Extensive Cuts Could Loom for Schools

By Rindi White, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska

Apr. 25–WASILLA — Schools would be hard hit by proposed cuts in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough budget for the coming fiscal year that was released last week.

“The only program package that would be funded in whole is elementary schools,” chief school administrator Bob Doyle said Friday. “None of the enhanced budgets would be funded.”

Doyle said the current funding plan would mean big cuts at middle schools, high schools and the six small schools around the district.

The borough Assembly was scheduled to hear more about the School District budget Tuesday evening.

The borough released a proposed $311.8 million spending plan last week that allocates $221 million for school operations. Doyle said that includes things like pupil transportation and food service.

Rather than present the borough with a bottom-line funding request, the School Board in February adopted a list of priorities based on reduced, enhanced and status-quo funding levels.

If the proposed budget is adopted, Doyle said, the School District will get about $161 million for classroom education.

To keep school operations at their current level would require $177 million; to add new positions or programs outlined in an enhanced School District spending plan would require $189 million.

According to a February budget presentation, kindergarten programs would be cut at Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Sutton, Glacier View, Beryosava and Willow Elementary schools. A school registration count on Friday tallied 320 students at those schools.

Chris Hagar is a teaching principal at Trapper Creek and Talkeetna, home of 115 students. He said Tuesday that in addition to losing kindergarten, his schools would lose a preschool program and secretaries at both schools.

“If that happens, the impact on our school, I believe, is significant and dramatic,” Hagar said.

Beryosava and Glacier View would have to restructure their high school class offerings.

Middle schools would average class sizes of 27 to 32.5 students and would lose School Within a School programs aimed at deterring dropouts and helping flagging students.

High schools would lose all extracurricular activities, see class sizes greater than 33 students and lose electives such as fine arts, world languages and industrial arts.

Fifty full-time teaching positions would be cut, according to February budget presentations.

“The only program that would be funded in whole is elementary schools,” Doyle said Friday.

The budget, if adopted as is, would require a mill rate of 9.644, down slightly from last year’s rate of 9.658 mills. Borough assessor Dave Dunivan said the average assessed value of a home in Mat-Su increased this year from about $200,000 to $223,153.

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Daily News reporter Rindi White can be reached at rwhite@adn.com or 352-6709.

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IF YOU GO:

Two public hearings on the proposed budget are scheduled for 6 p.m. May 3 and May 8. Both meetings will be held at Central Mat-Su Public Safety Building at 101 W. Swanson Ave., Wasilla.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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