Students may get reprieve

School board asked to delay tougher graduation requirements

January 31, 2006

JOEL DAVIDSON\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Due to a projected shortfall in education funds for next year, Mat-Su Borough School District administration is recommending the school board postpone graduation requirements adopted in June.

Under the new requirements, Mat-Su students from the class of 2010 must complete additional courses in career and technical education, fine arts and social studies. For classes of 2009 and 2010, social studies requirements increased from three to four credits. The overall effect is that students need to earn an extra credit (22 instead of 21) to graduate.

While the Mat-Su School District could receive $9 million more in state funding over last year ,the overall schools budget could still fall $4 million short, according to Chief School Administrator Bob Doyle. Holding off on implementing the new graduation requirements until the class of 2012 is just one of many avenues the district is looking at to reduce costs.

In a memo to board members, Assistant Superintendent George Troxel stated the new graduation requirements would necessitate adding 10-15 high school teachers, along with 15-24 portable classrooms.

&#8220These costs alone would exceed $4 million,” Troxel said, while adding that those funds are not available without affecting other areas of the district's budget.

As the board drafts a fiscal year 2007 school budget, it is operating under two critical assumptions: first, that the Mat-Su Borough will provide the same amount for education as it did last year ($38 million) and secondly, that state legislators will accept Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposed $90 million increase to state education this year, which would mean a total state contribution of $104 million for the Mat-Su.

But with 579 more Mat-Su students expected next year, along with a slew of rising education costs, the district is still looking at ways to trim education costs.

In a preliminary draft budget to the Mat-Su School Board, district administration stated that it expects the base costs to operate Mat-Su schools to swell by roughly $14.7 million next year. Most of the increase is due to the growing costs of state retirement benefits, salary increases, health insurance premium increases and the necessary money to open, staff and outfit a new Wasilla-area elementary school.

Other major cost increases for next year include $740,000 for fixed costs such as utilities and insurance premiums, and a $1 million increase for special education positions.

In order to make up financial ground, the district is looking at cost-saving measures that include privatizing district services, shortening staff pay to no more than 240 days and restricting out-of-state travel. Other options include reducing staff and eliminating free custodial supervision for night and weekend community school usage.

The school board is expected to address the graduation requirements at its Wednesday meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at Palmer High School.

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266 or joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.