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After twenty three years working for the Petersburg School District, Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter will retire on June 30. In early 2001, Kludt-Painter's dad told her there was a job opening for a principal in Petersburg, Alaska, and said he thought she'd like Petersburg, a town about the same size as her hometown of Orofino in rural northern Idaho. She jumped at the opportunity. Barb Marifern, who was on the hiring committee, said that after a series of phone interviews with each...
Reads Act funding and PFD taxation To the Editor: I met with Representative Himschoot on Super Bowl Sunday to chat about the Alaska Reads Act. I pointed out that parts of the Act include unfunded mandates and she agreed. In discussion, I realized there are three logical sources from which the funds can be had: Permanent Fund, State Income Tax or local sources. Representative Himschoot did not endorse any of my funding suggestions, but she did point out that it would be unfair for a state mandated program to require local funding. I pointed out...
The Petersburg School Board passed a board policy that outlines professional boundaries between staff and students in its first reading at their meeting on Tuesday. Board Policy 5141.42 identifies boundary invasions that are inappropriate for Petersburg School District staff, volunteers and other members of the community to cross when dealing with a student. Examples include, taking an undue interest in a particular student, using poor judgement in relation to a particular student, becoming...
Mindy Lopez has taken on the role of chamber administrator with the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, a position she said allows her to support local businesses at a time when they may be reeling from the financial setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We all go through difficult times in our lives," said Lopez. "Sometimes it feels good to have someone walking with you in those hard times." Before joining the chamber in early June, Lopez had been working with Petersburg Mental Health doing...
The Petersburg School Board approved the 2021 fiscal year operating budget at their meeting on Tuesday, which has a revenues budget that is $105,060 above expenditures to account for unknowns in the coming school year. The budget has $8,832,258 in revenues, with most of the funding to Petersburg School District coming from the state and Petersburg Borough, according to PSD Director of Finance Karen Morrison. The state contributes $6,861,054 to the Petersburg School District, making up 78...
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce has officially cancelled this year's Little Norway Festival due to uncertainties over how long state health mandates to shelter in place and maintaining social distancing will remain in place. Chamber Administrator Mara Lutomski said the choice to cancel the 62nd Little Norway Festival was a hard decision for the chamber board. "No one wants to cancel a festival that has been such a rich part of Petersburg history," said Lutomski. The chamber of commerce and...
Meg Litster was appointed to the Petersburg School Board in a special meeting on Tuesday. Litster is filling a vacant seat left by Board President Mara Lutomski who stepped down in February. Litster, who had previously served on the school board for two years, will remain on the board until the municipal elections later this year....
This year's Petersburg High School senior baccalaureate service and scholarship ceremony will be held separately on the same night, as opposed to last year when both ceremonies were conducted one right after the other. On Tuesday, May 19, the senior baccalaureate will start at about 6 P.M. in the Wright Auditorium. Once the graduating seniors have each been honored, a brief intermission will be held in the high school commons. The seniors will then be awarded their scholarships back in the...
The Petersburg School Board adopted a policy on Tuesday in its second and final reading that addresses the Petersburg School District's pandemic and epidemic emergency readiness. Board policy 6114.4 was recommended to the school board by the Association of Alaska School Boards. Since its first reading in February, School Board Vice President Sarah Holmgrain said parents have had some concerns over the extent that the district would be able to quarantine students; as a result, language within...
The Petersburg School Board held a special meeting on March 2 to formally accept Mara Lutomski's resignation as board president, which she submitted to the board on Feb. 26. Lutomski said her decision to step down as board president wasn't because there was conflict within the board or she was overwhelmed. She said she just wants to dedicate her time to other endeavors around town. "I am pursuing other opportunities in town that I cannot do while on the school board," said Lutomski. She...
Both Petersburg Rexall Drug and Lee's Clothing were honored as businesses of the year at Saturday's Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Additionally, the two businesses were awarded a plaque commemorating their 50th year in business. "You cannot think of downtown Petersburg without thinking of either of these two icons," said Chamber Manager Mara Lutomski. Petersburg Rexall Drug was purchased by Max Worhatch III in the summer of 1969 and is now run by two of his daughters, Erica Worhatch...
Discussed by the Petersburg School Board at their meeting last week was a senate bill being put forth by Alaska legislators that would mandate school districts offer a preschool program and ensure students are reading proficiently by third grade. "We have heard that this is a fast moving bill," said School Board President Mara Lutomski. "Both sides, the House and the Senate, expect that it will probably most likely make it through and arrive at the governors' desk in some form. It doesn't mean...
The Petersburg School Board approved an updated math curriculum for the district and the purchase of related materials totaling approximately $42,000 at the board's meeting on Tuesday. A whole new math curriculum is being adopted at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School that was constructed last year by second grade teachers Becky Martin and Mary Midkiff, according to Elementary Principal Heather Conn. The curriculum teaches math to students in a spiral manner. "We will see the same information...
With the increasing presence of cell phones in the district, the Petersburg School Board held a discussion on the district's cell phone policy at a school board meeting last week. At Rae C. Stedman Elementary School, cell phones are not allowed to be seen during school hours, and must be kept in students' backpacks. Principal Heather Conn said she hasn't seen any cell phones this year so far, though she has seen them in past years. When a student is caught with their cell phone out, they must dr...
The Petersburg School Board approved a board policy in its second and final reading regarding restrictions on sex offenders on campus. "We are not putting this policy into place because we are currently dealing with a situation," said School Board President Mara Lutomski. "There is no crisis going on within the school." Board Policy 3515.5 was on the agenda at the October school board meeting, but school board members present wanted to receive clarification on the policy and vote on it with a...
With the two-decades old lighted Christmas street decorations in tatters, both the Chamber of Commerce and the Petersburg Borough scrambled to find replacements this month. New decorations were priced at $500 each, according to Chamber Manager Mara Lutomski, but when board member Carrie Martinsen heard of the cost, she proposed that her company Tamico, Inc. fabricate the decorations for half the price. The original 16 snowflake designed ornaments were made of painted steel and were prone to...
Four career and technical education students gave an overview of their presentation at a conference in October before the Petersburg School Board last week. People were lined up out the door to hear Thomas Durkin, Maddy Gilpin, Jaden Perry and Zephrie Whitethorn speak about their accomplishments in wood and metal shop classes at PHS during the Alaska Career and Technical Education Conference in Anchorage, according to Industrial Arts Teacher Dave Owens. Whitethorn spoke about how working...
Total ballots cast - 1,134 Mayor - one 3-year term Mark Jensen - 591 Jeff Meucci - 530 Assembly - two 3-year terms Aaron R. Hankins - 354 Marc Martinsen - 476 Jeigh Stanton Gregor - 649 Chelsea Tremblay - 539 School board - two 3-year terms Sarah P. Holmgrain - 929 Mara E. Lutomski - 815 Hospital board - three 3-year terms George S. Doyle - 651 Cynthia Lagoudakis - 598 Lisa Nilsen - 263 Joe Stratman - 544 Stacey Thorsen - 456 Jackie Tyson - 266 Planning Commission - two 3-year terms No...
Unofficial poll numbers show Mark Jensen returning for another three year term as mayor and incumbent Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Chelsea Tremblay elected to the borough assembly in the municipal election on Tuesday. Jensen had 590 votes and Jeff Meucci, who also sought the mayor’s seat, had 524 votes, according to unofficial results. Stanton Gregor and Tremblay beat Aaron Hankins and Marc Martinsen for the two seats on the assembly. The seats had belonged to Stanton Gregor and Kurt Wohlhueter. W...
The Petersburg School District maintains a higher percentage of students scoring proficient or higher in English language arts (ELA), math and science in statewide testing. The Performance Evaluation for Alaska's Schools test is given to students between 3rd and 10th grade each spring. The ELA and math tests are given to all students from 3rd to 9th grade, and the science test is only given to 4th, 8th and 10th graders. According to PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter, the PEAKS tests are...
Petersburg will hold its annual municipal election on Oct. 1 from 8 A.M. through 8 P.M. in the activity room of the community center. Residents will vote on who will fill 17 public office seats up for reelection, including the mayor's seat, as well as one proposition. The first day that residents could apply for candidacy was July 23, and the last day to file was Aug. 20. The borough will submit voter registration forms to the Alaska Division of Elections for community members up until the...
The Petersburg School Board approved the district's fiscal year 2020 operating budget at their monthly meeting last week. "This is a solid budget," said Finance Director Karen Quitslund. "It's fiscally conservative." The district's budget ignores uncertainties in Gov. Mike Dunleavy's proposed 2020 fiscal year state budget. The district did not believe a state budget was going to be passed before it had to submit the district's budget to the state by July 1. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter...
Changes to 11 board policies are set to go into effect after the Petersburg School Board approved the alterations in their second and final reading at a board meeting last week. The changes to the policies were minor and were made to be in accordance with new state laws, according to School Board President Mara Lutomski. Some of the policy changes add language related to culturally responsive education and cultural and tribal consulting, which was the case in the changes to board policy...
The Class of 2019 completed their high school careers in a commencement ceremony on Tuesday that saw 30 seniors from Petersburg High School receive their diplomas. Of the 30 graduating seniors, 17 have definitive plans on attending college. Two students plan on joining the military. Two students have plans to attend a trade school. George Skeek will be moving to Sitka to begin a wood carving career, and Koren Sperl plans on attending flight school to obtain his commercial pilot license. Fifty sc...
At a school board meeting last week, Petersburg School District Director of Activities Jaime Cabral said that a recent research project revealed that school districts within Southeast Alaska spent $1.9 million in one year traveling with Alaska Airlines. The figure only takes into account the amount of money the region spends on travel for activities, like basketball games at other schools or regional and state competitions. Cabral said that Alaska Airlines is looking at possible solutions to...
