5. Testimony of Susan Doherty:

I have attend all the school district sponsored forums on restructuring,two, and the forum the PTA put on January 8th. So I was quite taken back when Mr. Martin stated in his presentation on the 19th that we've been talking about restructuring for 10 years. I've been told that Superintendent Martin is a smart man so I assumed he chose his word talking for a reason. The simplest definition of the word is to use speech. It's synonym is to speak, to utter words or to articulate sounds with an ordinary voice. I guess we have been talking. But we the parents, teachers and residents are asking for and deserve is to discuss a restructuring plan with the board. To investigate by reason or argument, to present in detail the plans. I don't think that's an unreasonable request. Mr. Martin again said that a lot of people are for restructuring and a lot of people are against it. So I am assuming that we're not talking about a lot of land, or a motion picture lot, or my lot as a fate, so that it must mean in the most obscure use of the word a considerable quantity. No wonder school teachers and moms go crazy when kids use these two words to define a number. What is a considerable quantity? If you're saying, I have six kids, that's a lot! But if I have six dollars that's not a lot. We've asked and asked for the school district to survey the entire district. We as PTAs and schools can not do that. Are you afraid of what you might find out? If you do send out a survey, please do us the favor of making it as straight forward and as unbiased as possible. Who knows, that vocal minority just may end up being the silent majority. Going back to Superintendent Martin's being a smart man, not knowing where the Charter School would be housed when enrollment increases doesn't sound like the actions of a very smart person whose job it is to run this school district. So if you really are smart, you know exactly where it would go. But you also know that that choice would be very unpalatable to all the parents who have kids in the elementary schools. So you'll spring that one on us when we're so far down the slippery slope we can't stop. Building availability has not changed since the Charter School was put in the high school so it has to go in one of the other schools. Or maybe if you hold out long enough it'll go in the new school. We deserve a straight forward, honest answer to that question. I'm starting to think I should have looked up the definition of smart when I first heard this word associated with our new Superintendent. I assumed mentally alert, bright, but I'm starting to think they were referring to the smart that is to cause or be the cause of or seat of a sharp poignant pain. I hope through your action and words that I am proved very very wrong. Thank you.

6. Testimony of Mike McColley:

I've lived here for 45 years. I'm against this K-1, K-2 plan. I don't want the kids split up. The older kids watch the younger kids when they go to school. I've seen the score sheet from Sitka since Middag has implemented the program in Sitka and the scores look lower than Ketchikan scores and I'm sure all of you guys have seen this. There's other reasons because you haven't had public testimony. The community doesn't want their 5th grade son not being able to walk their first grade daughter to school and back and forth to watch them. A lot of us, parents and fathers at home, we both work. Both parents work and it's hard for us also with this. So I would like to see all of you guys be open minded and listen to the community, listen to the public, listen to the people. We're trying to tell you something. Wake up. I don't think you guys are doing a very good job and I'm serious about that because you guys are going forward with something that nobody wants and you haven't done any survey. And I'm sure that a survey, if you guys were to do one would come back and let you know that this is true. Thank you.

7. Testimony of Denise Axtell:

I live at ----- and I wasn't going to speak tonight but my girlfriend asked me to come and just be here so that she could speak. And I came across something yesterday, it's just real short but this I feel is for our whole community because I know there's....my heart's really aching for our whole community, for you guys, for everybody. So I just want to read this. "Hearing confrontation from another is no problem when one is certain that the other respects, values, cares in spite of all differences. Caring comes first, confrontation follows." I just hope that all of us would just take....if anybody wants this I would love to share it but I think it says what we need in this community. Thank you.

8. Testimony of Don Mitchell:

Hello. I live at ------. I have no children in the school system and I'm not an employee of the school system. I bear the burden of having an interest in and a concern for the welfare of children. I also pay property taxes. I have many thoughts about restructuring, I have only one point I wish to make tonight. I will start with a brief story. A friend of mine bought a Cadillac over the internet. When it was delivered, he noticed that it was a VW. When my friend called and asked about the differences in cars, the dealer stated he wanted a car and I sent you a car. Obviously, that's not a satisfactory answer. The dealer must either provide what was ordered or convince my friend to formally accept the VW. I did a little research on the construction and remodel of Ketchikan schools. White Cliff was built in 1927. There's been numerous remodels. For example, there was an addition built at White Cliff Elementary School in 1952. Houghtaling was built in 1959 and there were many remodels of Houghtaling School. Valley Park Elementary school was built in 1972 and there were a few remodels of that school. Of course, in 1986 Pt.Higgins was opened. In 1997 the citizens of Ketchikan voted a bond for the replacement of White Cliff Elementary School. There were two propositions on that bond. The first was proposition one, "Shall the Ketchikan Gateway Borough issue a general obligations bond in the amount not to exceed $10,247,332 dollars for the maximum term of 20 years for the purpose of funding the design, rehabilitation and equipping Schoenbar Junior High, Houghtaling Elementary School, Valley Park Elementary issuance of the bond to be conditioned upon the receipt of the issuance of seventy percent of that amount to be refunded by the State." Proposition two, "Shall Ketchikan Gateway Borough issue a general obligation bond in the amount not to exceed $9,615,482 dollars for the maximum of twenty years for the purposes of funding the design and construction for the replacement of White Cliff Elementary School the issuance of such bond will be conditioned upon the receipt of the issuance of seventy percent of that amount shall be refunded by the State." Each of these remodels and replacements, there have been many remodels and replacements over the years and they have all been financed by local property taxes, or a portion of them have been financed by local property taxes. To pay for these remodels and constructions, the citizens passed a bond. In each of these cases the voters were told that the money from the bonds would be spent on replacing or remodeling elementary schools. An elementary school according to Random House Dictionary is a school teaching elementary subjects and extending from grades 6 to 8 years. The [inaudible] Dictionary on the internet says that an elementary school is a school including the first 4 or the first 8 years and often kindergarten. The citizens of Ketchikan for more than 50 years have accepted that definition. They have voted for elementary schools and they have received elementary schools K-6. An elementary school is not a K-2 school or grade 3-6 school. These are not elementary schools. It is not what the citizens agreed to be taxed for. My friend got a car and the citizens of Ketchikan got schools. My friend was delivered a significantly different car than he ordered. The citizens of Ketchikan are being delivered different schools than they agree to. The board must formally ask for the consent of citizens of Ketchikan to significantly alter the use of elementary school buildings. If they do not obtain the consent of the citizens they will lose their credibility and support of the community. If the school board continues with the restructuring ideas it seems that they will invite litigation against the borough assembly and the school board challenging the misleading descriptions of both Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 of the October 7th, 1997 ballot and spending public funds contrary to the Propositions stated intent. They may also invite petitions which would ask the citizens to clarify their intent on Proposition 1 and 2. I voted on the Propositions, I voted in favor of these bonds and I did not vote for this restructuring. I voted for elementary schools. This community is already immersed in a divisive petition with the Head Tax. I would hope that the school board would reconsider its restructuring plan in order to avoid another petition initiative. Thank you for this opportunity.

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