School board wraps up business during last meeting of school year

During the last meeting of the 2024-2025 school year on June 4, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) school board approved several measures before convening for the summer.

As previously reported, the first change to the existing graduation requirements, separate from the changes made to Mat-Su Central correspondence school, is the removal of 4 Cs for all students to graduate.

Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani previously said that 4Cs was developed out of a sense of necessity during the COVID pandemic, as well as a number of students who were not on track to graduate

“We had to develop a systemic intervention across the whole district to make sure that we caught those kids.” He said that over the time 4 Cs has been used, it has changed adults’ behavior to intervening at the exact right time.

While the district had already relaxed the 4 Cs requirement for some juniors and seniors who were on track to graduate, ultimately, removing the requirement is being pushed by the budget. Smaller schools cannot offer 4 Cs to every single student. Dr. Trani said that he has heard from principals that there is benefit from the program and that many will keep utilizing the tools from the program, but just not make it a requirement for every single student. “We can’t offer it under these revenue scenarios.”

The plan will be to continue to offer 4 C’s courses at schools but not make it a requirement for every student to take the course. Schools will be expected to monitor students not enrolled in 4 C’s and move them into the course when they begin to struggle, rather than waiting until their senior year to intervene.

The motion was passed unanimously by the school board.

The other changes to graduation requirements approved include the addition of two new diploma options available to all students in the district, designed to honor and encourage exceptional high school achievement.

The two new diplomas will be the ‘Honors Diploma’ and the ‘Honors Diploma with Distinction.’ Each diploma requires students to earn “four in the core” credits in each of the four core subject areas-English, Math, Science, and Social Studies-including completion of Algebra 2 or higher. Both diplomas would also require an additional credit of PE/Health.

Both also allows a student to focus on an additional 3 credits of advanced coursework in Career and Technical Education (CTE) or college prep courses. The ‘Honors Diploma with Distinction’ goes a step further, recognizing students who take a combination of an additional 8 credits of advanced coursework in CTE, college prep courses, world language, and JROTC.

While students are not required to meet criteria for these diplomas, those who do will receive recognition for their hard work.

This measure was also unanimously approved.

Other measures approved included approving the contract with the University of Alaska Anchorage that will allow the MSBSD to continue offering the Mat-Su Middle College, ANSEP Acceleration Academy, Dual Credit for Cohorts of Students, Dual Credit for Articulated CTE Courses, and Dual Credit for Academic Courses.

A request to approve a change to the grade configurations for three district school locations was also made, as Larson Elementary and Knik Elementary changed to reference Pre-K through 5. Larson elementary currently has a Pre-K program and will continue Pre-K services for the FY 2026 school year. Meanwhile, Knik Elementary is located in an area with a high need for Preschool and it may be necessary to place a Pre-K program at the school location in the near future.

Additionally, the ANSEP Acceleration Academy has, on a limited basis, allowed the enrollment of middle school students to attend the program, so the board sought to approve the Mat-Su Middle College School to include students in grades 6-12, which will ensure the grade configuration is accurate. This will not change the eligibility requirements for the school’s program.

According to the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), the Commissioner must receive a grade change request in writing prior to the beginning of the student count period for the fiscal year (September 29, 2025) for the school to be considered for funding for those students.

The FY 2026 budget, which was proposed during the May 21 meeting and featured changes after the Governor vetoed a bill to approve education spending, was also unanimously approved. The current iteration of the budget incorporates known adjustments to revenue and expenditures and includes estimates for continued uncertainty particularly around funding from the State of Alaska.

The next school board meeting will be held in August 6, 2025 at the MSBSD Administration Building in Palmer.