Mat-Su Borough School District outlines needs for lawmakers

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough School District recently set its list of priorities for the state legislative session set to commence in Juneau on Jan. 20.

Unlike with the Mat-Su Borough or the cities of Houston, Palmer and Wasilla, the list is heavy on money for programs rather than for buildings or infrastructure. The district also is asking the state for a modest increase in what it calls the Base Student Allocation — the amount of money the state provides per student in the district. Last year there was no increase.

“I have not heard exactly how that will be received by our legislators,” Mat-Su Borough School Board member Sarah Welton said at a meeting Jan. 4. “I do know in the past it has been ‘don’t even ask, because it will just offend us.’ Is that still the kind of climate we are in?”

Board president Susan Pougher said she had talked to about half of the Valley’s legislators.

“They have indicated that they don’t want to touch the formula funding,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask.”

Superintendent Deena Paramo outlined the requests for funds for specific programs.

“It’s actually a request for specific funds to continue innovation in the Mat-Su School District,” she said. They include:

• $350,000 for two years of funding for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. The program is a partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage and is open to Alaska Native middle-schoolers. Eighty-three percent of students in the program complete Algebra I by the eighth grade as opposed to 29 percent nationally.

• $500,000 for two years of funding for the National Math Science Initiative. The program trains teachers and incentivizes the teaching of and enrollment in Advanced Placement courses.

• $500,000 for one year of funding for the district’s preschool program. Paramo said that if the state cuts preschool funding, the district would stop offering it. The program is for children who would otherwise not have a chance to enroll in preschool. It also includes support for parents who choose to home-school their children at that level.

• $500,000 for two years of funding for the Blended Learning technology model for middle schools. Paramo said this would be a new program with a goal to reach middle-school students before they disengage. “We want to provide an environment that will motivate students,” she said. “If they are successful their ninth-grade year, we keep kids.”

• 500,000 for two years of funding for a program called Creating Community Responsive Schools. The program seeks to build high-performing schools by engaging students and the community. It also seeks to address the burgeoning population of children with incarcerated parents, a segment of the population that has increased with the opening of the Goose Creek Correctional Center.

• $100,000 for one year of funding for the Young Inventors Organization. The program provides a curriculum to encourage students to invent and innovate and fosters entrepreneurship.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.