August 19, 2026 at 3:45 PM - Regular Meeting

Description: 

Description: 

PERTINENT FACTS:

The Board President will ask for public comment from visitors:

• School Communities
  • Coffman Cove
  • Hollis
  • Kasaan
  • Naukati
  • Port Alexander
  • Thorne Bay
  • Whale Pass
     
• Other Visitors

Please see the attachment for additional information about public comment.
 

Description: 

Recommendation

The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve Resolution 2027-01, adopting the Southeast Island School District FY 2028-2033 Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan and authorizing the District to pursue Capital Improvement Project grants, legislative appropriations, federal funding, and other available capital funding opportunities for projects identified in the plan.

Adoption of the plan establishes the District's capital project priorities and supports the District's readiness to seek outside funding for significant facility renewal, rehabilitation, life-safety, operational, and educational facility needs.

Pertinent Facts

The FY 2028-2033 Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan identifies six FY 2028 priority projects with a combined estimated cost of $59,868,297. The projects, in Board-established priority order, are:

1. Thorne Bay School Campus Building Systems Renewal — $16,296,000
   Comprehensive renewal of aging roofing, HVAC, fire suppression, plumbing, electrical, controls, ceilings, and other critical building systems to improve safety, reliability, energy efficiency, and extend the useful life of the District's largest school facility.
2. Whale Pass Multipurpose Education Center — $4,088,297
   Construction of an approximately 3,600-square-foot multipurpose educational facility providing dedicated indoor space for physical education, archery, taekwondo, and other instructional programs at Whale Pass School.
3. Naukati and Coffman Cove DDC Controls Replacement — $1,684,000
   Replacement of obsolete building control systems to improve HVAC reliability, energy management, freeze protection, remote monitoring, occupant comfort, and protection of critical building infrastructure.
4. Bus Barn / Food Storage Remodel — $1,800,000
   Remodel of the existing facility to separate vehicle maintenance operations from District food storage and improve ventilation, food safety, employee safety, and overall building functionality.
5. Kasaan New School — $31,000,000
   Replacement of the existing approximately 2,300-square-foot former logging building with a modern PreK-12 school designed to meet current educational standards, enrollment needs, building requirements, and instructional programming needs.
6. Port Alexander School Rehabilitation — $5,000,000
   Comprehensive rehabilitation of the existing school and generator building, including renewal of the roof, building envelope, mechanical and electrical systems, interior finishes, and other deteriorated building systems.

The project costs are estimates and may be refined through design, engineering, cost estimating, grant development, and other project-planning activities. Resolution 2027-01 also authorizes the Superintendent and designated District staff to prepare and submit funding applications and supporting documentation while preserving the Board-established project priority order.

The District's Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan form is scheduled for Board adoption today and identifies a September 1 submission deadline to the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development.

 

Description: 
Recommendation
The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the Southeast Island School District 2026-2027 Student/Parent Handbook as presented.

Pertinent Facts
The handbook serves as a district-wide resource for students and families by communicating school expectations, academic and attendance procedures, student rights and responsibilities, extracurricular participation requirements, standards of conduct, safety procedures, and other information applicable to the 2026-2027 school year. The handbook is intended to support a safe, productive, and successful school environment and to provide students, families, and staff with a common understanding of District expectations.
 

Description: 
Recommendation
The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the Southeast Island School District 2026-2027 Teacher Handbook as presented.

Pertinent Facts
The handbook provides district-wide guidance for certified staff regarding instructional expectations, student records and reporting, work schedules, assessment and grading practices, district procedures, employee responsibilities, and other operational information for the 2026-2027 school year.

 

Description:  Recommendation
The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the Southeast Island School District 2026-2027 Activities Handbook as presented.

Pertinent Facts
The 2026-2027 Activities Handbook establishes common expectations for students participating in District-sponsored activities and is intended to promote student growth, responsibility, maturity, teamwork, and commitment. For grades 6-12 athletic activities, students must have required ASAA documentation on file, including physician clearance, parent/guardian consent for travel and participation, and a signed handbook acknowledgement. Eligibility requirements include maintaining a minimum 2.0 GPA, having no failing grades, and meeting weekly eligibility checks. The handbook also emphasizes that academics take priority over activities and establishes expectations for attendance, practice participation, communication with coaches and sponsors, travel, respectful behavior, sportsmanship, and responsibility for District-issued equipment.

The handbook also addresses student health, safety, and accountability. The handbook outlines discipline and due process procedures, including notice to students and parents/guardians, an opportunity for the student to respond, an appeal process, and an ASAA-aligned discipline structure for conduct-related violations, including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

Students and parents/guardians are required to sign an acknowledgement confirming that they have read and understand the handbook expectations before participation.

Description:   

Recommendation

Administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the Southeast Island School District 2026-2027 AK-TRAILS Student/Parent Handbook as presented.

Pertinent Facts

The 2026-2027 AK-TRAILS Handbook outlines how the District’s statewide correspondence program supports families through individualized learning and certified teacher guidance. Each student is assigned an AK-TRAILS "Trail Guide" who serves as the primary point of contact for curriculum selection, Individual Learning Plans, grading, reporting, and allotment use. The program serves PreK-12 students throughout Alaska through two service pathways—families within SISD boundaries and families elsewhere in the state—and provides options for full-time, half-time, and dual enrollment. Each student is required to have an Individual Learning Plan developed collaboratively with the family and Trail Guide, and regular contact and quarterly reporting are required to document student progress.

The handbook also establishes procedures for the use of student allotment funds, including allowable educational expenses, purchasing and reimbursement processes, technology, tutoring, and education-based travel, all of which must align with the student’s Individual Learning Plan and applicable state requirements. Academic provisions address quarterly grades, work samples, assessments, credit, dual-credit opportunities, and graduation requirements; AK-TRAILS students must complete a minimum of 21 credits to earn a District diploma. The handbook also addresses extracurricular participation, travel and conduct expectations, nondiscrimination, FERPA and PPRA rights, and concludes with a parent/guardian acknowledgement that must be signed before purchases or reimbursements may be processed.

Description:   

Recommendation

The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the first reading of BP 4156.4/4256.4/4356.4 - All Personnel: Personal Cell Phone Allowance and advance the policy to a second reading.

Pertinent Facts

This is a new District-proposed policy intended to establish a consistent framework for providing a monthly cell phone allowance to employees whose assigned duties require regular District-related communication while away from a District office, traveling between sites, responding to emergencies, or otherwise remaining reasonably accessible for work. Eligibility would be based on job responsibilities and operational need, as determined by the Superintendent or designee, and the allowance amount would be established or approved by the Board.

The proposed policy also establishes expectations for employees who use personal devices for District business, including compliance with confidentiality, information-security, records-retention, and safe-use requirements. District-related communications remain District records even when created or maintained on a personal device, while the policy also provides that participation in the allowance program does not give the District unrestricted access to an employee’s personal device or personal information. Receipt of an allowance does not, by itself, place an employee on call, change established work hours, or authorize overtime or additional compensation.

Description: 
Recommendation
It is the Administration’s recommendation that the School Board approve the first reading of the AASB recommended revisions to BP 4115, BP 4116, BP 4117.2/4217.2/4317.2, BP 4117.3, BP 4117.31 and the proposed deletion of BP 4217.2, and advance the policies to a second reading.

Pertinent Facts
In accordance with Board Policy (BP) 0500, Review and Evaluation, the School Board conducts an ongoing review of district policies throughout the year.

In December 2025, the Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB) released updates to Article 4 - Personnel. The policies listed above were included in those updates and are presented to the Board for first reading and consideration.

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

The proposed revisions to BP 4115 - Certificated Personnel: Evaluation/Supervision clarify several requirements associated with the District’s certificated employee evaluation process. Changes include specifying that employees have 10 days to comment on an evaluation and adding qualifications for individuals conducting evaluations, including appropriate administrative certification or supervision, District administrative employment, and training in the District’s evaluation system. The revisions also remove the word "annual" from the requirement for evaluation-system in-service training and make minor wording and formatting updates throughout the policy.

Additional revisions update the policy’s legal references and clean up citation language to better align with current Alaska statutes and administrative regulations governing certificated employee evaluation. The overall purpose of the policy remains unchanged: to establish expectations for the evaluation and supervision of certificated personnel and to support professional growth, instructional effectiveness, and student achievement.

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

The proposed revisions to BP 4116 - Certificated Personnel: Nontenured/Tenured Status clarify the circumstances under which a teacher acquires or reacquires tenure with the District. The policy specifies that a nontenured teacher who completes three consecutive school years and is offered a contract for the following year may achieve tenure at the beginning of the fourth year, provided the applicable service and evaluation requirements are met.

The update also adds clearer provisions for previously tenured teachers. A teacher who previously held tenure with the District and returns after a qualifying break in service may reacquire tenure at the beginning of the second consecutive year of reemployment. A teacher who previously earned tenure in another Alaska district may acquire tenure with SISD after two consecutive years of employment and being offered a contract for the following year, subject to the applicable performance evaluation and service requirements.

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

The proposed revisions to BP 4117.2/4217.2/4317.2 - All Personnel: Resignation broaden the general resignation provisions to apply to all employee groups and clarify that the Superintendent or designee may accept an employee’s written resignation on behalf of the Board. Once accepted, the resignation becomes effective and may not be withdrawn by the employee.

For certificated staff, the revisions provide additional guidance when an employee requests release from an existing contract. The updated language provides for consideration of a Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC) complaint when a certificated employee seeks release late in the hiring cycle or contracts with another district without first obtaining a written release, while also requiring the District to consider relevant mitigating circumstances before determining whether a complaint is warranted. The current draft contains bracketed options regarding the specific release deadline and whether the District "will" or "may" grant a timely release, which will need to be finalized as part of the policy review process.

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

The proposed revisions to BP 4117.3 - Certificated Personnel: Personnel Reduction update the policy to more clearly align with Alaska Statute 14.20.177. The revisions clarify that a reduction in certificated personnel may be considered when enrollment declines or when the District’s basic need decreases by the amount established in law. The updated policy language also emphasizes that reductions in force must be carried out in accordance with state law, District procedures, and applicable collective bargaining provisions.

The update also clarifies statutory requirements related to the layoff of tenured teachers, including the requirement for the Board to adopt a layoff plan addressing programs to be maintained and procedures for layoff and recall. It retains the statutory hiring preference for qualified tenured teachers who are laid off and removes outdated language related to collective bargaining agreements that were in effect in 1996.
 

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

BP 4117.31 - Certificated Personnel: Layoff/Rehire is a new policy for Southeast Island School District, based on the AASB model policy, and is intended to establish the District’s layoff and recall procedures for certificated staff as required under Alaska law. The policy identifies the instructional programs and position categories to be considered during a reduction in force and establishes qualification standards for determining which employees may be retained in available positions.

The policy also establishes procedures for implementing a reduction in force and for rehiring qualified certificated employees who have been laid off. Eligible employees may remain in a reemployment pool for up to three years and receive hiring preference for positions for which they are qualified. The policy is designed to minimize disruption to educational programs while providing a consistent process for staff reductions and recall.
 

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

BP 4217.2 - Classified Personnel: Resignation is proposed for removal because its provisions have been updated and incorporated into the consolidated BP 4117.2/4217.2/4317.2 - All Personnel: Resignation. The existing classified personnel policy addresses notice of resignation, supervisory consideration of resignation circumstances, and the Superintendent or designee’s authority to accept resignations on behalf of the Board.

Removing the standalone policy eliminates duplication and allows resignation procedures for certificated, classified, and administrative personnel to be addressed in one combined Board policy.
 

Description: 

Recommendation

The administration recommends that the Board of Education approve the FY 2027 Professional Services Agreement between Southeast Island School District and Nyquest4Kids.

Pertinent Facts

The agreement provides professional services to support the District’s APEX grant work, including instructional coaching, principal mentorship, leadership development, and related program support during the 2026-2027 school year.

The agreement is effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with total compensation not to exceed $26,000 unless amended in writing.

Description:   

Pertinent Facts

AR 4156.4/4256.4/4356.4 and E 4156.4/4256.4/4356.4 - Personal Cell Phone Allowance are new administrative documents developed to implement the proposed Board policy regarding personal cell phone allowances. The regulation establishes eligibility, approval, annual review, payment procedures, and employee responsibilities for staff whose duties require regular use of a personal cell phone for District business. The proposed allowance is $50 per month, paid through payroll, with eligibility determined by the Superintendent or designee based on actual job responsibilities and operational need.

The regulation and accompanying employee agreement also address device and service requirements, confidentiality and information security, District records, work-time and overtime requirements, and circumstances under which an allowance may be suspended or discontinued. Receipt of the allowance does not, by itself, place an employee on call, change assigned work hours, require continuous availability, or authorize overtime. The exhibit provides the written employee acknowledgement and District approval form required before participation in the allowance program begins.

Description: 

PERTINENT FACTS:

The Board President will ask for public comment from visitors:

• School Communities
  • Coffman Cove
  • Hollis
  • Kasaan
  • Naukati
  • Port Alexander
  • Thorne Bay
  • Whale Pass
     
• Other Visitors

Please see the attachment for additional information about public comment.