Kenai Peninsula students head back to school

KENAI, Alaska (KTUU) - Kids in the Kenai Peninsula Borough returned to school this week, joining their counterparts from other areas of the state, many of whom returned a week earlier.

Wednesday was the first day back for the more than 25,000-square-mile school district. Superintendent Clayton Holland said there was a lot of energy and enthusiasm heading into the first day of school.

Looking forward to the rest of the year, Holland said the district is looking at expanding its career and technical offerings across the district. He said the main focus at the elementary level is on literacy and the implementation of the Alaska Reads Act.

“This is a big lift, and we’re doing great work there,” Holland said. “Overall, K-12 literacy, but then just going back to that, expanding that equity piece for all of our kids, so a kid across the district can have the same access as, you know, a student in Tyonek, can do the same thing or similar things as a student in Soldotna. So expanding those offerings, finding creative ways to make things happen, and then just really that commitment to excellence that we have here on the Kenai.

Holland says the district is expecting roughly 8,200 students across their 42 schools this year.

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