Boundary changes slated for schools in Wasilla

October 21, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON\Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Construction of the new Wasilla-area elementary school is nearing completion and ahead of schedule to open at the start of the 2006-2007 school year.

On Nov. 3, the school district will hold a town meeting to determine which students should attend the new facility, located off Wasilla Fishhook off Paradise Lane extension.

The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., at Teeland Middle School, will address proposed boundary changes that primarily affect students who currently attend Larson and Tanaina elementary schools.

Both Larson and Tanaina have experienced overcrowding the last few years. With roughly 800 new students joining the Mat-Su Borough School District this year and an expected 300 more next year, crowding issues remain a concern for schools throughout the Valley.

If the boundary changes are approved, Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle said the new Wasilla school would balance student populations between the three elementary schools, leaving each building with approximately 335 students.

Last year, in an effort to deal with overcrowding, the district considered boundary changes at multiple locations throughout the Valley. Those proposals were widely criticized by the community and ultimately abandoned. On Wednesday, Doyle told the Mat-Su School Board that the current proposed changes are very limited in scope.

&#8220They are the only boundary changes I will be proposing this year,” he said, adding that the changes would affect only two schools, along with the new one.

Contact Joel Davidson at

352-2266, or joel.davidson@ frontiersman.com.