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Parents and teachers urge Matanuska-Susitna Assembly to halt neighborhood school closures
Summary
Dozens of teachers, staff and parents told the assembly April 7 that proposed closures of neighborhood elementary schools, particularly Meadow Lakes, would harm low-income students, disrupt special education services and create transportation barriers — and they asked the assembly to fully fund schools or delay closures.
During the April 7 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly meeting, more than 30 residents and school employees delivered extended public comment opposing proposed school closures and urging the assembly to find funding to keep neighborhood elementary schools open.
Multiple speakers described Meadow Lakes as a community anchor that provides daily stability, food and special-education services for students from families with limited transportation. Riley, a behavioral and educational support specialist, said closing Meadow Lakes would create a barrier that could push some students out of school entirely: "When you move a school like us farther away... we're creating a barrier in education... For some families, that barrier is going to be simply too high." Several witnesses said longer bus rides and earlier pickups would increase absences and that once children disconnect it is difficult to bring them back.
Teachers and support staff detailed cuts to special-education resources, citing a projected $300,000 reduction in services and removal of staff positions and purchase orders that they said are essential to students with complex medical needs. A speech-language pathologist told the assembly such cuts could place the district at greater risk for due-process hearings and litigation if required services are not maintained.
Assembly members responded with questions about the district's budget and asked staff for additional detail. Members asked whether temporary measures could be taken to keep schools open while the borough and school board develop a multi-year plan; they asked staff to clarify what additional funding — including possible state action on bond-debt reimbursement — would be required to avoid closures. Todd Smolden of the governor's office said the governor recognizes school districts’ fiscal challenges and said the governor is unlikely to veto bond-debt reimbursement but that final action rests with the legislature.
What happens next: The Assembly's joint committee on finance and the school board will continue to review the district's budget and options. Several assembly members asked staff for a clear accounting of the district request and the savings from cuts so the assembly can consider temporary funding or other options before closures proceed.
