2024-2025 Legislative Priorities

The Mat-Su Borough School District is dedicated to providing high-quality education that prepares students for success in college, careers, and beyond. With strong academic outcomes, innovative programs, and a focus on student achievement, MSBSD advocates for sustainable investments, flexibility, and resources to ensure every student thrives in a safe, supportive learning environment.

2024-2025 Legislative Priorities

Education Funding

Sustainable, predictable funding for schools

Foundation Funding Formula
Pupil Transportation
Alaska Reads Act
Correspondence Factor

The Mat-Su Borough School District continues to deliver high academic achievement, but sustainable and predictable funding is critical to maintain this success. Foundation Formula funding has remained flat since 2018, transportation funding lacks inflation protection, and the Alaska Reads Act remains underfunded for effective implementation. Correspondence students also receive less funding than their peers. Multi-year, sustainable investments will ensure continued excellence for all Mat-Su students.

Recruitment & Retention

Flexibility & resources to attract and keep talent

State funded teacher recruitment and retention incentives
Allow school districts to access Alaska Care
Change earned service credit definition under the TRS

In this current fiscal climate, school districts are challenged to be innovative in meeting student needs and community interests. MSBSD continues to rise to this challenge through the development of new programs, effective hiring practices, and embracing student, family, and community choice. The Mat-Su School Board recognizes that continuing to develop innovative programs and recruiting high quality teachers will require expanded flexibility or changes to certain limiting legislative sections.

CTE Data

Correspondence

Protect funding for correspondence programs

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has over 3,000 students enrolled in our correspondence study programs. Continuing to allow for the allocation of student allotments is an important feature of a successful correspondence program to provide tailored education for each unique child and family. Additionally, the Mat-Su School Board supports legislation which improves access and support for correspondence students across Alaska.

Parental Rights

Empower parents in their child's education

During the previous session the Mat-Su Borough School Board expressed support for legislation which ensured parental rights in their child’s education as well as opposition to legislation intended to limit the inclusion of parents. This included support for such initiatives as required notice and affirmative written consent before any activity, class, or program that includes sensitive and personal content involving gender identify, human reproduction, or sexual matters; rights of parents to designate the official name used by schools when addressing or referring to enrolled students; and prevent school districts from refusing to release sensitive and personal student records to the child’s legal parent or guardian. The Board opposes legislation where medical, mental, or behavioral health services are available to students at school without the express written consent of the parent. Similarly the Board opposes legislation which would permit non medical personnel to refer students for any medical, mental, or behavioral health services within the school environment.

School Safety

Enhance safety with trained personnel

The safety and well-being of students are of paramount concern for the Mat-Su School Board, parents, staff, and the community. Establishing a program which seeks to support school districts in implementing strategies to prevent and address the most severe forms of violence in schools is an important priority. Providing legislative measures to limit liability and require appropriate training and support thorough evaluation, will assist schools across the State in maintaining safe learning environments.

Capital Requests

Reinstate School Bond Debt Reimbursement Program Funding for future school construction projects.

Since 1970, the State of Alaska has reimbursed boroughs and municipalities with bonding authority for a fixed portion of principal and interest payments. Most recently, this reimbursement rate was set at either 70% or 60%, depending on allowable space criteria established by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. In 2015, the Legislature placed a five-year moratorium on new projects through 2020. A separate five-year moratorium was enacted by the Legislature in 2020, leading to an overall 10-year suspension of the program through June 30, 2025. The Mat-Su Borough School District’s current deferred maintenance needs are estimated to be $244 million.

Provide mechanisms for charter school construction.

Public charter schools provide education choice and access to many families across Alaska and in the Mat-Su Borough School District. There is not currently a specific mechanism where long standing and successful charter schools can receive funding support for new school facilities. Without access to such support these schools will continue to be required to designate a portion of their operation budget to support lease payments.

Elevator Upgrades (6 Sites): $1.6 Million

Elevators across the District are in need of repair or replacement. This is not unexpected, as many are well past their life expectancy. Most elevators are in older secondary schools. The cost of repairs is increasing and there are growing concerns for student safety. The District’s elevators have required extensive repairs, and many of the parts needed for repair are discontinued and/or difficult to obtain on the surplus market. With a growing need for ADA compliance and student access, we anticipate a challenge in meeting the ongoing maintenance requirements for these aged systems.Dental benefits are included in the health insurance premium. Employees who elect medical benefits will automatically be enrolled in the dental benefits listed below.

Boiler and Boiler Control Upgrades (13 Sites): $6.4 Million

This project will complete critical boiler and boiler control replacements to 13 school district sites. All location boilers are beyond the manufacturer’s predicted life expectancy of 25 years. Work items include removal and new installation of the boiler, connection piping, base stack, blower motors, system circulation pumps, local controls, DDC system programming and tie-in, etc. The Mat-Su School Borough District has been battling emergency repairs on these boilers for many years. All included location boilers have crucial items that are and have been affecting the physical environment, building temperature control, and thus the classroom. Several sites have required emergency repairs just to remain operational.

HVAC Control Upgrades (5 sites): $10.6 Million

All locations have outdated pneumatic Direct Digital Control systems that are past their useful life. These pneumatic systems rely on air pressure to provide communication between the signaling components and the actuating components through plastic lines. The systems are aged and the plastic is becoming brittle and cracks and breaks are occurring. The loss of pressure containment leads to faulty control signals and loss of communication between components. This project will provide the existing HVAC system modifications and replace the pneumatic controls with new electronic controls.

Emergency Generator Replacements (7 Sites): $6.8 Million

This project will replace aging generators that are past their end of life. The generators are old enough that we can no longer acquire replacement parts making preventative maintenance difficult and reliability uncertain. Power outages often occur during the winter months and emergency generators are critical infrastructure components to ensure student safety and building health. Additionally, all of the listed locations have served as emergency shelters in the past and updating the generator is important for the broader community as well as the educational environment.

Roofing Replacements (2 Sites): $4.5 Million

This project is for the replacement of the remaining paver-style roof systems within the District. Colony Middle and Wasilla Middle Schools have roofing systems that have exceeded expected life and have expired warranties. Failure in each of the current roofing systems has led to sporadic leakage and collateral damages. This project will remove the existing roofing material and replace it with a modern, insulated membrane roofing system.

Support funding for Emergency Management Services Radio Communications Bi-Directional Amplifiers purchase and installation for all Borough-owned Schools: $7,650,000

The District has established 14 major safety and security infrastructure standards which are consistently found and maintained across the District. Missing from this infrastructure list is equipment which ensures that radio communications are operating and feasible throughout school facilities. Building construction standards often interfere with or disrupt the radio communications effectiveness at schools, both school radios and radios used by first responders and emergency personnel. The cost to retrofit existing Borough owned schools with bi-directional amplifiers to support VHF multi-channel radios is approximately $7,650,000 (45 schools x $170,000 (estimate)).