Fund at 100 percent?

PALMER -- After the joint Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly and school board meeting Tuesday evening, assembly members took a few minutes to share their initial thoughts on whether or not they would support funding the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District above the borough ordinance to the state maximum allowed by law. If increases to the per-student allocation are voted into law by the Alaska Legislature, the state maximum could possibly be around $2.7 million more than the borough ordinance calls for.

Betty Vehrs and Bill Allen were quick to show support for a possible amendment to the future FY2005 school district budget in order to fund education to the state max.

"Yes, I would fund to the maximum of the state cap," Vehrs said.

"I wasn't aware of that [difference] until tonight," Allen said. "How can we ask the state to fund 100 percent if we aren't funding 100 percent?"

Assembly members Mary Kvalheim and Jim Colver were both undecided on funding past the borough ordinance; both said they believed considerations of mill rates and the effects on the local property owner were necessary before deciding to increase funding.

"It's a little early to tell right now," said Colver, the borough's deputy mayor. "There are a lot of factors to deal with."

Assembly Member J. Bruce Bush said he was leaning more toward not funding at the maximum state cap.

"Hopefully the school board is exploring attempts to keep the cost down so that we don't have to fund to the state cap," Bush said. "Just because you get more money you can't go out and spend it."

Assembly members Jody Simpson and Talis Colberg were unavailable to comment on funding to the maximum. To make it possible to increase beyond the borough ordinance, four assembly members would have to vote in favor of the increase. In the result of a tie, borough mayor Tim Anderson would be required to vote on the funding issue.

"I support going to the maximum 100 percent," Anderson said. "I will support funding the district at that level for as long as we can."

The borough assembly has funded education at 100 percent of the state maximum for the past three years.