The school board is enthusiastic about our opportunity to collaborate with the Tlingit & Haida early childhood program.

From the outset, Superintendent Bill Burr had been eager to support the initiative, assisting in identifying suitable classroom spaces and coordinating any logistical or operational needs. Due to the way events have progressed, I believe it’s important to bring this issue to the community’s attention.

Given this spirit of cooperation, it came as a significant and unexpected surprise to learn — via a newspaper article — that the borough had granted Head Start a no-cost lease for classroom space in the elementary school. This decision was made without any prior consultation or communication with Superintendent Bill Burr or the school board.

This lack of collaboration is especially disappointing, considering that both Mayor Patty Gilbert and Borough Manager Mason Villarma have publicly expressed a commitment to building a transparent and cooperative relationship with the school district.

During our spring town hall public work session, we engaged in meaningful dialogue about how vacant classroom space could potentially be used by Head Start or other services, with the understanding that any use of district facilities would be supported through Head Start’s grant funding.

We fully expected that further planning and coordination would occur in partnership with the school district. Unfortunately, that collaboration never materialized.

There was no discussion with the district regarding which classrooms would be used, scheduling logistics, responsibility for utilities and janitorial services, or oversight of the space. We were entirely left out of the decision-making process and only became aware of the arrangement after it was publicly announced in the newspaper.

When Superintendent Burr reached out to Villarma for clarification, the response confirmed that the borough’s actions did not reflect a true spirit of partnership.

Transparency has been a consistent expectation in recent public conversations. However, true transparency is impossible when the school district is excluded from decisions that directly affect its facilities, operations and finances. We cannot effectively inform or engage with our community on issues we ourselves have not been informed about.

Moving forward, the district will need to allocate staff time and resources to invoice the borough for any expenses associated with Head Start’s occupancy. These costs must not — and will not — be covered by local contributions intended for the education of our K-12 students.

We continue to believe in the potential value that Head Start brings to Wrangell families, while realizing that value must be supported through thoughtful planning, open communication and mutual respect among all stakeholders. We remain committed to working together and are eager to build a relationship based on genuine collaboration—not just lip service, but real and active communication.

We sincerely hope that, moving forward, the borough will include the school district in any discussions that directly impact our schools, our staff and, most importantly, our students.

David Wilson