District plans no layoffs

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will not be handing out any pink slips this spring.

At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, all non-tenured contracts were approved for the 2016 school year. Roughly 70 contracts were signed off on and roughly 30 non-tenured teachers were moved to tenure.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District counselor and test coordinator LaDawn Druce thanked the school board for making the decision, which was made more difficult with looming statewide cuts to education.

The school board had the option to postpone the contracts at a later date.

Druce thanked the school board for not making school district educators wait longer to learn if their jobs will be available next fall.

School board member Penny Vadla said it was important to make the decision now so that the school district does not lose any of the high quality educators currently working in local classrooms.

“It’s not a financially solid decision, to be honest,” said school board member Sunni Hilts. “But it’s an important one.”