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P E N I N S U L A
Thursday, April 18, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 170
In the news Alaska students disciplined for school bathroom incident NORTH POLE (AP) — An Alaska school district has expelled a girl after she kicked a boy in the groin when he tried to enter the girls’ restroom at a high school, the girl’s family said. A group of North Pole High School boys tried to enter the bathroom to take a photo as a “form of protest,” Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Superintendent Karen Gaborik said in a statement Monday. Some boys were upset after a transgender student had taken a selfie inside the boys’ restroom earlier this month and shared the photo on social media, Gaborik said. Only one boy made it past the door frame when the girl exiting the restroom encountered the group on April 4. “The female student kicked the first male student in the groin,” Gaborik said. “The male students turned around and left the area.” The district’s Title IX investigator examined the confrontation, finding no evidence that the boys were threatening or using force, Gaborik said. The federal Title IX law protects against gender discrimination in education. “Based on the results of the investigation, school administration issued discipline on April 8 to both the female student and to seven male students involved in the incident,” Gaborik said. “The male students were disciplined for attempting to enter the restroom.” The district declined to say how the students were disciplined, citing student confidentiality protections. The district did not name the students involved. The girl’s family told the Anchorage Daily News that she was expelled, but they are appealing the expulsion. They declined to comment further. The high school continues to have conversations among students about transgender students and the use of restrooms, Gaborik said “In regards to transgender students, when a student identifies as transgender in our district, the student (and often the family) work with school counselors and administration to determine how to best meet that student’s educational needs,” Gaborik said. “The conversation includes use of restrooms.”
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Biking in the spotlight By Brian Mazurek Peninsula Clarion
A local biking advocacy group gave a presentation a the Joint Kenai/Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Wednesday to show how they have been working to make the central peninsula more bike-friendly. Kaitlin Vadla of Biking in Kenai and Soldotna (BiKS) showcased to chamber members BiKS accomplishments as well as the big dreams her organization has for the future of biking in the Kenai-Soldotna area. “How do we make Kenai and Soldotna the best places to live, work and play?” Vadla asked at the start of the presentation. She then made the case that bicycles are an integral part of the answer. Over the last year, BiKS has worked with local schools, governments and
Poll: More Alaskans support than oppose budget By Alex McCarthy Juneau Empire
Bicyclists participate in a Full Moon Bike Ride in Swiftwater Park in Soldotna on Sep. 24, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Jenn Tabor/BiKS)
other nonprofit organizations on several projects and initiatives varying in scope and size. BiKS helped in-
stall two bike fix-it stations in Kenai and Soldotna along the Unity Loop Trail, which give cyclists the tools
needed to keep riding in the event of a flat tire or busted seat. They also began hostSee BIKE, page A3
This week, Alaska’s sole major pollster released the results of a statewide poll, showing a tight split between supporters and critics of the governor’s proposed budget. Ivan Moore, who runs Alaska Survey Research, polled 739 registered voters across the state and found that 49 percent of them favored Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget and 46 percent opposed it, accord-
See POLL, page A2
Assembly approves additional district funding By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting was dominated by education funding Tuesday night, with the assembly passing
an ordinance to increase fiscal year 2019 funds to the district and a resolution to set the base level of funding for the FY20 school district budget. The assembly approved a resolution to increase the
district’s FY19 budget by $2,423,955 in an effort to retain some of the district’s non-tenured teachers. After the joint assembly and school board meeting on March 5, Superintendent Sean Dusek submitted a let-
ter to the assembly asking to fund the school district for 2019 to the maximum amount allowable at this time, $2,423,955. The resolution passed after a five to four “yes” vote, with Assembly members
Dale Bagley, Kelly Cooper, Willy Dunne, Brent Hibbert and Hal Smalley voting “yes,” and approved the supplemental funding, allowing the district to retain non-tenured staff and proSee FUND, page A3
Community speaks out on Pebble project EIS By Megan Pacer Homer News
People from the Homer community and beyond flocked to Homer High School last Thursday to testify on the proposed Pebble Mine project, as well as the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) put forward by the Army Corps of Engineers, which is tasked with evaluating a permit application from Pebble Limited Partnership. Dozens of people filed into the stands in the Alice Witte Gymnasium to give their comments at the public hearing hosted by the corps. Others sat down at tables near the back of the room to submit their comments electronically. The Army Corps of Engineers has authority over: • The discharge of fill material for construction of the road system and the proposed port
Protesters stand in the Homer High School Commons at the end of a rally held by Cook Inletkeeper at the same time as a April 11 public hearing hosted by the Army Corps of Engineers to take comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine, held at the high school in Homer. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News) • Working in navigable waters It does not have author-
ity over the proposed mine plan for operations with respect to how the minerals
Gov appointees confirmed By Alex McCarthy Juneau Empire
The most talked-about vote of the week in the Alaska Legislature began with talk of “a witch hunt” and ended with a “yippee-kiyay.” Legislators gathered in a joint session of the House and Senate on Wednesday to either confirm or deny Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s choices for commissioners of the major state departments. All week, the most anticipated debate was about Amanda Price, the governor’s pick for Department of Public Safety commissioner. The Legislature voted to confirm Price — and the rest of Dunleavy’s appointees
will be extracted, how they’ll be transported, or how the mine will deal with tailings
— but not without heated debate. Price has been the target of criticism for a large
portion of the session, with legislators pointing out her lack of law enforcement exSee GOV, page A3
See EIS, page A2
Senators propose way for ferries to run this winter By Alex McCarthy Juneau Empire
Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, and Senate President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, watch the votes tally for Amanda Price for Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety at the Capitol on Wednesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
dams. All of those operations would have to be approved through permits by different state agencies. While much of the testimony presented at the hearing was either vague or not related to the corps’ EIS, some who gave public comments did address the document, saying it was lacking and incomplete. Commenters said the document downplays the consequences of mine activity to the ecology of the area, and several said they were disappointed that it did not take a deeper look at the social and economic impacts to the Bristol Bay area. Many who testified urged the corps to scrap the Draft EIS and start it over, saying that would be the only way for them to get it right. Part way through the meeting, community members went outside the school to join a rally organized by
Users of the Alaska Marine Highway System have likely had Oct. 1 circled on their calendars. In Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget proposal, the ferry system would stop running Oct. 1 and stay out of service until the following June. If a group of senators get their way, the ferries will be able to stay on the water during that time, albeit with reduced service. The Senate Finance Transportation Subcommittee approved a budget proposal Wednesday morning that includes
funding for a reduced ferry service from October to June. Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka and chair of the committee, has been particularly vocal this session about preserving the ferry system and spoke at length at Wednesday’s meeting. “Surely, a reduced service is better than no service,” Stedman said. While the governor proposes cutting about $98 million from the AMHS budget, the Senate Transportation Committee’s proposed budget would cut about $44 million, according to materials from Wednesday’s meeting. The committee’s proposal See FERRY, page A2