeting in that manner is irresponsible,” he said. ” It’s going to get us to a point where we’re going to have a failure, and somewhere we’re going to need a bailout.”

The district is counting on funding yet to come. However, Superintendent Deidre Jenson said that’s always the case.

“We always budget approximately from the year prior, and then we don’t get it until May. That’s just the way Secure Rural Schools work,” Jenson said. “We always operate off of what’s anticipated.”

The district considered another way to save money: making health insurance for employees more expensive. That didn’t gain any ground with the board.

Ultimately, they approved the budget scenario that cuts 8.5 positions on a 3 to 2 vote, with Tom Williams and Amanda Williams voting no. They wanted to cut more positions to keep more money in savings.

The Sitka Legacy Foundation has awarded local organizations with a one-time grant to support food security projects in Sitka and Port Alexander. 

Chris Kowalczewski is the Chair of the Grants Committee for the local nonprofit. She says the Alaska Community Foundation, which helped fund the grant, gave them a lot of freedom in determining which projects would be eligible. 

“They gave us leeway in defining what food security meant,” says Kowalczewski. “So there was a discussion in the committee about that, and we came up with these two categories of either increasing food production locally and hopefully sustainably, and distributing food more in the community.”

Five Sitka organizations, including the Sitka Food Coalition and Sitka Homeless Coalition, were awarded grants ranging from $1500 to $3000. The funds will support projects ranging from a food pantry to providing free community dinners. The City of Port Alexander was also awarded $1500 to support community garden plots. 

These projects are incredibly exciting to Robin Sherman, who is the chair of the Legacy Foundation’s advisory board. 

“One of the things that I think is great is that we funded a number of different solutions to the problem of access to healthy food in our communities,” says Sherman. “And that’s always good.” 

In an email exchange with KCAW, foundation Program Manager Jennifer Mac Donald says that the grant distribution checks have already been mailed to grantees. She says that each recipient has a year to complete their project and report outcomes to the organization. 

Kowalczewski says they were unable to sponsor three proposed projects due to lack of funds. But she says organizations shouldn’t lose all hope. 

“Based on the fact that we got quite a few applications, there is a need out there for this kind of support,” says Kowalczewski. “So it’s very possible that we would set that as a priority for funding in the future.”

The Sitka Legacy Foundation’s regular grant cycle will be starting in late August. Kowalzewski anticipates there will be a larger pot of funds to issue grants from due to additional City of Sitka funding. 

Note: The opinions expressed in commentary on KCAW are those of the author(s), and are not necessarily shared by the station’s board, staff, or volunteers.

My name is Bethany Goodrich, and I wonder how many of you listening have also made your favorite memories on Kruzof Island? An Island so iconic, so important to our community, it’s part of our identity. If you care about Kruzof, listen up.

The Forest Service recently published draft Forest Plan material and maps that could shape the Tongass for decades. In those maps are some unnerving changes to zoning and allowed activity on Kruzof including the volcano that stands sentinel over our town. This new map would allow for high intensity commercial tourism use at Shoals Point, with dramatic changes that stretch right up to Edgecumbe crater. A third party could lease land, build a cruise ship dock and tourism infrastructure, maybe even a tram and bar, to a sacred place where many of us hunt, fish, play and depend on to escape. It could bring heavy traffic to the thickest stretch of herring spawn, where gray whale numbers are so dense, you have to crawl to avoid hitting them. 

There are even wider proposed changes to much of Northern Kruzof, opening the Island we love to major development. 

Now, I am not anti tourism. I understand that a balanced economy is the foundation of a healthy community, that there needs to be economic opportunities  for my child and yours too. But the details matter. How we develop tourism, where and what we build matters. Alaska isn’t a bucket list location because of its landscaping. People come to Alaska, and Sitka in particular, because of the overwhelming wildness, the space, the abundance, the moments when you look around and realize you are in the most beautiful place on earth, with just the people you came with. When you pull up your first king salmon or hunt your first deer beside a wild volcano – you never forget that. 

And once that’s gone, it’s gone forever. There are some places too special, too globally rare, too important to the character of our community, to develop for heavy tourism infrastructure. period.

The proposed maps and plan are about much more than just Kruzof. There’s good ideas, and bad ones. What’s important is that they weren’t drafted by the people who live here. That’s exactly why the Forest Service is hosting community meetings to hear from us. This plan will determine the forest our children inherit, it will shape the lands where they might fall in love, where they will challenge themselves physically and emotionally, where they might commercial fish or build a business, this plan might determine whether they choose to stay here at all. The decisions being rushed through right now are too important to be made FOR us, they must be made WITH us.

Kruzof is the backdrop to my most cherished memories: honing my hunting skills, catching waves, learning to camp in bear country, watching my baby splash inside a perfectly smooth lava tub. There comes a point, when you love a place so much– it becomes family.  Kruzof is that for me, and I know I’m not alone. Her future, and the future of the lands and waters we all depend on- are in our hands. 

My name is Bethany Goodrich and I will be seeing you at the Tongass Forest Plan community meeting Monday the 27th from 4-6 in Centennial Hall.

Raven Radio’s annual meeting, covering the calendar year 2025, was broadcast Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 on air. If you missed the broadcast live, you are welcome to listen to the recording here. We welcome your questions too; please feel free to reach out to Mariana, KCAW’s General Manager by email (generalmanager[at]kcaw.org) or phone 907-747-5877 any time.

The United States Forest Service wants the public to weigh in on how it defines areas of the Tongass National Forest, as part of the revision process of the Tongass Land Management Plan. Andrew Thoms joins KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss an upcoming community workshop on Monday (4-27-26) to break down the proposed changes, what it would mean for Sitkans (particularly in regards to tourism), and how one can make their voice heard on the matter.

Editor’s Note (4-24-26): Headline has been updated to reflect how the Sitka Conservation Society is not hosting the workshop, but rather the Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association

April is financial wellness month. This weekend, the Sitka Public Library and Spruce Root are offering a financial literacy workshop at the library. Michael Mausbach, director of business and client services with Spruce Root, and Margot O’Connell, adult services librarian with the library joined KCAW on the Morning Interview to discuss the upcoming workshop on Saturday, 3-5 p.m. Listen to their conversation here:

May 16th marks the 42nd annual Julie Hughes Triathlon (the longest-running one in Alaska); where runners, swimmers, and bikers of all ages can team up for a fun and approachable race while also raising money for the Sitka Cancer Survivor Society and Baranof Barracudas Swim Club. Rachel Fox, Tom Jacobson, Carol Hughes, and Susan Magie join KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the history of the triathlon and how Sitkans can get involved as a competitor or volunteer.

This year, for their annual spring aerial production, Sitka Cirque will perform The Jungle Book. There are 100 performers among the two casts/weekends performing on silks, trapeze, lyra, and poles. Performers range in age from kindergarten to adults, and in experience from beginners to at least 10 years of classes. Last time the group performed The Jungle Book was 2018.

The story will be told with pieces inspired by animals, as well as with elaborate sets and puppets, with narration by Phil Burdick and projected paper cuts by Sarah Lawrie. The performances will take place April 25-26 and May 2-3 at 207 Smith Street. Tickets are available online through sitkacirque.com, with a limited number available at the door. Proceeds benefit scholarships and equipment to keep circus classes safe and accessible in Sitka. Performers Isabella Michael and Abigail Moone joined KCAW on the Morning Interview to discuss the upcoming show. Listen to their conversation here:

Sitka’s busy tourism season is about to begin. The first cruise ship — the Volendam — arrives in town this Saturday with an estimated 1,432 passengers. The city estimates 326 ports of call between April 26 and Sept. 30, with 13 days that have no ships in town. According to lower berth counts, this year’s expected cruise passengers total 594,355.

KCAW’s Hope McKenney sat down with the city’s new tourism manager, Judson Rusk, to talk about the upcoming season, his vision for tourism in Sitka, and how his first three months on the job have been. 

TRANSCRIPT:

RUSK: I grew up there in Sitka. I moved there when I was a kid, and all my formative years were there, and I started working in tourism, kind of like a lot of local Sitka kids do, like, started giving tours as a summer job when I was in high school. I went to college in Bellingham, and when I would come back, I would go back to working in tourism to make money, and it wasn’t what I studied in school, but it turns out, it’s always available. So, like, I loved what I did, and I kept doing it more and more, and eventually it became the career. So I’ve been working in tourism in some capacity for over 20 years now, and [I’m] absolutely thrilled to be coming home to take on this sort of role, to be back in the field that I know, in the field that I love, in my hometown, working for meaningful change and progress in a community that means so much to me. So I’m thrilled about it.

KCAW: Okay, so you’ve had a few months on the job. How’s it going so far?

RUSK: I love it so far, like very legitimately. Even though I haven’t been in town for about 10 years, I visit frequently, lots of friends, lots of family, and just because I’ve just always been generally interested, I’ve always kind of kept an eye on the tourism industry in Sitka, because it’s just a topic that interests me. The fact that this position is new and myself and even, you know, my peers and supervisors at the city, we’re kind of building it as we go along, there’s a lot to it that is sort of taking temperature of the industry right now and then kind of figuring out what we’re going to do and what I’m going to do specifically. But that’s a lot of fun for me, kind of building a position that is beneficial to the community.

KCAW: So it sounds like this position is still a little bit in development. But what is your vision for your role and just your vision of tourism here in Sitka?

RUSK: If I were to give you the politicians answer, I would say that the goal is to take the state of the industry, and we as a community need to maximize the benefits of the tourism industry while also minimizing the impacts of it. Right? It’s an integral part of our economy. It’s an integral part of our little hometown flare. But that doesn’t change the fact that, you know, everyone needs to live here, including myself, right? So the industry has to work for us. And again, that’s the 10,000 foot scope view of that. And then sort of the playing the puzzle of my job is trying to figure out how we do that, right? So, what are the benefits? What are the benefits that are the most impactful? What can we achieve short term, long term? And then, you know, there’s always an equal and opposite reaction, right? So, what are the things that aren’t worth the cost? What are the things that are? And then also just kind of down to, like, daily details too. Like, one of the very first things I did when I started within my first few weeks was, had to have the conversation about Lincoln Street and if we’re going to be closing it this season, right? So, even down kind of daily operation things.

KCAW: So in this role, how do you decide, I guess, what or who is a priority?

RUSK: It is a lot of taking stock of the state of the industry, which I don’t need to explain to you or anybody else, has undergone a rather dramatic change in the last three years compared to any other year we’ve ever had. So the priority is a holistic one, right? What are the things in our control right now? What are the things in our control next season, five years from now, right? And then how can we build a project or like initiatives of any kind to shape that industry into what we need it to be? I kind of view it as a blank canvas right now, because of such a boom recently. Now we have, effectively, it’s a familiar industry and in a whole new way, right? So what are we going to do with it? So it’s kind of like, to focus back on your question again, what’s a priority is taking community feedback, industry feedback, kind of any feedback I can get, and finding commonalities about what people in Sitka want, and then just working towards that, right? Because ultimately, I work for everybody, and I’m trying to find level ground for for everyone to benefit here.

KCAW: And so you talk about this feedback. Tourism is a really complicated, contentious issue here in Sitka, it seems. What are you hearing from stakeholders?

RUSK: First of all, there’s a lot of push on the infrastructure, and not necessarily that’s not meaning physical city infrastructure. I mean that again, kind of in like a holistic sense of even tour operators, right? There’s so many more visitors than there were pre-COVID, that even operators are feeling like we wish we could sell more. There’s people who are trying, there’s guests who are trying to go on excursions, [but] things are sold out. And then, you know, it’s pushing on people. Like, do I buy more vans or more busses, or do I start another branch of my company? Do I offer more excursions? Well, that’s more insurance, more staff, right? So it creates a lot of opportunity, but also puts a lot of cost on that. And that’s, again, one of those balancing points. And then, of course, there’s just general community members. It’s a tough five months if you don’t work in the industry. There’s a lot of people in town, and there’s more traffic, and there’s just things to consider. So part of my role is trying to build just information tools, even if it’s just as easy as a dashboard, so people can check and see like, “Oh, what’s the status of town today? Maybe I should do my grocery shopping later in the day, or do my errands tomorrow,” or something along those lines. Just get information out there. But again, I’m kind of off on a tangent here. Hope I’m sorry. What I’m hearing the most is [that] we need to be cognizant of how many people are where at a certain time, and then also that we, like the city and me, specifically, needs to be more communicative about the state of the industry and how that affects everyone in town.

KCAW: Is there anything else I should have asked you or you’d like to share about this role, or about this upcoming season?

RUSK: Once I’m in town and settled and kind of in my role, I understand that tourism is a very important topic for a lot of people. So you can expect me to have public office hours available moving forward, because I want to be that sort of liaison between the tourism industry and anyone in Sitka who wants to talk about it. So I’m going to have that set up, and it’ll be on a weekly basis, and just anyone can put time on my calendar and come talk to me about anything they want. So that’s something that I’m going to work towards, is kind of keeping an open line of communication with anybody. And then, once again, once I’m a little bit more settled here in the role, I do have some, what I think are good ideas about sort of focusing on regenerative and off-season tourism. Because another sort of misconception that I kind of want to get ahead of, is that my role is strictly cruise tourism. And it’s not. It’s tourism in general. And I think Sitka could benefit from sort of smaller scale, more consistent off-season tourism. So I’ve got a lot of plans on how to sort of work on that and build some slow season visitor interest.

From kayaking to snorkeling, Sitka’s coastal location makes it an ideal place for water-oriented activities. Now, the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society is looking to offer sailing classes to get adventurous Sitkans out on the water. Capt. Blain Anderson and Sitka Maritime Heritage Society’s Executive Director, Keith Nyitray, join KCAW for the Morning Interview to share more about what the classes will entail, as well as updates on restoring the Japonski Island Boathouse and other upcoming events from the organization.