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Incoming Petersburg School District teacher Rowan Beraza is headed to town this June to teach Spanish and English in the high school and middle school. Beraza, a Fairbanks native, taught for the past year in Metlakatla after earning her teaching license and master's degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She also taught oversees in Southeast Asia after teaching Spanish as an adjunct professor at UAF. "I decided to try teaching English as a foreign language overseas," Beraza said. "I...
The Petersburg School Board approved the employment of two new teachers within the district. Eliza Warmack will join staff as a 5th grade teacher beginning in the 2016-17 school year and Rowan Beraza will be a secondary language arts and Spanish teacher beginning the same time. The School Board also approved the principal contracts for another year. Middle and high school principal Rick Dormer will receive a salary of $97,116 and elementary principal Teri Toland will receive a salary of $88,773. They also approved exempt contracts for finance... Full story
The State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (ADEED) cancelled statewide testing assessments last Friday. Multiple interruptions and glitches affected testing in Petersburg schools. According to a department press release, the computer based Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) tests were interrupted beginning Tuesday when a construction worker accidentally severed a fiber optic cable at the University of Kansas. “The university houses the state’s testing vendor, the Achievement & Assessment Institute,” the release state... Full story
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska education department announced Friday that it is canceling its computer-based statewide student assessments this year, citing technical disruptions and concerns with the validity of the results. Federal rules call for state education departments to administer standards-based tests for students in grades three through eight and once in high school, but they also say the tests are to be high quality, valid and reliable and of adequate technical quality, interim Commissioner Susan McCauley said. “I do not believe at this p...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A Wasilla man fleeing Alaska State Troopers was taken into custody after he was shot by a homeowner. The 24-year-old man was treated and released for a non-life-threatening injury and remained jailed Thursday. Troopers forwarded details of the shooting to the district attorney's office for review. The incident began when an officer just before 4 p.m. Wednesday tried to stop a pickup for an equipment violation in Wasilla. The driver sped off and passed a school bus with red lights activated. The man jumped out, ran through y...
WRANGELL - In an agreement reached March 24, the University of Alaska will be cooperating with Petersburg High School and the Wrangell Ranger District to conduct research at LeConte Glacier. Under the arrangement, the project will be undertaken by university researchers making third-party use of the high school's special use permit issued by USFS' Alaska regional office. The university's study will monitor the dynamics, glacial runoff and subglacial discharge of LeConte Glacier. It discharges...
The Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill, SB 209, that would raise local government and school retirement contributions from 22 percent to 26.5 percent by 2018 and would likely translate to cuts in services and or tax increases locally. PERS, or Public Employee Retirement System, is the state’s retirement benefit plan. Every public employee has a certain tier of benefits and each municipality annually chips in a portion of those benefits. SB 209 increases those municipal contributions incrementally and means local government would i... Full story
A group of Petersburg High School students organized a protest last Friday and started a petition this week to modify the PHS dress code policy to allow leggings and yoga pants without the added requirement of shorts or a long shirt. More than 20 PHS girls wore yoga pants to school last Friday to protest the school's policy that requires a student to wear clothing such as shorts or skirts over yoga pants or other tight fitting leggings. "Tight-fitting leggings, leotards and spandex bottoms,... Full story
Petersburg High School shop teacher Dave Owens traveled to Sitka earlier this month for training on how to better use design software and manufacturing tools. This year is the first for Owens teaching the industrial arts program at PHS, but he spent well over 10 years heading up elementary school classrooms. "It was the best teachers training I have ever been to," Owens says with a big smile. "Hands on is fun, and that's where the most learning takes place." Owens also took a student with him,... Full story
wrangell — A crowd-drawing discussion on recreation funding held by the Forest Service Tuesday evening made the council chambers at City Hall feel unusually short for space. About two dozen members of the public met with staff of the Wrangell Ranger District to share their concerns about facilities maintenance. Listing concerns from greatest to least, residents participating at the meeting identified cabins, ATV trails and the overall recreation program as their top priorities, followed by trails, berry access, subsistence and stoves. F...
The Petersburg school board approved the contracts of district superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter and teachers at the regular meeting on Tuesday night. The action is the result of salary negotiations that have been taking place with the Associated Teachers of Petersburg (ATP). The board unanimously approved a three-year contract for superintendent Kludt-Painter, and each year includes a 260-day contract with 40 days of leave. The contract will run through June, 2019, with a one-time signing incentive of $10,000 to be paid on or before June 30,...
Five years ago, when Carlee Johnson was offered a meal at the Petersburg school, it did not go well. Johnson was applying for the food service director position at the time, and believes it was some sort of pizza dish. "When I walked in for my interview, and they gave me a lunch that day," says Johnson, food service director with the Petersburg School District. "I told them, 'I will not keep this menu the same way. So if you want someone to come in here and do it the same way, you're asking the... Full story
State Sen. Bert Stedman talked about how well the community would weather the state budget deficit during Petersburg’s annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner Saturday night. He said the community’s already endured difficult times, citing several wars and economic downturns, and has come out of it unscathed. “We’ve had these austere moments where we’ve had to pull together and this is just another one,” Stedman said. “I don’t sit in my office and eat a lot of Rolaids over it.” Stedman went on to discuss the legislative climate in Juneau and what h...
The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved an $80,037 software program for the Petersburg School District’s finance office. PSD Finance Director Karen Quitslund said the current software is 35 years old and that she has been looking at new programs for several years. “The current system is really outdated. It’s inefficient,” Quitslund said. “All the processes are done manually and of course the more manual processes that you have the more the margin of error is greater.” The district’s current software doesn’t interface with other prog... Full story
Have you thanked a school board member lately? School board members volunteer hundreds of hours and immeasurable amount of energy to assure that our schools are providing the best education possible for the children of our community. February is School Board Recognition Month, and I encourage you to show your appreciation for the tireless work of our local school board members. School board members are citizens whose decisions affect our children – what they learn, who will teach them, and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms. T...
State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins and Alaska Department of Revenue Director Ken Alper gave a state budget crisis presentation for community members two weeks ago. They used colored blocks of wood representing different revenues and expenditures balanced on a large scale to provide a visual representation of the state's budget deficit and the continued gutting of our state's savings should the legislature not create a more sustainable budget for the state. On the revenue side of the scale sat a... Full story
Petersburg High School sophomore Helen Martin, 15, will take a trip to the state capitol in early March and spend four days sitting in on the legislative session. Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins selected Martin to participate in his Legislative Externship Program after her world history teacher talked to her class about the program. Martin, who is the vice president of her sophomore class, talked it over with her mom and they both thought it would be a good idea. "I'm pretty excited to sit in and... Full story
January 22, 1916 – The red-light buoy in the Narrows was broken away from its anchorage by ice the first of the week and drifted about to various locations. The mishap was reported by wireless to the proper authorities, and the tender is due here today or tomorrow to replace the light. Work is to start next week on repair of the dock at Tonka, on completion of which the Packing Company's wharves in Petersburg will be given an overhauling. January 24, 1941 – Petersburg is to have a Cold Storage plant. Costs and estimates were submitted at the...
January 6 A caller reported a truck running for awhile and exhaust is entering into a business. January 7 A caller reported a vehicle accident. A caller reported theft. Police received a report of the sewer treatment plant spewing an offensive odor. January 8 Officers responded to a report of a fight outside of a bar. Officers arrested Brittany Martin, 22, on a charge of Violating Conditions of Release after report of a possible break-in of the F/V Marathon. A caller reported a deer hit two days ago and still alive but only using three legs. A...
Susan Erickson from Petersburg/Wrangell Insurance gave the board an update about property and casualty insurance trends concerning the school district. The district had a great year in terms of premiums, and the increase in premiums accounted for less than one percent of that budget item, Erickson said. “We stayed with Alaska Public Entities. They have been a great carrier for us for many years now, and we just signed a three year commitment to stay with them for another three years,” she said. “They are doing a great job for us provi...
January 8, 1916 – The army department has been trying for some years to switch the lines over to the postoffice officials, who heretofore have been reluctant to take charge, as they have always been operated at a loss. Postmaster General Burleson has been won over to the proposition, and will soon ask congress to turn the cable military telegraph over to him. Burleson recommends that the cable and telegraph and telephone wires be appraised by the interstate commerce commission and turned over to him before July, 1916. Congress will be asked t...
January-June January Petersburg School Superintendent Lisa Stroh resigned from her position citing family medical issues as her reason for leaving although communication between borough staff and student letters indicated turmoil between Stroh and school staff. Two third and fourth grade elementary students published their own class newspapers. Former Petersburg School District Maintenance Director Tye Petersen was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Distribution, Receipt and Possession of... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Data released by the U.S. Department of Education shows Alaska has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country. Only the District of Columbia, New Mexico and Nevada had lower graduation rates during the 2013-14 school year than Alaska, whose graduation rate was 71.1 percent. Federal data shows Alaska's rate has hovered around 70 percent since at least 2010-2011. Nationally, the graduation rate was 82.3 percent. Brian Laurent with Alaska's education department says the state's preliminary graduation rate for 2...
We are in this together To the Editor: I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the School Board members and administration that worked for literally hundreds of hours to develop and pass the amended Memorial policy. As we all know, it is heartbreaking to lose someone that you love, no matter the age, circumstance or relationship. No one grieves in the same way. Some are comforted by reminders of the person, but others can’t face any reminders at all. I appreciate the opportunities that our close-knit community offers in the way of r...
The memorial policy has received much debate for and against the removal of memorials from the Petersburg school grounds and Petersburg School District properties. The policy was approve unanimously by the board in a room filled with almost 30 people, including many school staff members. The policy was in its final reading, and the only amendment to the language was the removal of “temporary memorials” and changing it to “temporary memorabilia.” The approved policy states the conditions that are acceptable when dealing with memorial activit...
