Parents, staff push back against proposed Mat-Su School closures at MSB meeting

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly chambers were packed with residents eager to weigh in on a heavy agenda, including an ordinance for data center development and a proposed 6.5% sales tax. While a planned pay raise for the mayor and assembly was postponed, most attendees focused their testimony on the school district. Community members pleaded with the assembly to prevent school closures and reverse proposed staffing cuts, including school nursing positions.

To streamline the meeting, Assembly member Max Sumner proposed reducing public comment from three minutes to two, citing a packed agenda. Member Michael Bowles supported the move, noting it as common practice for large crowds. “Most people here are likely to speak on the same subject," Bowles explained, "and two minutes is enough time to understand their positions while ensuring we get through the business at hand.”

MSB Mayor Edna DeVries said she would use her veto power to override, if necessary, forcefully telling the assembly that “I think it’s an injustice to the people that take time out of their schedule to come and then we change the rules on them. No wonder government has such a bad reputation.” Needless to say, the vote failed.

Mat-Su School District school board superintendent Dr. Randy Trani spoke to the assembly, telling them that he would be presenting his proposed budget the following evening with its $22.5M deficit. “Inflation has outpaced funding,” he said, adding that his main goal is to protect classroom teachers and minimize classroom disruption. He also addressed reductions in staffing positions and the proposed school closures, saying “(It)is the worst recommendation I’ve had to make to a school board in 36 years.”

Once the public comment period opened, many opposed to the closures called for an audit of the spending from the school board, a manpower study, and appealed to the assembly to fund to the cap to help alleviate some of the budget shortfall.

For Heather Bauman, the potential closure of Meadow Lakes Elementary (MLE) is more than a professional loss; it is a personal blow to her family’s stability. A first-grade teacher at the school, Bauman told the assembly she feels her "choice is being taken away" after she intentionally sought out Meadow Lakes for its positive community. Beyond the school’s reputation, she highlighted a critical academic need: the school’s ability to honor her son’s 504 Plan in a way that remains minimally restrictive while avoiding the need for an IEP

Bauman says she has the skills to homeschool her son, but believes that it wouldn’t be fair to only serve her child. “How many parents have the gift of teaching and instruction? How many don’t have the skills and knowledge and patience needed?”

Other teachers from MLE echoed her sentiments, telling the assembly and audience that shuttering the school would destabilize and dismantle the community found within the walls of the school, and reminding them that funding issues would not be resolved.” We are more than a line item destabilizes, dismantles community. The students are not numbers, but human beings.”

For Carrie Johnson, the RISE program at MLE isn't just a classroom—it's a lifeline. Speaking emotionally, she detailed how her nonverbal son has gained communication abilities over the last two years thanks to the expertise of a dedicated, stable team. Johnson expressed deep concern that a forced relocation of the program would dismantle months, or even years, of progress, emphasizing that for these students, regression is a very real threat when stability is taken away. “My son’s voice, the one he fought so hard to find, depends on you encouraging the district to make a careful, lawful, and accountable decision.”

Her husband, Taft, echoed his support for the school that has helped his son so much, saying that before they enrolled him at MLE, their son had made zero progress. “When he went to Meadow Lakes, in the time he has been there, he is now able to communicate through modified sign language, using a communication device, and also some words. That is a huge thing to do for a six-year-old autistic boy.”

He said he understands what the school district is facing, asking the assembly to utilize their influence “The decision will land on families in a very real way.”

Mary Dooher, a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) that works for the district, urged the assembly to take advantage of the Rural Health Transformation Program, in which $272M has been allocated to the state, and asked that the Borough apply for some of the funding and noted that the district is in the process of doing so as well.

She went on to praise the staff and at MLE. “I can’t say enough about the school culture there. There’s just so much to say. It’s a wonderful school and the special education services there are very unique. Cutting Meadow Lakes as a whole, you are cutting into the most vulnerable students in the district.”

While supporting an audit, she reminded the assembly that previous staffing reductions—including the loss of seven SLPs—have already caused caseloads to balloon, making it difficult to meet federal IEP requirements. Addressing the proposed elimination of 16 nursing positions, she warned that moving to a regional model puts the district at risk of lawsuits, citing similar cases in the lower 48. She argued that investing in nurses is not just necessary for safety, but also a crucial way to avoid potential legal action.

Amber Allen spoke on behalf of Glacier View Elementary School, another school proposed for closure. She told the assembly that while she understands that they do not dictate how the school district spends their money, she says the MSB remains at the root of the issue.

“You are the root of the problem because we don’t have the money that we need, and you are part of where that money comes from.” Allen went on to say that the MSB assembly has the lowest percentage of contribution to the school district's required funds, and they can help support the children of the district. “Our school district needs money—our schools and our children need more support.”

She advocated for Glacier View, saying that despite paying property taxes like everyone else, Glacier View receives no fire or EMS services. “What do we have for our taxes? We have a public school.” She said that while the student population may be small, they are just as worthy of quality education as any others.

Violet Rainbow Brooks said she came out to the meeting to advocate for the students who couldn’t, and that she couldn’t understand what was going on within the district. “It makes no sense for my school to be shutting down.” She said that the cost to move students from MLE to other schools would be heavy financially, and students could regress.

MLE serves one of the district’s largest populations of students with special needs, housing seven dedicated special education classrooms, while also home to the second-highest concentration of low-income families. “Closing a school with the greatest concentration of students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged families raises serious equity discrimination concerns.”