Schools ask for another $5 million

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough School Board has unanimously approved a preliminary budget asking the borough assembly for another $5 million to cover costs associated with increased attendance, utilities, transportation, fiber optic upgrades and expanded educational needs.

Although district bean counters have managed to balance the MSBSD budget for the next five years because of early retirements, staff reductions and consolidation of services, they warn that if the district doesn’t receive additional funds from the borough and the state Legislature, class sizes could go up by five students a class for an average of 30 pupils per room.

The district’s full-time teacher count has dropped from 617 this year to 528 next year, Assistant Superintendent Ken Forrest told the board last week.

With the average total cost of each full-time teacher coming to $95,000 a year when all benefits are figured in and transportation costs going up 25 percent with First Student’s new contract, the district is stretched to its fiscal limit, Forrest said.

About $1 million is needed to cover increased enrollment, another $1.7 million will cover buses, $420,000 is needed to cover utility expenses and another $300,000 will help expand the AdvancePath program.

District administrators are hoping the Legislature passes Senate Bill 84, which would provide an additional $7 million to the district over the next three years by adding $100 more per pupil each year.

“Many of the class size increases we’ve shown could be mitigated with those funds,” Forrest said.

Until then, one librarian was eliminated from a district school and two nurses accepted early retirement, Forrest told the board. All other “specials” staff members have so far been retained.

The topic of school nurses became a bone of contention during Wednesday’s board meeting, with board member Neal Lacy stating he thinks there should be a full-time nurse in every school. Currently, there are 42 schools and 30 full-time nurses. Some schools share a nurse.

“We are taking an unacceptable risk by not having a nurse in every school,” Lacy said. “Just because schools have been sharing nurses for a long time doesn’t mean it’s a great idea. What if there’s an emergency?”

Calling 911 is the standard procedure if there’s an emergency school staff can’t handle. In schools where students need medications throughout the day, teachers or office staff are trained to administer them if a nurse is not available, district staff said.

Lacy argued nurses do more than dispense medications and provide a place for sick students to rest. They also alert staff to possible child abuse, dangerous viruses, blood-borne pathogens and perform other essential safety measures.

Forrest told the board it would cost about $1.2 million to add 12 nurses in the district.

Board President Mike Dunleavy pointed out that if more nurses were hired, the district would have to detract resources from another area, possibly classrooms.

“I don’t devalue nurses, but I’m concerned that we’d end up taking 12 teachers out of classrooms to fund nurses,” board member Sarah Welton said. “It’s too muddy of an issue right now.”

The board agreed to continue discussing the issue and to look into the possibility of securing grant funds for nursing services.

All in all, because the district doesn’t know yet whether it will receive additional funds from the borough or the state, the final budget is still up in the air. The board will revisit the budget when funding mysteries are cleared up over the next couple of months, Forrest said.

For more information, visit the MSBSD website at matsuk12.us, or call Forrest at 761-4001.

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.McKee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.